Settle in folks, this is going to be a longer than usual blog… Lots to cover!
Last week was my 3rd glasstec and by far it was
the most impressive and intense. It is
amazing how much has changed in 4 years.
The biggest takeaway from the event for me was automation for our
fabrication plants is truly here and ready.
The advancement in this area was striking and I am not just talking
about the robots or the automated forklifts themselves but the technology and
intuitiveness behind them. With
virtually every piece of automated equipment I saw, it came with a back end
intelligence plan that keeps the user alerted on everything from its production
performance to its health. For me being
old school, and I know many others had this thought too, the fear was if you
automate too much and equipment goes down you are in trouble. But the back end intelligence is a huge guard
against that worry and the detail it provides is nothing short of amazing. I was able to see the way it worked with
Fenetech at the Bystronic booth and at Grenzebach and I simply was blown away
at the visibility these machines and software provide. (Many others had it too; I just did not get
to see them like I did these) The future is here with regards to plant
automation and when you add in the advancements in the machinery itself, this
really bodes well for our industry.
Higher quality end products are something we all strive for and it’s
nice to see the efforts there on all levels to get us further on this
path. My other takeaways include…
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There is positivity about the economics of our
industry with regards to the forecast, but there’s no doubt the worry about a
slowing up is there and something to continue to monitor.
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Railing and Balustrade options, I have never
seen so many styles and choices. I knew
this was a busy business segment, but was not aware how much it was globally.
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Go Big or Go Home... 2 years ago the theme here
was jumbo and oversize, and this year it just continued it by showing large
glass in different fabrication styles including amazing bent, decorative,
etched, painted, and laminated. We may
only be touching the surface in North America with oversize but there is no
doubt the rest of the world is in full speed ahead mode.
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Vacuum Insulating Glass appeared in more stands
than I have ever seen before and the push to grow its commercial footprint is
significant.
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Dynamic… the advancements continued. Sage had a
very impressive stand and gamebreaking product release in Harmony. Relative newcomer Halio was in the courtyard
of the halls showing faster transition time and a product that could be easily
used inside, and Pleotint/Suntuitive had its product all over the floor thanks
to several international partners pushing it and showing the way a
thermochromic approach can work. Eyrise
was also a new one to me and they had an incredible setup in the Glass
Technology Live area showing a skylight in action with their product.
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Meanwhile on the smart glass side, (glass that
transitions from a clear state to opaque) I am estimating maybe 25 companies
(probably more) were showing one form of a switchable interior glass or rear
projection material. I know there are a
lot of folks who do that product, and I think most were on the floor at
glasstec.
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Safety gear/clothing is about to go into a next
amazing level- lightweight and safe, it’s going to be something the folks in
our plants and jobsites will go crazy for.
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The technology area was the best I have ever
seen with interesting concepts. This is
similar to the auto shows in the US that may show futuristic visions of
vehicles, and this year at glasstec we had that with glass. Craziest one for me was a solar piece that
used algae in it to generate electricity.
But other items in this area included great advancements on structural
glazing, curtain wall material, thin glass usage, laminated stacking, and
hardware.
To see a lot of what I mentioned, check out the twitter
feeds of Glass Magazine and Glass Nation, along with coverage from
GlassMagazine.com. They’ll be videos up
as well including my video of the week. And if anyone is curious on
anything specific, please reach out to me, glad to chat with you about it.
-- As for my personal touches that I do after every event…. I’ll
start with the setup and team from Guardian Glass. They had an marvelous stand that showed a
wide range of products and innovation- both in concept and also ready to
go. Of course the team there could not
be any nicer to me. Getting to see the
one, the only, the great Amy Hennes is easily the highlight- she is always
going to full speed, so the fact I get a couple seconds with her is an honor. I love talking with Chris Dolan, we’ve been
through a few of these now and it’s always great to hear his insights and
opinions. Folks like Matt Hill (who I
have seen a bunch in my life but never in the US for some reason) Joe Butler,
Samer Abughazaleh, and Sarah Wansack are incredibly classy and cool. Thank you all for the amazing hospitality you
always show me.
-- At every glasstec I have gotten to visit with Bernard and
Linda Lax from Pulp Studios and it’s nothing short of awesome. Plus this year old pal Kirk Johnson was with
them, and that made it even better. Also
seemingly a glasstec visit tradition is seeing Thomas Martini of Vitrum and his
talented crew. Tara Brummet was at the
show for the first time and it was great to chat with her on her experiences,
and seeing Adam Byrne and Tyler Boult from there again was enjoyable. I spent some time in the very innovative
SCHOTT booth and got to see Rob Botman and Jordan Richards from Glassopolis
while there and catch up with Dan Poling as well. Such cool folks and I’m humbled to get to
spend time with them. Speaking of SCHOTT they win the “great call by the marketing head” award as they were told their
dress for the show would include jeans and tennis shoes. Folks there is basically no carpet anywhere
in the halls at glasstec and the show runs from 9 to 6 daily. Dressing your team casual/comfortable was the
call of the year!
-- The Tristar Glass team was there and I will never pass a
chance to talk with Greg Oehlers. I also
met his fabulous wife as well. Greg is
an industry great and with more knowledge about glass in his pinky than I’ll
ever have the rest of my life. My friend
Mike Synon of HHH was there and smiling despite his beloved Brewers not making
the World Series- probably for the best that he missed game 7 of their series
with LA while flying to the show. I just
stepped back and watched Max Hals and Ian Patlin of Paragon Architectural work
a portion of the floor and was in awe.
Those two guys know everyone- they don’t need an exhibit, it’s like
everyone came to them.
-- Wrapping up, I enjoyed seeing Mark Seaton and Glenn Davis
from Vitro, but I think it was obvious (as it should be) that they would’ve
preferred to see my brother Steve vs. me.
(Most would- that is the better choice)
Still was nice to see them and also see Ricardo Maiz for the first time
in several years. Great man he is. I did not get to see Michael Spellman like I
usually do and that was too bad. But I
know he had several properties only the floor that IGE partners with so I think
every time I went to Forvet to see him he was at Landglass or Tecglass
etc. But I did see Manny Borda from IGE
and that’s always an absolute pleasure.
So there you go- I probably missed a bunch and if so I’ll
hit it on my next post. Overall though
it was a positive experience, and I sincerely hope to make it back in 2020.
LINKS of the WEEK
150 margaritas in 3 days and still living. Wow.
Towing your boat with the your scooter? Huh?
This is surely a wild story.
Wow.
VIDEO of the WEEK
So at the show as I was trying to wrap up I happened upon
the team that built this amazing all glass teetor totter… and they were giving
it a try… and I could not walk away, so I got it on video… (click link below to take you there)
— NGA GANA News (@glassnation) October 26, 2018
