It was a good and interesting week in Europe at glasstec. The biggest question going into the show was how people feel about the markets- worldwide. Well, actually, that was the 2nd biggest question… the biggest was what did I think of Condor Airlines. And for that I give it a hearty thumbs up. For a budget airline, their business class seats worked out well. Nice and wide, lay flat optional which allowed me to sleep- a massive plus. Great TV though limited show and movie offerings. And the food was actually really good. Loading in NY was smooth, though it was super chaotic in Germany. Otherwise, it worked out very well. Just wish they flew out of Detroit! Maybe someday? Fully recommend for future (Again business class- no idea on regular class) Gotta admit I thought it would most likely be a debacle and it was the opposite- thankfully!!
-- Also, from a personal side- I have been traveling for work for 30+ years and this is the first time I had a belt bust on me. Happened on last AM of the show, so that final day was an adventure- I was so tempted to ask a Kevlar belt guy nearby the NGA booth if I could use a sample to keep my pants up or see the UV bonding people for glue to fix it… brutal.
-- Now on to serious stuff. So… the feelings question. That was answered by the fact this show was better than most expected and the various equipment people I chatted with were thrilled. Between GlassBuild and glasstec, we saw some significant machinery on the move. Good stuff. Though still not enough people are embracing full(er) automation! A few savvy ones are, the majority still opting for a less efficient approach. For sure many who only do business in Europe were jealous of the markets in the US, so even our soft spots are better than what other countries are dealing with. Theme wise, my take is that VIG and Bird Friendly glass are here to stay and only will keep growing. On the birds, it was stunning to see the various options. On the VIG, the realization hitting home that codes now and especially into the future, will drive a demand. Not to mention the obvious retrofit angle. In addition, there were more smatterings of PV product than I expected and railings are now the official hottest product in the world. Exhibit wise the, overall booth sizes were bigger but there were less double decker style layouts. As I say after every year, I love the Turomas setup and demo and they did it again this year- meanwhile I thought Hegla delivered a jawdropping overall look too.
-- On to the section where I run down who I ran into etc. during the event. First person I saw as the show got rolling was Kevin Yates of Trulite. It’s been a long time since I had a chance to chat with him so that was good. It was his first glasstec, so if saw me first too, then it had to get better from there, right? LOL. Was great to see my guy Dan Plotnick of Vitro Architectural Glass in his element. Dan always brings the good stuff and he’s always been an international icon. Was very nice that Robert Clarke of Alpen stopped by- their thin triple that was talked about during a GlassBuild keynote is another strong product for now and into the future. Speaking of the future, met Will Locke, son of new NGA Chair Rick Locke. Like that youth growing quick in our space, and Will was sharp. Rick is always awesome so nice to visit with both of them.
-- I didn’t get a lot of time with the great IGE Glass Technologies contingent. Such tremendous and truly genuine people. From Michael Spellman’s drive, Carolyn Spellman’s energy and talent, Jennifer Song’s quiet brilliance or the dynamic sales duo of Heinz Wiedmayer and Manny Borda, all are way too good and great ambassadors for our industry. Also, a guy who is forefront of our space is the one and only Kyle Sword of NSG Pilkington. He is the most multi-talented guy we have- love that he can talk through so many things. Plus, as you may have seen on LinkedIn Kyle traveled to the hall daily in style- on a scooter. (in 40 degree mornings no less!) If I tried that I’d be in the Rhine River covered in frostbite….
-- At GlassBuild I miss getting to talk to so many- but here I got time with the always enjoyable Jordan Richards and Rob Botman of Glassopolis. Same with the wonderful Ahlam Alqudah Qamari of Griffin Glass. Fantastic. I enjoy running into James Stammers of EVERLAM and Guillermo Seta of DFI. For some reason I only see those fine gentlemen at far off shows like this. This also goes for Sandra Kugler and Terry Gibney of Viprotron. Those two though were incredibly busy in an extremely well-designed booth setup. The trio of Sean Weir, Randy Reynolds, and George Sakoske were easily the most active folks I saw here- they surely logged thousands of steps and rumor has it that Sean may have gotten to see a real football match on the day after the event. Lucky guy!
-- Catching up with old friends never is a bad thing. I got a lot of quality time with Julie Schimmelpenningh and Caitlin Olson from Eastman. They had a ton going including a very neat “Flight of Laminated Glass” example in their booth. Was fabulous that David Dillmeier and Jerry Goolsby of Dillmeier Glass stopped by to say hi- good people from a great company. Was honored that two of the smartest people in our space spent some time with me. The always superb Tim Greene and Mr. Influential Lance Cotton of Global/Isoclima took a few minutes away from what sounded like a very hectic schedule to catch up. Much appreciated!
-- Was very nice to meet Mika Eronen in person. Mika is one of the best technical glass people in the world, and hearing his approach and passion in person was a treat. While I was meeting with Mika, Dapper Dan Reinhart and Ashley Price of Salem Fabrication Technologies swung through and I am trhilled they made the time for me. Funniest part as Dapper Dan was walking away, Mika noted he recognized Dan from my podcast. Dan’s impeccable style is obviously a hit in Finland too! I was happy that the whip-smart Nick St. Denis of KMR visited for a bit. We set up our annual podcast together pending on if he gets named Head Coach of the Jets or not. If not, look for Nick on my pod this coming February as always!
-- Bummed to miss Eric Miller (who ended up missing the show) and Mike Rosato & Alan Kinder (I never made it to their stands) among others. All in all, this was a better event than I expected and I did enjoy the positive overall energy. So now we are show free for a while and also now I need to time to dig out after having GlassBuild and glasstec back-to-back. I am sure many that were here who had the same double duty feel that way too.
-- Last but surely not least… sincere thanks to the incredible NGA crew I got to be a part of at the show. Nicole Harris, Katy Delvin, Emily Thompson, and the “Princess/Goddess” Urmilla Sowell (I didn’t bestow that nickname on her but it tracks) were in constant and positive motion for 4 days and I enjoyed every interaction. Also, we were super lucky to have the delightful Regina Wigand in the NGA stand again this year. Regina was last with us in 2018 and she picked right up this year without missing a beat. Absolutely amazing. And for my way out, a sincere thanks to Kevin Black of Flexijet 3D, who pretty much carried me through the Dusseldorf airport, and to Dave Miller of Cyncly/Fenetech who did the same in Frankfurt. (Yes, I’m pretty shrewd in US airports, drop me in Europe and my brain evidently melts…)
Next week, back to normal blog along with a new podcast episode that I am super stoked about. So onto the end of the year we all go!!
