Get Automated

I could start this post with a look at the ABI, but we’re all coming off the high of the holiday in the US, so I won’t get to that stomach churning news just yet.  Let’s talk something that is never an issue out there and always easy to find.  Labor.  LOL.  I know this continues to be the challenge but this past week I ran into a statement on labor that really hit me. The line was “Labor productivity is worse than labor availability.”  Wow.  So this continues to tell me that upgrading your operations is a must because even if you can find the bodies what they are producing isn’t nearly efficient enough.  I still see though people passing on automation because of expense and figuring they’ll “find the workforce” but that continues to be path that doesn’t look very good.  As you’ll see below, times are challenging, so getting your house in order takes more of a priority than ever before…  And yes I know not everyone can spend immediately on automation, but the plan should be there and in advance of that, building that culture within your company to support that workforce is a must. (and yes we'll always need that human aspect, so building the best base and offering the most resources to compliment the human side is crucial too)

 

Elsewhere…

 

--  As predicted, the Architectural Billings Index was ugly in its latest release.  44.3 was the main number and honestly even though that’s awful I was thinking we’d see at 42.  (Remember break-even is 50.) But amazingly that wasn’t the really bad news.  No, we got a doozy of a “inquiries” number this time out with a negative under 50 number for the first time since the teeth of the pandemic in July of 2020.   So yeah, not a great indicator this month.  None of this should surprise anyone though and hopefully everyone reading this has been doing all they can to be ahead of the slower times.  We knew 2024 would have some challenges and the indexes are pointing it out for us.  So interesting times ahead for sure. 

 

--  It’s been a few weeks but a reminder on my last Podcast post- an episode with the awesome duo of Dan and Nico Pompeo of Architectural Glazing Solutions and with Ron Parker of Ballistic Glass and Armor Solutions.  Fun conversations that ran the gambit between family dynamics and new technology in protective glass and everything in between.  So please check it out!

VIDEO

AUDIO (Also you can search “From the Fabricator” on Apple, Spotify, Google etc.)

 

--  MVP Season is here!  At the end of every calendar year I award my Glass Industry MVP along with a handful of runners up.  So in the next few weeks I’ll be rolling that out and announcing the MVP on my last post of the year in December.  Tons of great people and companies out there and eligible.  I started this in 2013 and my goal has been to bring recognition to those who go above and beyond for the industry and also to spotlight different people and companies every year.  So far so good with no repeats but always tough to narrow down since we have so many amazing people.  I’m looking forward to this process and sharing with you all in my upcoming posts. 

 

--  Good one to note- NAGMA- The National Architectural Glass and Metal Association partnered up with the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT) to offer some excellent webinars scheduled for 2024.  There are four set and they’re presented by seriously strong companies like Sage Glass, Technoform, Dow, and AMS/NACC.  See the details and make a note to attend to learn more. 

https://www.nagmassociation.org/webinars/

 

--  BIG CONGRATS to Michael DeFrank on his new gig with powerhouse JR Butler. Love this combo of a very good guy with a company that is always doing big and exciting things in our space.  Congrats Michael on the new position and to JR Butler on the inspired hire!

 

--  Last this week… Thank you all for the many TV recommendations.  Very very clutch and excited that I now have a queue filled with options. And as I noted I needed “treadmill” shows and after everything I hate during Thanksgiving (for the whole weekend really) I need as much treadmill time as possible!!

 

LINKS of the WEEK

Not sure this has happened yet- but friends in So Cal, look out for a Fruit Fly war out there… yikes.

 

This is a wild story of stealing cars in the tech age of 2023! (Also lots of broken glass and destroyed storefront)

 

Have you seen or followed the new NBA in-season Tournament?  They created new courts specifically for these games. And now you know why tickets for sporting events continue to go thru the roof. Plus these courts are brutal to look at it.

 

PROJECT of the WEEK

Great looking project from the feed of Denise Baker of Spring Glass. This is the Lone Star College, Visual Arts Building and I love this look.  No mention on who else participated on this excellent glazing effort from Spring, but congrats all and everyone on it!  Well done! 

 

 

 

New Pod, Tough Econ News, & the Best Holiday of the Year

The latest From the Fabricator podcast is up with insight and info from all parts of our world.  Kicking it off is long time Manufacturers reps Dan and Nico Pompeo of Architectural Glazing Solutions and Dan brought the term “Sweep Aggressively” into the lexicon.  Plus and Dan and Nico (and of course Stacey, who had to miss the pod unfortunately) have so much rolling and provided some cool insight into products and the future.  Next up Ron Parker came back on the pod after his debut 2 years ago.  Then Ron was a leading consultant in our space, now he’s settled in as CEO of Ballistic Glass and Armor Solutions.  He’s a good friend so having a chance to catch up with him was wonderful.  Ron told an amazing story about glass being stronger than stone and some great insight on the growing protective space including a pretty cool new product.  So another good one for you to add to the playlist!  Thank you for checking it out and supporting!

VIDEO

AUDIO (Also you can search “From the Fabricator” on Apple, Spotify, Google etc.)

Elsewhere...

--  I mentioned last week that the Connor Lokar presentation at GlassBuild had people buzzing and for some, on edge.  The forecast, like a few lately, are pointing towards tougher times in 2024.  It’s been a perfect storm of issues that are leading us into a rough go- led by the interest rate increases.  So the theme continues, be smart with the spends, be active in diversifying what you offer and of course communicate up and down the chain.  More on what Connor covered can be found HERE.  And for more insight and potential stomach churning, my pal Scott Goodman of CRL shared THIS READ from the freight side of things.

 

--  Quick one… Congrats to the team at Aldora Glass on the grand opening and ribbon cutting at their new spot in Newport News. Good positive news in our space for sure and kudos to all involved!

 

--  TV… So suddenly I went from having tons of shows to watch while on the treadmill to like none.  So any recommendations, please hit me up or comment.  The key is I like shows that keep me glued while running on the treadmill, so I lean towards more action and intensity vs. others.  I do see the new season of Jack Reacher is coming in December (which I am so pumped for) and again kudos to PR Superstar Jen Friess of Guardian Glass for the initial heads up on it last year.  Great show.  So I am up for recommendations! 

 

--  Last this week… No blog next week with Thanksgiving in the US happening.  If something big happens I’ll have it on LinkedIn and social media (and I’m getting a feeling something big may actually happen) and be back here the week of 11/26.  Also while I’m off the blog the next ABI will be out and the feel is its going to be awful again.  Will it be as bad as this past month? We’ll see… my bet it’ll be worse.  Hope I’m wrong!  And as for this holiday- no matter how challenging our world is (and the glass world and ESPECIALLY the real outside world) now we all still have a ton to be thankful for.  Please take a few moments to reflect on that aspect and appreciate what we’ve got!  Have a wonderful holiday! (Note- US Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday of the year so I am pumped)

 

PROJECT of the WEEK

To Milwaukee we go and an awesome project from the feed of Brian Pigney of Vitro. I think the combo of the glass, sky and that red logo really made it all pop.  Kudos to Vitro and then the others that Brian listed that included Oldcastle BuildingEnvelope - Wright City, MO and Klein-Dickert -Milwaukee, WI.  And glad Brian grabbed shots of this one before the snow hits!

The Big GlassBuild 2023 Wrap Up

Wow.  What a show.  I mean I think those of you that know me know I love every time we all get together but this one really went above and beyond.  Truly a tremendous time and three show days absolutely flew by. Overall vibe I took away was resilience, preparation, and cautious optimism.  Those emotions had to come to play especially after those who watched the great Connor Lokar give his economic forecast!  I’ll have thoughts on that next week but make sure you check out Glass Magazine for a recap on that and all else with the education at the show.  Time now for my annual who’s who and what was what at the show! So buckle in as this is the longest post of the year with a few names dropped along the way!

The show floor was special with the booth looks raised to a new level and then one step beyond with Quanex. They went all in for Halloween and delivered a memorable exhibit.  Kudos to Cristina Murray, Carrie Scheetz and company on an epic display.  So many other stands were strong too- I loved the open layout and mix Salem had though I never made it into the booth during the show (I was too busy) and as always Q-Railing delivered with a beaut too.  The Best in Show judges had tough calls all over but I think the ones they chose were deserving and the reactions of people like Tasha Birdwell of dormakaba and Rob Botman & Jordan Richards at Glassopolis were priceless. 

 

Learned a lot of new things this time out.  Haffner’s screen efforts continued to amaze me and large crowds, IGE’s range of products/machinery always get people going but the addition of JRS into the drilling and milling space had the audience absolutely buzzing.  There goes that man again, Michael Spellman blazing yet another trail.  Cool.  Seeing Art Huard and Shawn McHale (NVOY Architectural) with the chance to chat with their partners from POLFLAM was a positive experience- a strong and exciting entry into the North American fire-rated space.  

Meeting new people or people I follow online is always a thrill and that list was long this year.  Shannon McKinney of DT Glass was a fun one to connect to after seeing her in many Shower Door Professional forums. Ty Clem, I have written about and only got to shake his hand briefly, but I appreciated the quick interaction.  Matt Becker of Andersen was famous before the show for being on one the GlassBuild posters and was awesome to chat up on the floor. Mike Pennington of Brin stopped me to say hi and I appreciate that- good guy there (Minnesota Nice always delivers) I spent a bit of time with Adam Shearer of iMagic Glass and was a fan of his company before and now even a bigger fan post interaction.  Had a nice time chopping it up with Matt Fox of FTI and Travis Nevins of IUPAT and I learned a ton.  And I finally got to meet the truly brilliant Vardhan Mehta of Acelab in person, which was a must for me. His platform rocks. 

 

Old friends always make it worth it.  Ren Bartoe made an appearance!  That was incredible.  Saw Frank D’Aprile for a split second- he was wheeling and dealing like always.  The Mayor of Glasstown, the one and only Jon Johnson never fails me, and loved catching up with Jeff Ziesche of FHC who also delivered goods from Buc-ee’s to me, so clutch.  

Speaking of FHC they had a huge show, packed booth and brought the energy.  Must be the podcast appearance from Chris Hanstad and Barry Sutherland.  Also loved the enthusiasm from the Isoclima/Global folks.  They had the bourbon contest going and were having fun.  Krisy Kilpatrick there is an absolute ball of fire, and she’s a newbie to our space, so great things happening for sure. Walker Glass always is a must and for the 2^nd year in a row I could not get into their booth party- too many folks again.  Nice problem to have! And kudos to Will Downing and Orgadata for incredible costumes on day 1 (I tried to get there for a picture and failed) as well as Gary Di Dio and company at LiteSentry/SoftSolution for the snazzy zebra coats. 

 

Fun to catch up with Brian Risinger of Country Glass in Texas.  He’s a great guy and they continue to slay it out there and he brought me swag that I will wear proudly.  Love it.  Seeing old friend Dan Wright of Paragon and actually having 10 minutes to talk with him was fantastic.  Plus he intro’d me to Matt McGinnes of Cypress Companies and that was a pleasure.   A quick side note on Paragon, prayers up (and feel to join me) to their HR Assistant Stephanie Moore who was diagnosed with Breast Cancer this week. It was found during the always important preventive screening.  Thoughts are with Stephanie, her family and the team at Paragon. 

 

Next up seeing the northwest duo of Joe Kaiser and Luc Boileau of Herzog Glass was extremely cool.  They support our industry always and thrilled they made the trek from Seattle into the show.   Billy Britt of Britt Tilson Glass is my guy.  We got a picture together which is now tradition and we both are hoping the Detroit Lions make a run this year.  If they do I think Billy gets a share of any win. (He’s got a massive connection to the team)

 

Good seeing Brad and Christina Leamon of “The Shower Door Guy” and they continue to grow and Christina was very impressive and made an impact this week for sure. Dan Poling of Schott always is fantastic to run into and same for Rick Newnom of HouTex Glass and Kyle Sharp of Sharp Glass.  You just walk away from those chats in a positive place! And while we are talking positive and smiles, that’s Lindsay and Dustin Price of Texas Glazing Solutions- that’s their speed and I dig it. Of course no show is complete without seeing the nicest guy in the industry, Tom O’Malley of Clover Architectural.  He jammed this visit into an extremely packed schedule.

 

I missed seeing a bunch of people which was a bummer… didn’t see my guy Scott Goodman of CRL, I am sure he was buried all week. Same with Joe Staffileno of Fuyao. I wanted to meet Reece Austin of Hardware and Glass, Conley Oster of Raise Robotics, and Junaid Saleem and failed there too.  Next time!

 

I got a few minutes with Garret Henson of Viracon which I always appreciate and bit longer with Seth Madole and Brian Savage from there.  Was great that Viracon took part in the epic rodeo-themed event we had and I appreciate them supporting! 

 

The brains were out in force and so when I can learn from our truly incredible minds in this industry, I relish it.  Shared a cab and time with the awesome Dr. Kayla Natividad of Pilkington. So tremendous.  I’m a huge fan of Sneh Kumar of Kawneer and consultants Charlie Boyer and Paco Bono.  I just wish I had a tiny fraction of their brain power.  And while he’s known as a sales guy- Alan Kinder of Guardian Glass is whip-smart and always has it going on. Plus a few minutes with the guru of all laminated glass, Mike Hallahan was worth it.  

 

I know I am missing people to mention... many for sure and maybe I’ll throw more in next week but for now I think it’s time to wrap up.  Two items- the National Glass Association really is remarkable, and I am honored to work alongside the women and men there. This show is big one to pull off and the gang pulled it off again!  Truly extraordinary people and I have to single out Andrew Haring and Melanie Dettmer for keeping me sane in the run up to the show- they’re the best. 

And last, some of you may have met or seen my daughter Natalie this week.  She was a temp worker for NGA for the show and she was blown away by all and I loved having her there and see her interact.  Everyone was so kind and welcoming to her proving this industry is a great one with the best people around. (James Wright of Virginia Glass is on record predicting she’ll be in our world someday- that is not the current plan but we’ll see!)  Sure we have battles and challenges and competition etc. But we have a class and an approach that no other industry can touch. The glass and fenestration world is the best and I’m proud to be a part of it.  Let’s all keep rocking forward and take it all on and succeed! 

 

No links or project this week because of the length here- they’ll return next week along with the additional news and views from our world!