Last Monday I was fortunate enough to take a little road trip, and as I love any opportunity to get away from my desk and out on the road—especially when there’s the potential of seeing some cool glass machinery in action—I was particularly excited about my trip to the Blairsville, Pa., headquarters of Dlubak Corp.
Frank Dlubak was a gracious host. We started out with a walk through the factory floor where I gawked at the massive thickness of the laminated lites on the floor and Frank pointed out the five autoclaves at that particular facility, the tempering line and an IG production line. Although I recognized a number of the names on the machinery on the floor, in the other cases Frank explained to me that when the need arises for a piece of equipment to do a specific task that doesn’t yet exist—he designs it.
The innovation is hardly limited to machinery design, I learned, or even the unique applications of the company’s bent glass and aluminum products, for which the company may be best known. Frank shared that he is in the process of starting up yet another company with a pretty “cool” take on glass—keep an eye on USGNN for more on that soon.
Though our conversation focused on the rather intense topic of security glazing, due to this focus in the April issue of USGlass and the focus on this topic that Dlubak Corp. has had for the past several years, the atmosphere during the interview was relaxed. As Frank pointed out, he has no office in any one building, as his works takes him always to the next project, so we gathered with CEO David Bazzano in a kitchen area upstairs in the facility (and yes indeed, sir, those tasty sprinkle-topped brownies helped me make the long drive home). During our wide-ranging discussions we were subject to welcome interruptions ranging from the curly-haired terrier Max who came in to greet me with a wagging tail to plant floor employees with whom Frank was eager to chat to the appearance of Frank’s son and VP of operations Damon and son-in-law and project manager Sunghoon Kim who joined in our talk. It’s those “slice of life” scenarios (as my high school creative writing teacher would have called them) that make these profiles so interesting; a chance to really see what it’s like on a given day at a given company.
Coincidentally, as the oldest of five kids, I was quite intrigued by the family aspect of the company; as it was pointed out during my visit I sat talking with two sets of brothers-in-law. Close as I am to my siblings, I feel as if the majority of projects on which we have collaborated have resulted in someone being grounded …
Frank pointed out one benefit to this arrangement as being how well “the kids talk to each other every day.” That ever-open line of communication has got to be a boon in business. I know as much as my sibs may drive me crazy, at the end of the day we’re always able to work out our differences. Obviously the same must be true of a number of you out there, as when working on our Big Book of Lists last month I received countless forms indicating some form of family ownership (something we’ll be working to recognize in future issues of USGlass).
And for more on what I learned in visiting Dlubak Corp., you’ll just have to look out for your next issue of USGlass.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Monday, February 23, 2009
Back to the Grindstone
The Glass Association of North America's (GANA) Glass Week and the BEC Conference were a great success from everything I saw and heard, and I think the GANA staff and conference speakers have had the well-deserved accolades piled on. For those of you who didn’t have the opportunity to make it yourselves, we tried our best to bring you a view of the conference highlights with our video footage, which you can find on our USGNN archive site, marked with a small red video camera icon.
The only thing I think hasn’t been covered, was the intense conversation on any given night at the ghostbar, located on the 55th story of the Palms, regarding whether that was in fact glass or a polycarbonate “window” set into the bar’s patio floor. Anyone want to claim this particular project and settle this question once and for all ..?
As I’m sure the 500+ attendees of last week’s conference will agree, great as the conference was, after a week out of the office the inbox was looking pretty scary upon my return. As I told someone this morning, it’s been very encouraging the tremendous response we received to this year’s Book of Lists, but after a week out of the office there was quite a lot of your forms to wade through. It’s a great problem to have, though, and my thanks to everyone who showed such interest in being a part of this annual feature.
With this massive project just about coming to a close, I’m starting to turn my attention to our April issue, with its focus on architects. For those of you who responded to our contract glazing survey last fall, I get the impression that just this mention of the architectural industry already has gotten a reaction from you. No offense meant to architects—we love ’em to death and wouldn’t have work without them—but admit it. Your life would be a lot easier if they knew a thing or two about glass, right?
Well here’s your chance to help. You can either post here or email me, as I'd like to hear the top three things you wish architects knew about glass or the glass industry. We’ll run your kind suggestions (or desperate pleas) in the April issue of USGlass, which also will feature a preview of the AIA Convention in San Francisco.
The only thing I think hasn’t been covered, was the intense conversation on any given night at the ghostbar, located on the 55th story of the Palms, regarding whether that was in fact glass or a polycarbonate “window” set into the bar’s patio floor. Anyone want to claim this particular project and settle this question once and for all ..?
As I’m sure the 500+ attendees of last week’s conference will agree, great as the conference was, after a week out of the office the inbox was looking pretty scary upon my return. As I told someone this morning, it’s been very encouraging the tremendous response we received to this year’s Book of Lists, but after a week out of the office there was quite a lot of your forms to wade through. It’s a great problem to have, though, and my thanks to everyone who showed such interest in being a part of this annual feature.
With this massive project just about coming to a close, I’m starting to turn my attention to our April issue, with its focus on architects. For those of you who responded to our contract glazing survey last fall, I get the impression that just this mention of the architectural industry already has gotten a reaction from you. No offense meant to architects—we love ’em to death and wouldn’t have work without them—but admit it. Your life would be a lot easier if they knew a thing or two about glass, right?
Well here’s your chance to help. You can either post here or email me, as I'd like to hear the top three things you wish architects knew about glass or the glass industry. We’ll run your kind suggestions (or desperate pleas) in the April issue of USGlass, which also will feature a preview of the AIA Convention in San Francisco.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Video Highlights
I’m sure by now you’ve clicked onto the first of our new monthly online newscasts (and if you haven’t, be sure to check it out here). Thanks to those of you who offered your kind suggestions and comments. As I mentioned in my last post, everyone’s trying to stand out, and this regular video broadcast is just one more service we at USGNN/USGlass are offering to bring news to the industry. Of course, I can’t help but remark that it’s a service I’ve noticed a number of glass industry companies offering of late.
As I’m preparing for our March issue and its annual Big Book of Lists—which includes rankings of the industry’s top glazing contractors and suppliers in a number of categories—I’ve been drawn to a couple of websites to learn more about the companies that have been submitting forms for this issue. On a number of those sites I’ve stumbled upon video offerings that I thought worth sharing:
As I’m preparing for our March issue and its annual Big Book of Lists—which includes rankings of the industry’s top glazing contractors and suppliers in a number of categories—I’ve been drawn to a couple of websites to learn more about the companies that have been submitting forms for this issue. On a number of those sites I’ve stumbled upon video offerings that I thought worth sharing:
- Egan Co. provides an overview to its services, including curtainwall installation;
- Arizona Shower Door welcomes visitors to its website with a personable video about the company;
- DORMA Group North America goes a step further by providing video product introductions and installation tips; and
- Applied Materials may be a bit further afield, but the company offers an interesting video on processing glass for solar modules.
Obviously there’s a range of offerings here—from the technical to the overview—but it’s exciting to me to see how many companies are embracing this “different” way of making their company stand out. These are just a couple I’ve stumbled upon in the past couple of weeks—I’d love to hear about the decision that led to your video offerings and the learning curve you’ve faced in making that transition.
And as for the Big Book of Lists—if you haven’t received a form yet and you’re interested in being included, send me an email at mheadley@glass.com and I’ll get that over to you pronto.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Standing Out
You can chalk it up to the economy or you can chalk it up to the cyclical nature of the commercial construction industry, but either way you look at it, things are getting tough out there. Savvy contractors are paying attention to areas forecasted to stay comparatively strong, such as in healthcare and institutional building (for more on this, look for the January USGlass). The thing is, so are all their competitors.
Yes, as construction slows there’s no doubt that there are areas where competition will fierce for the jobs that do exist.
Back in November when I attended the Finishing Contractors Association’s Glazing Advisory Committee meeting, a number of glaziers there were talking about competition coming in from other trades. At the time, a number of glaziers had commented that they’d seen instances of ironworkers and metal panel installers are doing more railing installations because they may have a metal trim, or shower doors that perhaps have a shoe on the top and bottom, and that even unitized glazing was being installed by carpenters.
From another perspective, we had some activity on the message forum some time back about suppliers selling glass products direct to general contractors, who then contracted the glaziers simply for labor. Whether it’s rumor or not (and feel free to add your two cents to the forum or this post), glaziers now have the concern that they’ll be competing with their own suppliers to make a buck!
While talking to Steve Bouchard, president of Glass Distributors Inc. (GDI) in Bladensburg, Md., this morning, I asked him if this is something he’s run across.
“I have not noticed that part,” Steve told me, but then quickly added that it was another competitor entirely that his customers, typically smaller glaziers, were facing: the larger glazing firms bidding for their work.
Man, that is tough, I thought. But then a few hours later I spoke with Bill Rhodes, vice president of sales for GDI and while he wasn’t about to argue with Steve’s observation, he made the comment that sometimes, on the smaller jobs, “the company that has less overhead is able to maneuver more easily, more so than the large companies.”
Well that seemed reasonable, but Bill wasn’t about to let me off the phone without throwing out another challenge. Where before “there might have been five companies bidding [a project], there might be 12-14 now,” he said.
I heard the same sentiment echoed when I spoke with one of those “large glazing contractors” this afternoon. Michele Juba King with Juba Aluminum Products Co. Inc. in Concord, N.C., spared a few minutes to chat with me on this topic. As she pointed out, they’ve built a niche in custom, commercial work and with the frequency of spec changes the general contractor is hardly likely to go straight to the glass shop; they’re relying on the glazier’s expertise. But she did agree with Bill, “Instead of there being one or two contractors now you’re going to see three, four or five.”
Michele also told me that she’s found that a lot of building owners are looking to use local vendors or suppliers, which can be stifling for a glazing contractor used to covering an entire region.
In the end, everyone’s got competitors, and maybe there are more of them now, but being aware of where these new challenges are coming from can help you prepare to make your services stand out. So I’d like to hear what “new” competitors you’re preparing to face, in the hope that by sharing this information you’re not giving those competitors a leg up but instead learning what you can do to differentiate yourself. Or if you’ve seen instances of any of the above, please let me know.
Can’t wait to hear from you—drop me a line at mheadley@glass.com.
Yes, as construction slows there’s no doubt that there are areas where competition will fierce for the jobs that do exist.
Back in November when I attended the Finishing Contractors Association’s Glazing Advisory Committee meeting, a number of glaziers there were talking about competition coming in from other trades. At the time, a number of glaziers had commented that they’d seen instances of ironworkers and metal panel installers are doing more railing installations because they may have a metal trim, or shower doors that perhaps have a shoe on the top and bottom, and that even unitized glazing was being installed by carpenters.
From another perspective, we had some activity on the message forum some time back about suppliers selling glass products direct to general contractors, who then contracted the glaziers simply for labor. Whether it’s rumor or not (and feel free to add your two cents to the forum or this post), glaziers now have the concern that they’ll be competing with their own suppliers to make a buck!
While talking to Steve Bouchard, president of Glass Distributors Inc. (GDI) in Bladensburg, Md., this morning, I asked him if this is something he’s run across.
“I have not noticed that part,” Steve told me, but then quickly added that it was another competitor entirely that his customers, typically smaller glaziers, were facing: the larger glazing firms bidding for their work.
Man, that is tough, I thought. But then a few hours later I spoke with Bill Rhodes, vice president of sales for GDI and while he wasn’t about to argue with Steve’s observation, he made the comment that sometimes, on the smaller jobs, “the company that has less overhead is able to maneuver more easily, more so than the large companies.”
Well that seemed reasonable, but Bill wasn’t about to let me off the phone without throwing out another challenge. Where before “there might have been five companies bidding [a project], there might be 12-14 now,” he said.
I heard the same sentiment echoed when I spoke with one of those “large glazing contractors” this afternoon. Michele Juba King with Juba Aluminum Products Co. Inc. in Concord, N.C., spared a few minutes to chat with me on this topic. As she pointed out, they’ve built a niche in custom, commercial work and with the frequency of spec changes the general contractor is hardly likely to go straight to the glass shop; they’re relying on the glazier’s expertise. But she did agree with Bill, “Instead of there being one or two contractors now you’re going to see three, four or five.”
Michele also told me that she’s found that a lot of building owners are looking to use local vendors or suppliers, which can be stifling for a glazing contractor used to covering an entire region.
In the end, everyone’s got competitors, and maybe there are more of them now, but being aware of where these new challenges are coming from can help you prepare to make your services stand out. So I’d like to hear what “new” competitors you’re preparing to face, in the hope that by sharing this information you’re not giving those competitors a leg up but instead learning what you can do to differentiate yourself. Or if you’ve seen instances of any of the above, please let me know.
Can’t wait to hear from you—drop me a line at mheadley@glass.com.
Monday, December 15, 2008
Singing the Blues in Chorus
In working on an industry forecast for our January issue, I expected the comments to be discouraging. This year, more than most, the predictions have come easily for the folks I’ve talked to—including manufacturers, fabricators and glazing contractors—and all are along the same lines. While many glazing contractors still have some commercial projects scheduled for early 2009, what happens after the first quarter is anybody’s guess, or so I’m told.
This afternoon I spoke with Vicki Holt, PPG’s senior vice president of glass and fiberglass, who was kind enough to take a few minutes out of her busy schedule to answer questions about what the glass manufacturer is preparing for in 2009. To some degree, they're waiting to see like everyone else.
“It’s just a very difficult time to have good visibility right now,” Vicki commented.
But Vicki’s first prediction matched up with other comments I’ve received, that “in the commercial construction space in North America we have not seen a significant downturn yet in 2009.” While a number of contractors are telling me about project cancellations, many are still working through backlog and are only beginning to look warily for the next job to bid.
However, Vicki added that Global Insights, the economic and financial analysis with which PPG works, “is forecasting as much as a 14-percent decline for commercial construction in 2009.”
So the forecasts are pretty comparable. But what about the solutions? It may seem like the time to hunker down and focus on core businesses, but what are the areas in which branching out could be profitable during a commercial construction downturn?
Vicki presented one that is no stranger to the pages of USGlass, noting that green building construction and investments in renewable energy are likely to provide opportunities for jobs in a number of areas, including the glass industry.
When I talked with Tom Niepokoj, vice president of sales of Harmon Inc., a few weeks ago following Greenbuild, he made what I thought was an interesting observation.
“There’s no question that the country would like to more proactively pursue the green building product lines; our question is, can we afford it?” Tom said. “We’re kind of wondering if that trend will get a little sidetracked by the economy and the cost of those green elements.”
What do you think? Will initial investments in higher-priced “green” products deter architects looking to keep budgets low? Or will the long-term payoff remain inviting?
And in what ways are you preparing for 2009? Share your forecasts by emailing me at mheadley@glass.com, and I’d be happy to include your thoughts in our January issue.
This afternoon I spoke with Vicki Holt, PPG’s senior vice president of glass and fiberglass, who was kind enough to take a few minutes out of her busy schedule to answer questions about what the glass manufacturer is preparing for in 2009. To some degree, they're waiting to see like everyone else.
“It’s just a very difficult time to have good visibility right now,” Vicki commented.
But Vicki’s first prediction matched up with other comments I’ve received, that “in the commercial construction space in North America we have not seen a significant downturn yet in 2009.” While a number of contractors are telling me about project cancellations, many are still working through backlog and are only beginning to look warily for the next job to bid.
However, Vicki added that Global Insights, the economic and financial analysis with which PPG works, “is forecasting as much as a 14-percent decline for commercial construction in 2009.”
So the forecasts are pretty comparable. But what about the solutions? It may seem like the time to hunker down and focus on core businesses, but what are the areas in which branching out could be profitable during a commercial construction downturn?
Vicki presented one that is no stranger to the pages of USGlass, noting that green building construction and investments in renewable energy are likely to provide opportunities for jobs in a number of areas, including the glass industry.
When I talked with Tom Niepokoj, vice president of sales of Harmon Inc., a few weeks ago following Greenbuild, he made what I thought was an interesting observation.
“There’s no question that the country would like to more proactively pursue the green building product lines; our question is, can we afford it?” Tom said. “We’re kind of wondering if that trend will get a little sidetracked by the economy and the cost of those green elements.”
What do you think? Will initial investments in higher-priced “green” products deter architects looking to keep budgets low? Or will the long-term payoff remain inviting?
And in what ways are you preparing for 2009? Share your forecasts by emailing me at mheadley@glass.com, and I’d be happy to include your thoughts in our January issue.
Monday, November 17, 2008
Walking on Laminated Glass
Last week I took up an invitation to attend my first (and LMCI’s fourth) Finishing Industries Forum, which I found to be a really interesting experience. It certainly had a different feel to it, with the music pumping out of the speakers in the large conference room on that first day. For me the most interesting part of the meeting was sitting down in the first Glazing Advisory Committee held by the Finishing Contractors Association and hearing the glaziers openly discussing with one another the challenges that they faced. You can read all about this in my report for USGNN—so instead of reiterating on some of these interesting points I’m going to share with you what I did the day before this conference …
You wouldn’t be the first to call me a glass geek this week, so go right ahead. Because, yes, after several speechless minutes at the canyon’s edge, I did make my way up to the U-shaped glass bridge suspended 4,000 feet above the canyon floor. And yes, after slipping over my shoes the thin booties handed out at the gate (the walkway is constantly polished to allow for clear views) I may have knelt down to take a closer look at the laminated lite that makes up this unique glass floor. According to information from DuPont, the two-inch thick glass decking, approximately 10 feet wide and 70 feet deep, is made of a multilayer glass construction including three of that company’s SentryGlas structural interlayers and four layers of Saint-Gobain’s Diamant glass. That makes for one very thick and pretty impressive piece of glass.
I’ve made it my goal this year to take some time to enjoy the travels that this job throws my way. So when I learned that I’d be spending nearly a week in Las Vegas for a few back-to-back-to-back conferences I simply shrugged and started googling. As much time as I spend at conventions in this city, it was a no-brainer that I’d spend my free day a little further afield. I’d never been to the Grand Canyon, just flown over it countless times, and that was immediately at the top of my list. While I learned later from my tour guide that the South Rim is the spot from which 90% of photos of the Grand Canyon are taken, it was the West Rim that drew me. And while I can attest now that this end of the canyon also has some spectacular views, I had one object in mind when I first set out: I wanted to see the Skywalk.
You wouldn’t be the first to call me a glass geek this week, so go right ahead. Because, yes, after several speechless minutes at the canyon’s edge, I did make my way up to the U-shaped glass bridge suspended 4,000 feet above the canyon floor. And yes, after slipping over my shoes the thin booties handed out at the gate (the walkway is constantly polished to allow for clear views) I may have knelt down to take a closer look at the laminated lite that makes up this unique glass floor. According to information from DuPont, the two-inch thick glass decking, approximately 10 feet wide and 70 feet deep, is made of a multilayer glass construction including three of that company’s SentryGlas structural interlayers and four layers of Saint-Gobain’s Diamant glass. That makes for one very thick and pretty impressive piece of glass. While the faint-of-heart can avoid walking over the see-through portions of the bridge by sticking to the cement girders at the sides, I felt no worries when it came to wandering across the bridge with a clear view of the canyon floor below my feet. Truth be told, I felt a lot more secure on the thick laminated glass than I did when creeping up to the edge of the canyon itself—where were the structural engineers telling me that wouldn’t crumble?
For any of you out there interested in making the trip, there’s a lot more to see than this somewhat-work-related, although extremely neat, attraction. From Las Vegas, a drive to the West Rim takes you past Hoover Dam and through the Joshua Tree National Forest. There are several stops at the West Rim that allow you a variety of panoramic views, each more impressive than the last, and some opportunities for light hiking. In addition, there are opportunities to learn about the Hualapai Tribe, which owns the land.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Happy Halloween!
It seems true to me that a good job is as much about doing what you love as doing it with people you enjoy spending time with. Lucky for me, I work with a lot of terrific individuals (in this office but also the industry in general). Terrific individuals with good senses of humor—critical to any stressful job, I think.
This hardly comes out any stronger than at the end of October, as our staff rushes to prepare to put on a major conference in the auto glass industry yet still finds time to let their creativity out in spooky (and sometimes just goofy) ways. The Key Communications Halloween Costumer Contest is an annual tradition, and one much anticipated here in the office. It takes the joy of “casual Friday” to a whole new level.
Not to mention, a couple of mini Snickers bars at 10 a.m. are the secret to my productivity, and Halloween provides a good excuse to bring out the sugar.
I was brainstorming with a friend in the industry yesterday about my costume idea(s) and he commented that his office doesn’t do anything quite as exciting at this time of year as we do. “Engineers just aren’t creative,” he sighed.
I could hardly suppress my grief at that thought. “Are you joking?” I asked. “Not creative? You have to be creative to come up with the wild things that we get to write about. Sure, maybe then you have to be a little rigid in your thinking to make it work—but where does that first idea come from? Or the inspiration to try this instead of that to improve a product’s performance?”
I know there is a great deal of creativity lurking out there in the glass industry. The innovative new products at glasstec, for example, had to start with an idea. Surely you engineers out there are taking that creativity and applying it to your own Halloween costumes … and you have the rigidity and follow-through to go all the way with your idea (unlike some of us artsy types—i.e., me—who spend weeks on grandiose ideas of costume genius before frantically hitting the thrift store the day before the contest to initiate the back-up plan).
So let’s see it. I’d love to post your costume photos on this blog on Monday, or any great ideas that you saw at your office party. And for anyone who manages to keep it industry-related, well, we may have to come up with a special prize for you.
Happy trick-or-treating everyone!
This hardly comes out any stronger than at the end of October, as our staff rushes to prepare to put on a major conference in the auto glass industry yet still finds time to let their creativity out in spooky (and sometimes just goofy) ways. The Key Communications Halloween Costumer Contest is an annual tradition, and one much anticipated here in the office. It takes the joy of “casual Friday” to a whole new level.
Not to mention, a couple of mini Snickers bars at 10 a.m. are the secret to my productivity, and Halloween provides a good excuse to bring out the sugar.
I was brainstorming with a friend in the industry yesterday about my costume idea(s) and he commented that his office doesn’t do anything quite as exciting at this time of year as we do. “Engineers just aren’t creative,” he sighed.
I could hardly suppress my grief at that thought. “Are you joking?” I asked. “Not creative? You have to be creative to come up with the wild things that we get to write about. Sure, maybe then you have to be a little rigid in your thinking to make it work—but where does that first idea come from? Or the inspiration to try this instead of that to improve a product’s performance?”
I know there is a great deal of creativity lurking out there in the glass industry. The innovative new products at glasstec, for example, had to start with an idea. Surely you engineers out there are taking that creativity and applying it to your own Halloween costumes … and you have the rigidity and follow-through to go all the way with your idea (unlike some of us artsy types—i.e., me—who spend weeks on grandiose ideas of costume genius before frantically hitting the thrift store the day before the contest to initiate the back-up plan).
So let’s see it. I’d love to post your costume photos on this blog on Monday, or any great ideas that you saw at your office party. And for anyone who manages to keep it industry-related, well, we may have to come up with a special prize for you.
Happy trick-or-treating everyone!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)