Sunday, August 27, 2017

Challenges Ahead on Supply

A lot of news, but first and foremost, my thoughts are out to everyone affected by Hurricane Harvey.  That was/is a challenging storm and hoping for only the best for those in its path today and going forward.
Now on to the glass world and its been a tough one on the float side.  The market is relatively busy right now save for some soft spots here and there, so the need for glass is pretty high.  Unfortunately some events at the float level have me very concerned about capacity and so thus comes the warning.  (Katy Devlin had a fantastic take on it HERE) Glass is tight now and going to get tighter.  This is the time to get as organized as you can and understand your supply chains and the future orders you need to fill.  Proactivity is a must.  This is also a massive reason on why you need to attend GlassBuild America in a few weeks because if you are not networking and communicating you will be left behind.  I will be monitoring this glass supply issue and will continue to report when relevant.  And yes I know I am more reactionary than others out there, but I’d rather be safe than sorry.

Elsewhere…

--  A few weeks ago I mentioned another big glass deal was coming and that happened publicly last week with Glass Dynamics being sold to Press Glass.  Obviously the interesting angle here is the parent company of Press is in Europe so this is a new player having a location the North American fab market.  Press has a great reputation in the areas they are already in, so there’s a positive from the market standpoint.

--  Congrats to Martin Bracamonte on his new position as President of IGE Glass Technologies.  Michael Spellman built a strong team over there and he’ll obviously still be involved but adding Martin as the President was an excellent move- he’s a good and talented person.

--  And while I am in the congratulatory mood, props to the folks at Conners Sales.  They launched a fabulous new website last week.  Really impressive work and great examples of the lines they represent.

--  The latest Architectural Billings Index was released this week and once again it was in the positive- that’s now 6 straight months on the good side of the ledger and overall a pretty amazing run over the last 2+ years.  All of the other indexes that are tracked (regional and new inquiries) were up as well.

--  I’m a big “Smart roads” guy and look forward to seeing ifand how this works.  The next area for testing is in Kansas City along with two other to be determined sites.  Really curious to see how this holds up in climate like KC…

--  Last this week, College Football is now back… can’t wait…. One of the first college games of the year will be held at the new stadium in Atlanta. (Which you can view close up when you attend GlassBuild)  Architectural Digest got a tour and broke itall down….

LINKS of the WEEK

--  Naming your baby “Eclipse” Ugh.  I guess in 2024 that kid will have its day in the spotlight again.

--  This is brilliant- gamers are very sharp and good to see their skills going to something very meaningful.

Driving a BBQ Grill.  And the Grill is on.  And the driver decides its time for a smoke.  Youcan guess what is next.

VIDEO of the WEEK

Sinkhole happens in China.  Then a few minutes later a guy on his scooter comes by…. Uh oh


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