Interesting Innovations and More
A ton to cover here this week, but leading off (selfishly) with the release of episode No. 2 of the From the Fabricator podcast. The video version is here and audio choices searchable on Apple, Spotify or any major outlet. This month: my thoughts on CGH/JEB and especially the resilience of Solar Seal, and BEC getting cancelled. Then onto the interviews where I am so honored to have on Cathie Saroka of Goldray Glass, Chris Hanstad and Barry Sutherland of Frameless Hardware Co., and Peter Worstell of Sage Glass.
All three sessions were great learning experiences for me, as all have some incredible innovations on hand. Great people too! I end with “Fun Stuff” that is music themed. Thank you in advance for checking it out, I do appreciate it!
Elsewhere…
Cold and snow
Texas mostly but also everyone else getting hammered by the cold and snow―thoughts are with you all. Texas really took it hard, and I hope all of my friends down there are hanging in there OK. Not too many folks better than the Texas Glass Association, and so many of the companies in our industry based there. Thoughts are with you all. Hang in there!
This weather issue is causing initial concerns with supply chain and those problems could become long term and more serious. We were already seeing glass availability tighten thanks to significant challenges in the shipping in from overseas. Quite frankly, cargo currently is a nightmare. Now add in weather related concerns and this could get dicey quick. Glass supply is absolutely something to keep an eye on, and I’ll update here as applicable.
Construction forecast
I sat in on the latest construction forecast for 2021 this past week and so far, the initial predictions for the year are panning out. Slowdowns expected to the middle half of the year with pick-ups at the end. Residential still looking strong, nonresidential is being carried by the warehouse sector, which is obviously not a great area for us glass people, but office growth looks solid, and more interesting is the retrofit/remodel side of things. That is looking very strong, especially on the interior. There’s a lot of faith that the vaccine rollout will be successful and normalcy will return, and that is driving some positivity overall.
Bottom line is we know we have some challenges ahead. Keep focused and let’s work through them! And note, this coming week the latest ABI is out. I am hoping we see a good number...
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Solarban R77
Congrats to Vitro Architectural Glass on the launch of their new Solarban R77 glass. Looks fantastic, and strong performance. Kudos to the team there on this development and once again our industry continues to produce the glass and glazing needed to be very code friendly!
Passing of Norm Nitschke
Last this week news from the company Glasstech. First off, the sad news of the passing of their founder and true industry legend Norm Nitschke. I never met him, but all I have heard since his passing was how incredible he was and all he did to advance our world. Obviously, a huge loss and also one we should pay the utmost respect to for what he did to bring innovations forward in the glass industry. My condolences to his family and the team at Glasstech.
The other news was the retirement of long-time industry standout Tom Noe. Tom was very active at the trade level and always a smiling and helpful face at every industry conference and show. For me personally I loved always visiting with Tom and Dave Lutrell at every event whether it was here or overseas. I am so happy that Tom can hang ‘em up and go off to enjoy retirement. We will miss you in our world but absolutely enjoy this awesome new chapter of your life Tom!
LINKS of the WEEK
