W&D Weekly - July 18, 2007 | Vol 2, Num 28
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Massachusetts Manufacturer Launches Sashlite Line

National Vinyl Products offers a product line that incorporates integrated sash technology from Sashlite Inc...

National Vinyl Products recently joined the list of window manufacturers offering a product line that incorporates integrated sash technology from Sashlite Inc. The Chicopee, Mass.-based vinyl window manufacturer recently launched its Contempo line, targeting high-end remodeling dealers with the product. Based on initial response, the company is “expecting great things,” according to Scott Channell, president.

Photo of National Vinyl Products' equipment

Grid notching equipment at National Vinyl Products for its new Contempo line.


“We decided to go with Sashlite for its performance, quality and aesthetics. Most importantly, we felt that Sashlite would allow us to differentiate ourselves in the competitive New England marketplace,” he continues. The new line includes a double-hung, slider, picture window and basement hopper. Further establishing it in the high end, it is available in white, tan and eight standard painted colors.

Sashlite’s technology eliminates separate IG unit construction and instead incorporates a vinyl sash with an integral spacer that two lites of glass are glazed to directly. The design is said to deliver superior warm-edge performance, as well as enhanced structural properties. Admitting he was “one of its biggest critics” when the technology first launched, Channell notes that he took his time to really look at the process and the product’s performance. “I was happy to let other companies try it out first,” he adds. The technology’s track record in the field, as well as the success of other manufacturers offering Sashlite lines, however, convinced him it would be right for National Vinyl.

“For a company our size, there’s always the question, ‘How do you separate yourself?,’” he continues. “There’s service of course, but we also want to do it with technology and innovations. I believe we’re aligned with the future of window manufacturing.”

Channell credits Northeast Building Products—another Chelsea Building Products fabricator based in Philadelphia—with “shortening the learning curve” for his company in implementing the Sashlite process. “They opened their doors for us and really let us see the operation.” Northeast’s success with the product, as well as the success of other initial Sashlite manufacturers, helped convince Channell to add the new line at his company, he states.

The integrated sash process is very lean, Channell notes, and he predicts this approach will eventually become the standard for the industry. “For now,” he says, “it provides a great niche for a fabricator like us.”

In introducing the Contempo line, National Vinyl has developed a fully integrated marketing program. “It’s a differentiated, value-added product and we want to work with and support dealers who appreciate the value and sell it.” The early response from dealers, he adds, has been good. “The ones that get it are really excited.”


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AAMA Supporting New Hurricane Research Effort

University of Florida researchers and AAMA are collaborating to measure wind-driven rain during hurricane landfall...

A pioneering effort to measure wind-driven rain at structural height during hurricane landfall will be undertaken by wind engineering researchers at the University of Florida, with key funding underwritten by the American Architectural Manufacturers Association. The association is donating $60,000 to purchase a precipitation imaging probe designed to capture high-resolution measurements of rainfall intensity.

Dr. Forrest Masters, assistant professor of civil and coastal engineering, will deploy the instrument on a specially designed rugged tower that will be moved into place in the hours before landfall to capture the worst conditions of a hurricane. “We are exceptionally eager to get the instrument in the field as soon as it is commissioned,” notes Masters. Using real-time cellular and satellite uplinks, data from the device will be available in real-time to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration meteorologists and state and federal emergency managers.

“Beyond the ability of a building to physically withstand hurricane winds, water intrusion through windows, doors and walls remains a recurring issue,” notes John Lewis, AAMA technical director. “Although most residential and commercial buildings built to recent codes will survive structurally, rain penetration often causes significant interior damage, occupant displacement, business interruption and extensive restoration expenses. Code officials, architects and manufacturers of exterior building products are questioning the real-world effectiveness of water intrusion test standards under hurricane conditions as referenced by modern building codes.”

“At the urging of the Florida Building Commission, the AAMA Southeast Region is currently developing a voluntary specification for rating the severe wind-driven rain resistance of windows, doors and unit skylights,” continues Lewis. “Instead of the usual pass/fail measurements, this AAMA specification applies a spectrum of pulsating pressure and rain loads and determines how well a product performs in severe wind-driven rain. The research, underway at the University of Florida, will further the value of the AAMA specification by quantifying hurricane-driven rain and its effects on residential and light commercial construction.”

“Approval was expedited through AAMA’s board of directors during its national summer conference so that a critical measuring instrument would be in place for recording hurricanes in the 2007 season,” says Rich Walker, AAMA president and CEO.

Data from the devices collected during this and upcoming Atlantic hurricane seasons will be used to establish a catalog of “wind-driven rain scenarios” for different storm intensities affecting various terrains. The information will be used to calibrate the rain field produced by the University of Florida’s mobile windstorm simulator to recreate hurricane-force winds and wind-driven rain at sufficient scale to test low-rise components and cladding systems. Utilizing four 700 hp Detroit Diesel engines and hydraulic drive units to power eight 54-inch vane axial fans, the apparatus will produce hurricane force winds and wind-driven rain at its 10-by-10-foot exit.

Actual full-size structural mockups will be evaluated in realistic hurricane conditions, according to Lewis. “The University of Florida will collaborate with industry and building code partners to evaluate the performance of the windows, doors and wall assemblies, including service penetrations, wall siding, finishes and vents. The simulator—calibrated to recreate actually recorded wind-driven rain scenarios—will be able to provide a realistic evaluation of building products and test methods intended for hurricane-prone regions, as outlined in the AAMA specification to be finalized based upon results from the study.”

All research will be coordinated with established program partners such as AAMA, as well as Florida building code officials. “Finally, window, door and wall systems will be evaluated in the prescribed conditions, providing greater certitude in the products that are tested in compliance with AAMA specifications,” concludes Lewis.

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New York Testing Lab Moves to Bigger Facility

ETC Laboratories will transition to an 83,000-square-foot facility in Rochester, N.Y., later this year...

China Exporting More Doors

Door exports from Mainland China are expected to top $2 billion in 2007—up from $1.3 billion in 2006...

Door exports from Mainland China are expected to top $2 billion in 2007—up from $1.3 billion in 2006, according to Global Sources’ China Sourcing Report: Doors 2007. “As overseas demand grows, many suppliers are moving away from the fiercely competitive domestic market,” says Spenser Au, an analyst with the Hong Kong-based company.

The company surveyed Chinese door manufacturers to produce the 131-page, $435 report, and found 47 percent project exports will grow 10 percent or more this year, 32 percent expect growth of up to 10 percent and 21 percent see exports remaining the same. The top target markets for these companies include Russia and other non-EU European countries (39 percent), the United States (21 percent), the Middle East and Africa (16 percent) and finally European Union countries (11 percent).

“To enter overseas markets, manufacturers are producing doors from ‘greener’ alternatives than solid wood including engineered wood and painted metal,” Au points out. “However, due to strict requirements of the U.S. and EU markets, manufacturers are focusing primarily on markets with lower barriers to entry.”

The report, which gathers information from in-person factory visits as well as supplier interviews, found that 75 percent of the door manufacturer respondents plan to increase production capacity in the next 12 months. Of these, more than 60 percent expect to establish additional factories or move to larger factories.

More information about the report is available at http://www.chinasourcingreports.com/Doors07.

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German Window Market Rebounding

Window sales in Germany are increasing, according to a recent report from Vienna-based Interconnection Consulting...

After several years of declines, window sales in Germany are increasing, according to a recent report from Vienna-based Interconnection Consulting. Unit volume was up 6.4 percent in 2006 to 11.4 million, and will continue to increase over the next several years. In the coming years, the growth rate will be weaker, but remain in the positive range, the firm predicts. It is expected that 12.3 million window units will be sold by the year 2010.

Image of sample report page.

A sample of the 2007 IC Market Tracking Windows in Germany report, available from Interconnection Consulting's Web site.


For the short term, new construction will account for much of the increased demand, due largely to changes in taxes and subsidies. The analysts see a return to traditional market patterns in Germany, however, with renovation activity driving the window market.

The most requested framing material continues to be PVC. The growth rates for this product will outrank those of other materials in the future, for its frequent use in renovation projects. With its low cost, it also fits today’s mindset of “the cheaper, the better,” according to Alexander Bonat, branch expert at Interconnection Consulting. “Nevertheless, lumber will continue to have a strong hold in the window market in the long run,” he continues. “The future of wooden windows does not lie in cheap construction, but instead with the architecturally demanding segment of customers. Not to be forgotten is also the demand of our growing population of customers who seek natural building materials.

The IC Market Tracking Windows in Germany report annually analyzes the market situation in the country. It contains market figures in quantity and value for the years 2000-2006, development forecasts up to 2009, as well as segmentation by four criteria: product/material groups, renovation/new construction, residential/non-residential and distribution channels as well as market shares of the biggest window manufacturers. The 550-page study is available for 2,990 € (about $4,100). More information about IC Consulting is available at http://www.interconnectionconsulting.com.

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Four-step Shuffle to Get Building Permit, Contractor Won't Bother
from Post-Tribune
Bishop Benjamin A. Sanders needed some new doors for his parish, the Church of God in Christ. He called up Lazzaro Companies Inc., a door manufacturer in Merrillville. They made six of them and dropped them off. Then Sanders asked Lazzaro to install the doors. The company said no, strictly because his church was in Gary. Lazzaro president George Putz said he has no prejudice against the city. The company actually started there in 1956. But he's said for years it's been far too time-consuming and difficult getting permits for contracting jobs in Gary. So last year, the company stopped trying... read more

Overheated Housing Market Struggling to Recover
Harvard Releases the 2007 State of the Nation’s Housing
Report
from Harvard University's Joint Center for Housing Studies
The U.S. housing market continues to struggle under a cloud of sharp drops in housing demand and an oversupply of stock according to this year’s State of the Nation’s Housing report from the Harvard University Joint Center for Housing Studies. After years of setting records, housing starts and sales fell in 2006 and are on track to end this year even lower. Homebuyers on the margin of qualifying for mortgage loans finally pulled out of the market despite the availability of creative mortgage products that helped them keep up with higher house prices... read more

Biggest Eyesores On the Block Prepare for a Beautiful New Look and a Boost of Curb Appeal
Therma-Tru Uncovers America's Ugliest Doors in Iowa and Texas
from CNNMoney.com
Rarely does being "ugly" pay off, but for two lucky homeowners it has. Following a nationwide search for America's ugliest doors, Therma-Tru Doors is pleased to announce that it has uncovered two of the country's biggest entryway eyesores... read more