W&D Weekly - June 25, 2008 | Vol 3, Num 26
(Print All Articles)

Window & Door Kicks Off GlassBuild
America Coverage

This week, Window & Door launches a special section on its Web site offering an advance look at what exhibitors will be featuring at GlassBuild America this September. The section offers window and door manufacturers a chance to see what suppliers of equipment, components and services will be highlighting at this year’s event.

Among the noteworthy exhibits at the upcoming show, scheduled for October 6-8 in Las Vegas, will be Edgetech IG, which, in addition to its latest products, is planning to host representatives of NFRC, IGMA, and numerous test labs; as well as experts on Energy Star and LEED. New requirements for IG certification are “top of mind” with customers and prospects, says Erin Johnson, Edgetech’s marketing manager. “The demand is out there for education. We want to provide a one-stop shop for manufacturers to get all their questions answered, whether it’s sustainability, Energy Star changes, the IG certification process, or anything else.”

Information about equipment and products to be featured by other exhibitors can be found in our special preview section. That coverage will expand as GlassBuild America approaches. Window & Door will also be previewing the event in the August issue. Exhibitors that have not yet provided information and photos about the products they plan to showcase are encouraged to contact Ryan Self, Window & Door managing editor, and submit their materials. Any questions, contact Ryan at 703/442-4890, ext. 149.

GLASSBUILD AMERICA NEWS
The National Glass Association, the organizer of GlassBuild America (and publisher of Window & Door), has also announced a special new GlassBuild America micro-site dedicated to the needs of residential window and door industry attendees of the event. The special Web site highlights exhibitors serving the residential window and door business, as well as special events at the show designed specifically for window and door manufacturers.

Of note on the site is information on two special seminars planned for Tuesday, October 7. The first, entitled “A Clear View of the Future: The State of the Window and Door Industry” features a panel consisting of an economist, an investment banker, a window manufacturer and a window dealer each offering their unique perspective on trends, challenges and opportunities in the current market. Speakers include Jeff Dietrich, an economist with Institute for Trend Research; Andrew Bohutinsky of Lincoln International, a Chicago-based investment bank; Joe Hayden, senior project engineer for certification with Pella Corp. and chairman of the National Fenestration Rating Council, and Dan Glover, owner of River Valley Window Co., a Southern California dealer serving the builder market.

Following that morning will be a second presentation focusing on “What Do Homeowners Want in Environmentally Responsible Windows?" This session begins with the showing of a pre-taped homeowner focus group, exploring consumer perceptions regarding environmentally friendly products and energy efficiency as they pertain to residential window purchases. This will be followed by a live, on-site panel discussion moderated by Ira Blumenthal, president of Co-Opportunities Inc. Panelists include Nathan Good, owner of Nathan Good Architect PC; Corinne Asturias, vice president and consumer strategist for Iconoculture and Bill Shireman, CEO of Global Futures, who will further examine the green movement and how green values translate into actual buying decisions.

AAMA to Host Door Component Open Forum

To spur industry communication on the increasingly important topic of component substitution for door certification and testing, the American Architectural Manufacturers Association’s door component interchangeability task group is hosting an all-day open discussion forum on July 8. The event is being held near the AAMA offices in Schaumburg, Ill.

In addition to members of the AAMA task group, representatives of the Association of Millwork Distributors and Window and Door Manufacturers Association have been invited to attend.

AAMA is hosting the forum to further the development of guidelines to be used for side-hinged entry door component structural substitution/interchangeability. These guidelines will then be used by the industry to craft procedural guides, certification and other possible programs.

“The exterior side-hinged door segment of our industry has voiced concerns about the requirements for full door system testing. AAMA and representatives from AMD have been diligently working to develop a program that allows the substitution of qualified pre-hung door components within approved door assemblies. This work has reached a stage where the development can be enhanced and accelerated with expanded input,” according to Rich Walker, AAMA president and CEO.

To request to be added to the meeting roster, please contact Karen Fitzgerald at kfitzgerald@aamanet.org or 847-303-5859, ext. 225 by June 27, 2008. For more information on this meeting and the door certification program efforts, please call 847-303-5664, or email John Lewis, technical director.

Fenetech Conference Attendees Look
at Service, Efficiencies

Attendees at the sixth annual user conference for Fenetech’s FeneVision ERP system in Put-in-Bay, Ohio focused on adding customer service and sales capabilities as well as manufacturing efficiency.

Sessions on web-browser sales tools, which enable distributors and contractors to visualize, estimate, place and revise orders, have been popular among the 54 attendees from 28 companies at the conference which ends today.

The companies represented the spectrum of the market. Some, like sunroom and window and door maker Vinyl Design Corp. in Toledo, Ohio, report significant growth and investment in new facilities and capabilities. Sound Solutions in Chicago has made two recent acquisitions, and managers are exploring potential new niche markets.

Others, especially those in new construction, report having reduced employment heading into the expected summer slowdown. All expect the market to shake out weaker companies in 2008 before sales rebound heading into 2009.

Vendor attendees included 25 representatives from 10 displaying and two sponsoring companies, Intigral and Leading Edge Distribution. Vendors were Mikron, Wakefield Equipment, Ventana USA, Truth Hardware, Edgetech, Greller & Co., Sturtz Equipment, Venture Tape and Vinyl Link USA.

Vinyl Link CEO Frank LaSusa, a FeneTech Alliance Partner, offered a presentation on his company’s Notch Above integrated production system . LaSusa said the new process, which keeps all four sides of a lineal notched but in one connected length until in the welder, can reduce actual scrap to less than two percent.

Other Alliance Partner presentations were Geoff Roise from Max-Cuts, developer of the Max-Opt lineal optimization application, Mike Wilson from TDCI on their BuyDesign Build-Your-Own web consumer visualization sales tool and Kevin Zeuge from TruSeal on the FeneVision tru-Track visual manufacturing system for insulating glass fabrication.

CGI Hosts Impact Resistant Glass Training Session

CGI Windows & Doors Inc. recently sponsored a training session where more than 80 south Florida architects gathered at the company’s facility to learn about the latest technology in impact-resistant windows and glass.

“While Florida continues to be the world leader in developing hurricane resistant strategies, such as impact resistant windows, there is always new information that architects need,” says Brian Evans, CEO of CGI. “We created this seminar to help bring architects up to speed on the latest hurricane code requirements and technological advancements in the impact resistant glazing industry.”

The event, “Designing with Impact Resistant Windows & High Performance Glass,” was hosted and held at CGI’s Miami facility. The seminar was accredited by co-sponsor the Miami chapter of the American Association of Architects and provided architects with two learning units. The CGI staff gave architects a tour of the company’s manufacturing plant and reviewed how window and door systems are designed to withstand hurricane force winds.

The seminar included presentations from leading industry hurricane mitigation and glass experts, and an air cannon impact test demonstration.

This is the third accredited architectural event that CGI has put on throughout the state over that last eight months. CGI plans to host additional symposiums in the coming months.

Florida Screen, Prysm Sign Deal

Screen door and component manufacturer Florida Screen Enterprises has added Prysm Marketing as its manufacturer’s representative for the East Coast. ...

Screen door and component manufacturer Florida Screen Enterprises has added Prysm Marketing as its manufacturer’s representative for the East Coast. Prysm will represent rolled screen frame, finished window and patio door screens, muntin, and window screen components.

Florida Screen was established in 1972 in Miami, Fla.

Prysm covers the East Coast market from Maine to Georgia, and represents a number of companies including Roto Frank of America Inc. and Edgetech I.G.

...

Building Industry Presents Assessment on High-Performance Buildings
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Harvard Releases State of the Housing Market Report
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Home and Garden Stores 'Go Green'
From www.dailypress.com
Ace Hardware recently began selling Mythic Paint, a new environmentally safe product with zero volatile organic compounds and toxins, in its Hampton and Williamsburg locations. It's one of the latest examples of area garden and home improvement stores trying to cater to a more eco-conscious consumer. Shoppers are increasingly looking for assurances that products won't harm them or the environment, store owners say. ... read more

W&D Weekly - June 25, 2008 | Vol 3, Num 26(Print All Articles)

Window & Door Kicks Off GlassBuildAmerica Coverage