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METAL & GLAZING

THE MAGAZINE OF RECORD FOR ARCHITECTURAL GLASS INDUSTRY LEADERS VOLUME 47, ISSUE 2 FEBRUARY 2012

FabricationForecastPredictions Show Glass Demand will be Hot in 2012

THE MAGAZINE OF RECORD FOR ARCHITECTURAL GLASS INDUSTRY LEADERS VOLUME 47, ISSUE 2 FEBRUARY 2012

METAL & GLAZING

LARGEST CIRCULATION OF ANY GLASS MAGAZINELARGEST CIRCULATION OF ANY GLASS MAGAZINE

Also Inside:• Where Rare EarthPrices are Heading

• Judges Weigh in on a Glass Showroom

• Previews of Spring’sBIG Events

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Contents© 2011 USGlass Magazine. All rights reserved. No reproductionof any type without expressed written permission.

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USGlass, Metal and Glazing (ISSN 0041-7661), Reg. U.S. Patent Office is published 12 times per year by Key Communications, Inc., P.O. Box 569, Garrisonville, VA 22463; 540/720-5584; Fax 540/720-5687. Subscrip-tions are free to all qualified recipients. Postage fees apply to addresses outside the U.S. Advertising offices listed on page 6. Unsolicited manuscripts and other materials will not be returned unless accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope. All contents are ©2012 by Key Communications, Inc. Neither publisher nor its representatives nor its subcontractors assume liability for errors in text, charts, advertisements, etc. andsuggest appropriate companies be contacted before specification or use of products advertised or included in editorial materials. Views and opinions expressed by authors are not necessarily those of the publisher. Forpermission to reprint, contact editorial offices. Printed in the U.S. Periodicals postage paid at Stafford, VA, and additional post offices. Postmaster: send change of address to USGlass, P.O. Box 569, Garrisonville, VA 22463.All rights reserved. No reproduction permitted without expressed written permission. Send subscription inquiries to Key Communications Inc., P.O. Box 569, Garrisonville, VA 22463.

10 News Now14 Global Update15 Company News50 Showcase54 Newsmakers56 Reviews & Previews57 Up & Coming58 Suppliers Guide62 Classifieds63 Advertising Index

4 Issue @ Hand

6 Shop Savvy

8 GANA Perspectives

64 The Business

• • •o n t h e c o v e rFabricators are planninginventory to meet demandfor value-added glass in2012. Turn to page 22 for more.Photo: Schott

departments

columns[ f e b r u a r y 2 0 1 2 ]

18 Retail ReviewA brave USGlass reader submitted photos of his glassshop showroom for critique by our expert retaildesigners. Get the verdict here.

22 Fab Trends for 2012Glass fabricators are preparing for demand for theirproducts to grow in new directions.

26 Never Let Your Guard DownAll it takes is an instance of forgetting the properprotective equipment, and the unpredictable materialthat is glass can cause severe injury.

34 Chemical Imbalance Uncertainty regarding rare earths element prices remains going into 2012.

38 GANA Expands Its ConferenceThe Glass Association of North America’s AnnualConference is fast approaching, and we’ve got insightabout what the association offers.

42 A Preview of the 23rd China Glass

Get a look at what to expect at one of this year’s bigevents for global networking.

44 AAMA EvolvesUSGlass looks at the association’s evolution over 75 years and its future goals.

34

2 USGlass, Metal & Glazing | February 2012 www.usglassmag.com

18

26

38

42

44

Decorative Glass48 A Lasting

ImpressionDecorative glass constructed with a printed interlayer was used to pay tribute to one community’s fallen heroes.

special section









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Issue@Hand

When Ironworkers Meet

There aren’t many groups todaythat can boast a 50-percent in-crease in meeting attendance

since last year. But then again, the an-nual North American Iron Workers/IM-PACT (Ironworker ManagementProgressive Action Cooperative Trust)Labor Management Conference isn’t justany meeting and the ironworkers aren’tjust any group of Vegas conventioneers.

One look at the conference agenda,and a visit to the first few sessions andit was evident how education and ad-vancement of both the trade and thosewho practice it was a top level goal.

The three day event, held January 29-31 at the Paris Hotel in Vegas attracted740 participants (up from approxi-mately 500 the year before) includingironworkers and the contractors forwhom they work.

Sunday’s activities included a visit tothe Ironworker Training Facility sharedby Las Vegas Locals 416 (Rebar) and433 (Structural and Miscellaneous

Metal) and a small trade show thathighlighted the products and servicesthe union had to offer. Chief amongthese was education.

“Many of the things IMPACT doesare geared around education,” said Wal-ter Wise, general president of the Iron-workers International. “To have ustogether with our signatory contractorsis an outstanding learning opportunityfor everyone.”

The opening session on Monday, Jan-uary 30, began with the national an-them sung by Gary Russo, the signingironworker. Russo has expanded fromsinger to author, debuting his book,Don’t Die With Your Song Unsung, andwas a great favorite with the crowd.

Monday morning’s session includedan educational update and the intro-duction of IMPACT’s new training di-rector, Lee Worley. “The tools we usedfor training in the past have evolved,” hesaid. According to Worley, today’s train-ing includes slide presentations, videos,

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A visit to the Ironworker Training Facility, as part of the Annual Conference,highlighted the union’s focus on education.

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PACT




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www.usglassmag.com February 2012 | USGlass, Metal & Glazing 5

drawings, Internet links and muchmore.

“In the ‘old days’ you would learn thetrade from apprenticeship manuals.Today, you learn electronically—andwe can help track how that training isgoing electronically as well,” Worleysaid. Worley said that using programssuch as “virtual jobsite” will help trainmore people better than ever before.

Worley was followed by veteran politi-cal reporter and columnist Charlie Cookwho gave his take on the likely outcomeof the 2012 Presidential election.

Shifts in perception were also dis-cussed; attendees were asked aboutshifts in their region in attitudes towardunion construction. Thirty-nine per-cent said they see no real change; 26percent said things are a little betterand 29 percent of those voting in thesurvey said things are a little worse.

Walter Bazan of the American Sub-contractors Association (ASA) got oneof the biggest rounds of applause whenhe called for an end to retention on jobs.ASA has been fighting the retainageissue for more than 20 years. Bazan andWise also announced a new, closerworking relationship between theunion and the association and put ajoint agreement detailing such in place.

General secretary Eric Dean gave anupdate to the membership duringlunch. He emphasized newer Internetcommunication methods. “Socialmedia is going to be very important tous in the future ... and for those [localbusiness agents] that can’t or won’t geton board, we will find a way aroundthat, but it is here to stay,” he said.

Dean also talked about the group’s ef-forts to collect and use better historicaldata when fighting jurisdictional dis-putes. “We were getting our tails kickedon jurisdictional disputes,” said Dean.“We were failing miserably in court.

Our precedents and evidence were old.But we have worked hard to collect his-torical data and to track it across locals.We are starting to see things change.”

Dean also explained a series of keyperformance indicators (KPIs) that arekept for each local. In an impressive dis-play of statistics, he showed historicaldata for each KPI that allowed it tomeasure success on an any basis aswell. Two KPI awards were presented,one to Local 12 in Albany, N.Y., and theother to Local 700 in Windsor, Ontario.

2012 was also the year of the iPad forIMPACT Conference. The group gaveaway four at lunch and included a ses-sion on the basis of understandingiPads, iPhones and their applications asone of the afternoon break-outs.

By far the most interesting break-outfor attendees in the glass industry wasthe one entitled “Transparency in theGlass Industry,” given by veteran USGlassmagazine columnist Lyle R. Hill, manag-ing director of Keytech North America.

It was billed as a no-holds barred ses-sion that told ironworkers the real pain

issues between them and glazing sub-contractors, and it did not disappoint.

Hill enumerated the frustrations ofthe glazing contractor—from workerswho quit work early, to those compa-nies that cheat on hours and employees.And he didn’t stop there.

“In my 40 years in business, I neverhad a worker involved in an accidentwho tested positive for drugs. But I haveseen at least five serious accidents, twoin which pedestrians were hurt, wherealcohol was involved. We do a lot of drugtesting, but isn’t our bigger problem al-cohol? Shouldn’t something be doneabout that?” Hill asked the group as anumber of heads bobbed in agreement.

Sessions also included a number ofTown Hall meetings and topics such as“What the Hell is BIM?” with optionalsessions as well.

The IMPACT will be back in at theParis Hotel next year. �

The North American Iron Workers/IMPACT Labor Management Conferenceboasted a 50-percent increase in meeting attendance since last year, and isslated to return to Las Vegas in 2013.

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o: IM

PACT









ShopSavvy

You can’t change a first impres-sion. So true. Recently, I went toa local merchant to purchase a

holiday gift. The sales clerks were talk-ing to themselves and didn’t acknowl-edge me standing there waiting to aska question. When a lady turned aroundshe made the worst mistake asalesperson can make … shedidn’t smile. Sure it was a busytime; so what? A good businessprepares for busy times.In a retail glass business you

have it all—people calling for aquote, stopping in to see ashower door display or follow-ing up on a scheduled servicecall. The first impression ab-solutely sets the tone for the rest of thecustomer relationship.

FIRST IMPRESSIONSThe most important part of your

showroom is the first thing a cus-tomer sees or hears. A smile, a wel-coming greeting or a sincere “May Ihelp you?” are better than 20 differentbrochures a customer doesn’t under-stand. You always enter your storefumbling with your keys, the alarmcode and your arms full of homework.Step back, go outside and enter yourstore like a customer. What is the first thing you see? It

should be clean and saleable mer-chandise. It should be what you wantto sell, your higher margin items andthe impulse items. If you are runninga sale on new windows, for instance,place those at the back of your show-room. Someone coming in for the salewill find the windows, but let themwalk through your shower door dis-play on the way.

Your showroom should not be clut-tered or messy. It connotes that your workwill be the same, which will turn offmany potential customers. Have it well litso that customers can read all labels andliterature about your products. Changeany burned out bulbs immediately.

Your windows and doors have to bespotless. Clean them daily. Your doorhas to work perfectly, with no hiccupsin the closer and no tears in theweather-stripping. Your sign has to bewell lit and have no broken letters andno bulbs burned out.

IN A WORDStill, the most important part is

the first person the customer talkswith. The customer service represen-tative (CSR) has to be a good listenerand acknowledge the customer’swants and needs. Your CSR must befriendly and engage the customerASAP. The CSR can’t be chewinggum, eating lunch, smoking or talk-ing on his cell phone. If you are a one-person shop,

and are on the phone with an-other customer, wave at thewalk-in and acknowledge them.When you get off the phone, tellhim he will get the same per-sonal care the person on the

phone was receiving. And, always re-mind your staff, “A customer is not aninterruption of your work.” If you have a radio playing, keep it

low and on a neutral station—no hard-edged political or ideological talk. For$15 a month, get a satellite radio that

plays without commercials andhas a hundred channel choices.Have plenty of pictures of work

you have done on the walls. Beproud of your work and your cus-tomers will feel the same way. Ashard as this is for me to say, nopictures of baseball players orcalendars from your fabricators.Your fabricators should provideyou with displays and free prod-

uct for your showroom. Table tops,shower doors, window displays, low-iron glass compared to regular floatand all the tints and patterns of glassshould be out front and easy for youto reach and show customers. Youshould have mirrors on your walls,one with a seamed edge and anotherpolished and beveled.Check your bathroom every hour

and keep it spotless. Any customer,who uses it and feels dirty coming outwill leave your store ASAP, withoutopening their checkbook.In a customer’s mind, your show-

room directly speaks to the quality ofwork you will perform. �

At First SightWhat’s the First Thing Your Customers Notice?

b y P a u l B i e b e r

P a u l B i e b e r has 30 yearsin the glass industry, including21 years as the executive vicepresident of Floral Glass inHauppauge, N.Y., from whichhe retired in 2005.


You always enter your store fumbling with your keys, thealarm code and your arms

full of homework. Step back, go outside and enter your

store like a customer.









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GANAPerspectives

Recently, the Glass Association ofNorth America (GANA) signeda letter from various organiza-

tions in the construction industry,which included the American Instituteof Architects (AIA), the AssociatedGeneral Contractors of America (AGC)and the American Subcontractors As-sociation (ASA), to President Obamaand the leaders of both the majorityand minority parties in both the U.S.House and Senate. The intent of the let-ter can be summed up in the followingparagraph from the letter itself:Our members are ready and will-ing to get back to work designingand building the infrastructurethat will keep America competitivein the 21st Century. They want Con-gress and the Administration toperform the fundamental businessof governing that will provide thestability needed to get this sectormoving and take millions of Amer-icans off the unemployment rolls.Reviving demand for construction,particularly private sector con-struction activity, is essential tosustaining broader economicgrowth. We urge you to take actionon these critical measures that willhelp our economy fully recover.Over the past decade (and more specif-

ically in the last five years), many busi-ness owners and managers in the glassand glazing industry have been acutelyaware of many perils they face in the in-dustry. The poor economy has been themost obvious, but others have surfacedon occasion that could be as potentiallydevastating as the economic stagnation.These include the ASHRAE 90.1 updatediscussions in the second half of 2009,some of the original directions of the Na-

tional Fenestration Rating Council’sComponent Modeling Approach (CMA)Product Certification Program for com-mercial fenestration and more.In each of these situations, an owner’s

ability to profitably run his business wasput in jeopardy.

BRINGING IN NEW ADVOCATESGANA-led advocacy groups focused

their resources on finding a solution thatwasn’t damaging to the industry and thecompanies within it. GANA has attendedcommittee meetings on behalf of the in-dustry, voiced the opinion of its membersin code hearings, even visited Capitol Hillon multiple occasions to share concernswith members of the U.S. Congress. Andthough these efforts have resulted in suc-cess for the industry (and made it possi-ble for many glass and glazing companiesto keep manufacturing, fabricating andinstalling some great products), the ef-forts never end, simply because the per-ils to the industry never end.GANA absorbed the former Glazing

Industry Code Committee (GICC),which began operating under theGANA banner in early 2010. Thatcommittee, which includes otherinternational organizations withinits membership, routinely meetsand discusses the many code-re-lated issues facing the industry.Under the guidance of GANA con-sultants Dr. Tom Culp of Birch

Point Consulting and Thom Zarembaof Roetzel & Andress, members care-fully monitor proposed changes in thebuilding, energy and green codes thatwould preclude glass as a viable con-struction medium. Additionally, theydiscuss and propose changes to the

code that positively impact that glassand glazing industry.GANA has a long history of working

on the behalf of the industry, especiallywith employee education and providinginvaluable networking opportunities. Inthe next decade, its advocacy efforts,however, may be much more importantand have a bigger impact on your com-pany than any of the other benefits ofmembership. Perhaps now is the time foryou to consider membership in the or-ganization. We invite you to contact ourmembers to hear their opinions aboutmembership. Joining the association andthe strong efforts to keep the glass andglazing industry moving forward couldmean the difference between a profitablefuture and a perilous one. �

Perils Abound in the Glass IndustryBecome an Industry Advocate with GANA

b y B r i a n K . P i t m a n

Brian K. Pitman is the GlassAssociation of NorthAmerica’s director ofmarketing andcommunications.

GANA has attended committee meetings onbehalf of the industry, voiced the opinion of itsmembers in code hearings, even visited CapitolHill on multiple occasions to share concerns

with members of the U.S. Congress.









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NewsNow Powered byvisit www.usgnn.com™ for news every day

Acquisitions Make Grey Mountain a Major Player in the Industry

The name Grey Mountain Partners(GMP) has become relatively famil-iar to glass professionals, despite the

fact that, until recently, the Boulder, Colo.-based private equity firm had no holdingsin this industry. In November 2009, GMPbid to purchase the bankrupt Arch Alu-minum & Glass, while in 2011 the firm putin a bid to purchase Vitro America. In bothinstances, it was outbid by Sun CapitalPartners Inc. Experts did not expect GMP’s interest

in the glass industry to be short-lived. Itwas within the first two weeks of 2012that the firm had formally announcedfour acquisitions: Global Security Glaz-ing (GSG) in Selma, Ala.; BinswangerGlass in Memphis, Tenn.; Custom Com-ponents Co. in Tampa, Fla.; and Colum-bia Commercial Building Products inRockwall, Texas. The acquisitions give theprivate equity firm a wide range of prod-uct and service offerings. GMP announced its acquisition of Co-

lumbia Commercial Building Products(CCBP) on January 11. CCBP manufac-tures high-performance extruded alu-minum windows, storefronts andcurtainwall for new and replacement con-struction, and gives GMP a firm nationalpresence in the commercial glass andmetal industry. “We are thrilled to add Columbia Com-

mercial Building Products to our family ofsecurity and architectural glass manufac-turers,” commented Beth Lesniak, vicepresident of GMP, in the announcement.“Columbia will allow us to provide an evenmore diverse range of product solutions toour customers and opens the door to syn-ergies and cross-selling opportunitiesamong the existing glass fabrication busi-nesses in our portfolio.”CCBP representatives could not com-

ment on the acquisition as of press time.

The acquisition of GSG from Michael D.Hartley, who also owns Standard BentGlass and Coastal Glass Distributors, alsoadds to GMP’s portfolio a range of protec-tive glazing products from bullet- and bur-glar-resistant glass to transparent armor. “The heightened focus on safety and se-

curity for government buildings, as well asthe increasing demand for energy-efficientglazing solutions, represent growing mar-ket needs that GSG is uniquely suited toaddress,” Lesniak said. GSG representatives had not responded

to requests for comment at press time.

Rounding Out Offerings Just the day before the CCBP deal, GMP

announced its acquisition of CustomComponents (CC). The company suppliesrailing systems, interior office fronts, suncontrol devices and other engineered ar-chitectural products.“Custom Components’ niche product

line, value-added services, technical lead-ership and strong management team area critical part of our go-to-market and ac-quisition strategy in the glass sector,” Les-niak said. “The combination of GlobalSecurity Glazing and Custom Compo-nents Co. will enhance our security- andcommercial-focused products and openup new end markets and geographies.” Jim Ellsworth, one of the principals at

CC, talked to USGlass about the acqui-sition, which representatives of bothcompanies had been discussing sinceJuly 2011. “Custom Components needed the fi-

nancial strength of a private equity firm tosupport its growth initiatives, given thebanking community’s restrictive lendingpractices,” Ellsworth said. “We solicitedover 4,500 private equity firms beginningin March of 2011 and provided our ‘book,’containing company history, business plan

and financial history, to over 30 interestedcompanies. We entertained nine groupsduring site visits, that ultimately translatedinto five letters of intent, of which GreyMountain was our best choice to help usmove the business to the next level.”Ellsworth noted that the fabrication

companies beneath the GMP banner willbegin to work together and promote tothe market its various product brands,but continue to operate under their owncorporate identity. He added, “It will bebusiness as usual, with no plannedchanges to employees, sales organization,vendors or facilities.” Both CCBP and CC brought metals to

the glass and metal mix. And the glass? On January 6 the purchase of Bin-

swanger from Sun Capital Partners wasannounced. The company provides instal-lation services for commercial, residentialand automotive products.“We are buying an excellent business

with incredible growth prospects,” com-mented Will Pucillo of GMP in a companynews announcement. “Since 1872, Bin-swanger has been a leader in a fragmentedindustry and is known as a reliable, cus-tomer-centric organization. Binswangerserves the commercial and specialty glass,auto glass and residential glass end mar-kets through over 70 locations.”“In the last few months, Binswanger has

become a standalone organization, some-thing it has not been in at least 20 years,”then-president Arturo Carrillo toldUSGlass. “So, Binswanger has created itsown back office such as accounting, IT,payroll and human resources depart-ments. In the future as it prepares forgrowth it will grow its operations, market-ing and sales departments.”“We were always planning to sell Bin-

swanger, because it’s our customer, and wedidn’t want to compete with our customer,”





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Jeff Leone, CEO of Trulite, Binswanger’smost recent parent company, commentedon the acquisition. “We will continue tomake acquisitions that fit Trulite. Bin-swanger did not fit; you don’t competewith your customers.” Carrillo told USGlass at the time of the

acquisition that there were no immediateplans to shift product mix or make majorchanges. “Employees, customers and ven-dors are very excited,” he added. “They allrecognize how being standalone will allowus greater focus to grow and improve ourbusiness.” One major change was an-nounced a few weeks later, however; Car-rillo has since left Binswanger to join theGMP team. David Draper has been namedchief operating officer of Binswanger (seepage 54 for more).

No CommentRepresentatives of GMP had not re-

sponded to USGlass’ request for commentas of press time. However, Ellsworth of-fered some insight as to where GMP isheading with its strategic plan. “Grey Mountain Partners’ desire to put

together a group of synergistic companieswith brand identity, that would comple-ment each other, while supporting theneeds of the commercial glazing marketplace, garnered our interest and attractedus to GMP,” Ellsworth told USGlass. “Wehad nine other equity groups express var-ious levels of interest with several materi-alizing into formal letters of intent. We arevery pleased that we were able to consum-mate a deal with GM.” Ellsworth noted that, so far, the two

companies’ corporate culture hasmeshed well.

“We are very comfortable with those[individuals] who we have met from GMP,”he said. “They are young, energetic andwanting the best for the existing organiza-

tions.One of their slogans concerning ‘…helping portfolio companies achieve op-erational excellence,’ has been evidencedso far in the transaction. Likewise, theirdesire to ‘… help each company surpassits competitors and better serve more cus-tomers…’ will be the underlying businessplan as we move forward.” Professionals across the industry also

are taking note of the rapid-fire an-nouncements, and what the rise of thislarge-scale glass entity might mean forthe industry. William C. Keen, chief operating offi-

cer of Tepco Contract Glazing Inc. in Dal-las, points out that GMP is following apattern set by companies such as Old-castle BuildingEnvelope of Santa Monica,Calif., of acquiring a broad range of com-panies to fulfill needs from fabrication toinstallation. “Their objective, it appears, is to obtain

companies which would complement eachother, create synergy and even vertical in-tegration. This should allow them to gainan economic advantage with lower over-head, increased sales volume and some-times even use tax advantage,” Keen says.“It is likely Oldcastle BuildingEnvelope hasstructured [itself] to have this advantage,”Keen says “Economics push in that direc-tion, and it’s an inevitable development.For GMP, the next natural step would be toacquire more manufacturing companieswithin our industry, even contract glazingcompanies, which would capture thelarger commercial construction market[that] Binswanger is not structured well tohandle. I expect to see more acquisitions.”For the acquired companies, this seems

to be a good move.“I don’t see any paradigm shifts taking

place as Grey Mountain’s business prac-


continued on page 12




www.usglassmag.com





NewsNowcontinued

tice is likely to operate companies inde-pendently,” says Oliver Stepe, senior vicepresident, YKK AP in Austell, Ga. “So,those companies will now have new own-ership, and go about their business asusual. We might expect to see new revi-talization efforts, but nonetheless, busi-ness is tough and they’ll compete as

before, except with some new energy. It’sprobably more positive for the employeesof the acquired companies as Grey Moun-tain’s ownership may create new life andnew blood for them.”Michael Collins, an investment

banker with Jordan Knauff and Co. ofChicago, agrees.

“The combined market share of thesecompanies isn’t enough to ensure an ef-fect on the industry as a whole,” Collinssays,“However, among the benefits thataccrue to companies acquired by privateequity funds are enhanced access to cap-ital and industry connections that canlead to increased revenues. The competi-tors of the acquired companies may findthem to be tougher competitors in the fu-ture for these reasons.”This seems to be the perfect time to

buy, industry professionals agree.“The commercial construction in-

dustry is depressed now, but it’s a cycli-cal business and it appears to havebottomed out,” Keen says. “So, now is theopportune time to acquire companies.When they’re at the bottom of the cycle,set them up right, properly finance themand ride them to the top. That’s what theprivate equity firms are doing.” Stepe shares Keen’s opinion.“After two to three years of recession

some companies have weakened, andthese firms are seeing opportunities toacquire companies with viable futuresat attractive prices,” Stepe says. “Foreigninvestment also has increased in thepast few years, because of the weak dol-lar and attractive prices. I wouldn’t besurprised if we see more acquisitions,but the glazing industry is a niche in-dustry, and at some point we’ll reachsaturation. Ours is not like the financialindustry with many companies, and Ithink we may be close to an acquisitionsaturation point. We also have seen re-gional suppliers being absorbed.”Collins believes private equity inter-

est in glazing and other building prod-ucts remains strong. “Now that keyindicators like employment and cer-tain housing numbers are becomingmore consistently positive, it is easierto see that we’re beginning the recov-ery process,” he says. “Private equity in-vestors that take a ‘top down’ approachto industries are largely in agreementthat the building products industry is agreat play over the next several years.”�� www.greymountain.com �

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GlobalUpdate

Bystronic Glass to Reorganize, Cut Positions, Partners with Hegla

Bystronic Glass will close facili-ties and cut jobs to keep aheadof the economic downturn, ac-

cording to a January 10 company newsrelease. The architectural glass cuttingfacility in Bützberg, Switzerland, willcease operation. The engineering, man-ufacture and sale of machines for thissector are expected to stop at the end ofnext month. The service support andreplacement parts for existing plantswill continue to be offered.

The engineering, sale, assembly andservicing of machines and plants forthe pre-processing of automotive glasswill continue at the Bützberg location.

Bystronic Armatec GmbH, whichproduces laminated glass, handlingequipment and some solar technolo-gies, will relocate from Gunzenhausen,Germany, to Neuhausen-Hamberg,Germany, to become part of BystronicLenhardt GmbH by mid-2012. By-stronic Lenhardt produces insulatingglass technologies and manufactures

TPS® multilayer solar units.As a result of the reorganization, the

operational headquarter of the By-stronic Glass Group will relocate fromSwitzerland to Germany. In addition,the planned reorganization is expectedto cut up to 60 positions at BystronicMaschinen AG in Bützberg, and relo-cate up to 60 positions at Bystronic Ar-matec GmbH from Gunzenhausen toNeuhausen-Hamberg.

Along with the reorganization, By-stronic Glass will partner with the Ger-man glass machine manufacturer Heglato work together on products and mar-keting. The companies will treat eachother as preferred partners and joinforces when dealing with customerswho commission large-scale projects.

“The insecure economic prospectshave diminished the willingness ofmany customers to invest or replace,”says André Brütsch, CEO of BystronicGlass. “This has had a very negative im-pact upon our incoming orders for an

extended period of time now.” In addition, global overcapacity in the

laminated glass business section alsohas had its effect, according to informa-tion from the company. In combinationwith falling glass prices, this led to a si-multaneous high level of cost pressureand drop in margins throughout the en-tire sector and at Bystronic Glass.

“The competition for each order is ex-tremely high and the margins are corre-spondingly unsatisfactory,” Brütschsays. “In order to remain competitive, wemust reduce our prices at the expense ofour yield.”

The strong Swiss Franc has also lead tocompetitive disadvantages, especially forBystronic Maschinen AG in Bützberg,which operates out of Switzerland. Overthe course of the last 18 months, theprices of the export products have risenby approximately 15 percent solely as aresult of the exchange rate development.�� www.bystronic.com

AGC, Interpane Enter into Strategic Alliance

AGC Glass Europe has purchased a con-trolling interest in the German glass man-ufacturer Interpane. AGC Glass Europe willcontrol 51 percent of the company.

The two companies will develop mu-tually complementary processing activ-ities in terms of geographical scope andproduct specialties. Through the al-liance with Interpane, AGC will gain anindustrial presence, mainly in the Ger-man flat glass market, and aim tostrengthen its position in glass coatingsby offering new glass functions in build-ing, solar and automotive applications.

The closing of the transaction is sub-ject to customary merger control clear-ance by competition authorities.�� www.agc-glass.eu �

Guardian Expands United Kingdom Plant with New Coater

Guardian Industries in Auburn Hills, Mich., will expand its float glass plant inGoole, England, with the addition of a new coating machine for the manu-facture of energy-efficient glass for commercial and residential applications.

Construction has already begun on the $48 million USD (30 million GBP)project that is expected to create 50 new jobs when it is completed in thefourth quarter of 2012.“The drive by the U.K. government to save energy has resulted in raising en-

ergy efficiency standards for both new and replacement windows for residen-tial and commercial buildings,” says Scott Thomsen, president of the globalGuardian Glass Group. “Further improvements are already planned through2020 that will demand even more energy-efficient glass.”�� www.guardian.com





http://www.bystronic.com

http://www.agc-glass.eu


www.guardian.com





CompanyNews

Hartung Glass Industries Acquires Trulite’s Dallas Facility

Officials at Hartung Glass Indus-tries (HGI) of Seattle andTrulite Glass and Aluminum

Solutions of Deerfield Beach, Fla., havesigned an agreement under which HGIhas acquired the former FarmersBranch, Texas, location of Trulite. Termsof the transaction were not disclosed.

“The HGI Dallas acquisition ad-vances the company’s mission of con-trolled growth and to increase itspresence as the leading supplier of fab-ricated glass products throughout theWest and South,” says Nick Sciola, pres-ident and owner of HGI.

The Farmers Branch location was for-merly operated by Vitro America, ac-quired by Trulite last year.

“The combination of three companiesto form Trulite clearly allowed for somesite consolidation,” says Jeff Leone, TruliteCEO. “We had an extra building in Dallasand we sold it. [We] consolidated twosites into one.”

The 82,000-square-foot facility hasbeen operating as HGI Dallas. “Transitionis still underway so employees and ca-pacity will be growing with the locationrequirements in the coming months,”says Kirk Johnson, director of sales at

HGI. “Hartung has been hiring new tal-ent in key roles as positions are required.”

Agalite Arlington (a division of HGI) issharing the new plant and has alreadymoved operations, according to the newsrelease. The company plans on installingnew equipment throughout 2012.�� www.hartung-glass.com

ClarificationA photo credit was inadvertently miss-

ing from our story on shower doors in theJanuary 2012 issue. The photo on pages28-29 was provided courtesy of AgaliteShower & Bath Enclosures. �


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1000 Connecticut Ave. Architect: Pei Cobb Freed & PartnersMichael D. Flynn, Partner in charge ofbuilding envelope








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systems. That is why leading architects like Michael Flynn—

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Say goodbye to coordinating and managing five different suppliers for the building envelope. We engineer, manufacture, manage and supply the glass, window, curtain wall, skylight and storefrontsystems—all from one source. Thatmeans, one set of documents, one pointof contact—all on one master schedule.

Origami by Robert Lang.








Most people are used to look-ing through glass, not at it.That’s just one reason an

effective glass retail showroom can

be a tricky proposition. In order tocontinue to improve his retail space,one USGlass reader and glass shopowner responded to request to sub-

mit photographs of his showroom forexpert critique. The Shop Owner noted with hissubmission, “Years ago we remodeledour storefront. Large windows weresplit up to update the appearancealong with awnings, giving our storea much-needed facelift. The rampgoing in from the front door has rail-ing with glass with our company logooffset by smaller rain-glass pieces (re-placing the wrought iron from 1972).Straight ahead at the top of the rampis our window display and off to theright is our shower door area, whichwe intend to expand this winter.”Our judges had plenty of input forthis shop owner’s design that maywell apply to your next showroommakeover.

REVIEWExpert Showroom DesignersCritique This Reader’s ShopRetail

Our JudgesPaul Bieber has 30 years in the glass industry, including 21 years as the executivevice president of Floral Glass in Hauppauge, N.Y., from which he retired in 2005.He currently serves as an industry consultant and USGlass columnist.

Jerry Birnbach is a partner with RDD Associates, a multi-disciplined retail designfirm in Somers, N.Y., with expertise in store design, display design, showroomdesign and trade show concepts. Birnbach has 35 years of retail design expe-rience. For more information, visit www.rddassociatesinc.com.

Jeff Grant is the owner of TRIO Display, a specialty retail design and consultingfirm in San Diego. Over 28 years, Grant has worked on projects with the Rea-gan Library, Orange County Choppers, Phoenix Art Museum, Hollywood Bowl,Disney, Universal Studios, the U.S. Olympic Committee and numerous pro-fessional teams. For more information visit www.triodesigngroup.com.

Jeff Grant: Windows on display need to have signage describing their valueproposition. Let the customer understand the product benefits without having tochase down a salesperson.

Jerry Birnbach: Creating perma-nent vignette walls limits the retailer.Retail and product is about “new,” sothe best items need to be updatedwhen manufacturers introduce a newline. There is much more varietyavailable when the actual product ispresented to the customer. White dis-play on floor is meaningless and ap-pears to be an afterthought. Moreattention was spent on the floor thanon providing a compelling visualpresentation.

Paul Bieber: Nice display of win-dows with a literature rack. It showsdifferent styles, colors and types ofwindows. There should be a sign onthe windows shouting “energy effi-cient with low-E glass!” Do any ofthe windows tilt-in for easy clean-ing? A sign here would pique cus-tomer interest.





http://www.rddassociatesinc.com

http://www.triodesigngroup.com







Jeff Grant: The best sales tools areoften imagery or graphics that providea preview of the product in place withfeatures described. Those types of im-ages should be consistent throughoutthe showroom. Store windows shouldbe used to encourage walk by traffic tocome in to see the show and destina-tion customers to explore productsthat may not have been on their radar.Plants should not interrupt the visualsor the traffic pattern.

Paul Bieber: A very pretty showerdoor display, but there is nothing herethat says we sell shower doors in manystyles and colors. The two small dis-plays on the floor should be on tablesfor ease of viewing. There is empty wallspace that should have a framed mir-ror, or a Starphire™ mirror and regu-lar mirror comparison. The beveledmirror above the small table shouldhave one side with a ½-inch bevel, oneside with a 1-inch bevel, one side witha flat polish and one side with aseamed edge.

Jerry Birnbach: Shower doors require a vast amount of specifications and de-tails. One sample is not going to sell the item correctly. Along with a vignette thereneeds to be frame metal finishes, extrusion availability, special condition solu-tions, glass types and much more. The whole story needs to be pulled together toaddress any concern the consumer might have. This is a shot in the dark and mostcustomers need to see their exact condition with solutions. This presentation doesnot offer that opportunity to the customer.

Jeff Grant: Store entries should beexpansive and open. Large storefrontwindows are a gift, so make sure theyare used to promote the stores mer-chandise and branding.

Jerry Birnbach: First impressionsare vital. Although this is a clean en-trance, it is lacking excitement and in-formation. Branding is key and thespace lacks logos and signage as to theoffering within the store. The perime-ter glass allows for many more sampleof glass types, frames and products tobe reaching outside the store for poten-tial customers passing by. Every plantis a lost opportunity to be selling prod-uct that is relevant to the customerneeds. I believe in show-and-tell storiesof items, features, benefits, advantages,price consideration and guarantee mes-sages. Most important should be theactual stores points of difference tellingthe customer why to shop with andtrust this retailer.

Paul Bieber: I like this picture. It shows a neat, clean and well thought out cus-tomer entrance. I like that different types of glass are shown on the sides of the walk-way. There should be a sign there indicating “These are just a few of the many typesof glass we carry.” There is a “V” sandblasted in the glass. Again, promote the fact thatwe do custom sandblasting for commercial and residential glass. A customer lookinginto the showroom, from the street, may see the plants. I suggest a nice all-glass tabledisplaying different colors of metals available for storefronts, different styles of metaland stressing energy savings metals for new and renovated storefronts. continued on page 20










Jerry Birnbach: There is a lack of substance in this prod-uct offering. The presentation can be visually taken inquickly, and cast off as of no interest. The key to selling glassis to be able to move customers around the store and havethem want to spend more time, due to interest, seeing op-tions. The more time you can keep the shoppers’ interest thebetter chance you have to sell them into your product andservice. You have a limited attention span and this empty vi-sual experience will not hold their attention for long.

Paul Bieber: Not much to say here. It shows a lot ofempty space that could be used for additional products,such as a nice all-glass table or a display of differentshower door hardware colors and styles.

Jeff Grant: Wall space is valuable and should be filled withproducts or graphics. Store displays need to be compelling,so make sure every available wall area is reviewed for mer-chandising opportunities. �

REVIEWcontinued from page 19Retail









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A re things turning around? Aftershowing struggling businessconditions for most of 2011, the

American Institute of Architects’ (AIA)Architecture Billings Index (ABI) heldto positive numbers in November andDecember 2011.This economic indica-tor of construction activity reflects theapproximate nine to twelve month lagtime between architecture billings andconstruction spending. AIA reportedthe December ABI score was 52.0, fol-lowing the exact same mark in No-vember. This score reflects an overall

increase in demand for design serv-ices, and any score above 50 indicatesan increase in billings. The new proj-ects inquiry index was 64.0, down justa point from a reading of 65.0 the pre-vious month.“We saw nearly identical conditions

in November and December of 2010only to see momentum sputter andbillings fall into negative territory aswe moved through 2011, so it’s tooearly to be sure that we are in a full re-covery mode,” says Kermit Baker, PhD,Hon. AIA, AIA chief economist. “Nev-

ertheless, this is very good news forthe design and construction industryand it’s entirely possible conditionswill slowly continue to improve as theyear progresses.”Glass fabricators large and small are

preparing for modest increases in de-mand for their products by adding newvalue to their existing product lines andnew capacity and organization to theirfacilities. See what these fabricatorsthink 2012 might hold, and then sendyour predictions to [email protected],Subject: My 2012 Forecast.

Fab Trends for 2012

Fabricators Cast Predictions for This Year’s Trends











Kirk Johnson, director of sales for Hartung Glass Industries in Seattle: “Dynamic glazingsuch as solar, building integrated photovoltaics and alternate energy will continue to be agrowth area. We have also seen steady demand for specialty and decorative product … Thereis a general consensus that residential andcommercial will remain soft yet highlycompetitive for at least another year, with

a greater emphasis on coated products … ”

Joe Carlos, director of sales and marketingfor TriView Glass in City of Industry, Calif.:“I think we’re going to see a lot more fabri-cated laminated glass being used in struc-tural applications.You’ll see more exposededge type situations, whether it’s handrails,

or glass flooring or even shower door glass … We’re see-ing insulating glass (IG) being used more in structuraltype applications wherewe get asked to prepthese for special hard-ware to be used in point-supported systems oreven butt-glazed cur-tainwall applications.”

Eugene Negrin, president of GalaxyGlass & Stone in Fairfield, N.J.: “We ex-pect to see increased demand for archi-tectural decorative glass for interiorapplications. We are working on offeringincreasingly more technical glass. One

example would be printing direct to glass with con-ductive inksto allowelectricalenergy top o w e rsome ofour newproductdesigns.”

Pete Chojnacki, president ofPeninsula, Ohio: “We see moredemand for pre-glazed sys-tems of all types. With the timepressures on virtually all jobs,customers want anything that

can be done in the shop to be completed.”

Gary McGrory, vice presi-dent of McGrory Glass inPaulsboro, N.J.: “Althoughnot a new product, anti-re-flective glass is constantlybeing utilized in new appli-

cations … Today [we]see an increasingnumber of inquiriesand projects requiringanti-reflective glass inretail storefronts andother non-traditionalapplications … ”

Matt Vasquez, architec-tural product specialist forCristacurva in Houston:“People are trying to domore with less … anyglass that has additional

functions besides filling a hole will beconsidered by designers. We expect anincrease in demand for dynamic, pri-vacy and decorative glass typesthroughout 2012 and beyond.”


Bruce Cooke,director ofNorth Americanfabrication for Guardian Industries in AuburnHills, Mich.: “We expect to see increased demandfor the following products: heavy fabricated

glass … more light transmission and/or with polished edgesand other fabrication services, heat-treated laminated glassfor multiple applications … back-painted glass, acid-etchedglass and switchable glass. All of the above is increasingly ap-plied in interiors … ”

Garrett Ames,vice presidentof sales andmarketing ofDillmeier GlassCo. in VanBuren, Ark.: “Specialty glass

is no doubt in moredemand. We expectto see more customglass jobs versusbig runs on clear.Our customers con-tinue to … presentus with projectsusing more pat-

terns, colors and acid-etched glass.”

Kevin Anez, directorof marketing for Vira-con in Owatonna,Minn.: “Thearchitecturalcommunity

has expressed greater in-terest in designing build-ings with products thatincrease thermal per-formance to offset en-ergy costs whilemaintaining a mid level light trans-mittance to control glare.”

What product(s) do you expect to see more demand

for in the year ahead?










Fab Trendsfor 2012continued from page 23

Garrett Ames, vicepresident of salesand marketing ofDillmeier Glass Co.:“If the prices comedown I imagine we

will see liquid crystal sheets thatswitch to privacy glass gain inpopularity. We are hearing moreand more customers talk about it.Glass flooring and glass stairsystems are also popular specifi-cations I see continuing in theNew Year.”

Pete Chojnacki, pres-ident of FabTech LLC:“There is talk of more‘preglaze friendly’storefronts and pres-sure curtainwalls.”

Kevin Anez, director of mar-keting for Viracon: “Viraconexpects to introduce several

new products in 2012, including a new coatingand other new capabilities that will allow archi-tects to design with new aesthetic and perform-ance options.”

Bruce Cooke, director of North American fabrica-tion for Guardian Industries: “While not new, we ex-pect to see increased interest in solar mirror: mirrorfabricated to meet the unique needs for performanceand durability withinthe solar community.

There is the potential for this prod-uct to be a large impact mover in theyear to come, as part of the increas-ing tendency to energy efficienciesand alternative energy sources…”

Kirk Johnson, director ofsales for Hartung: “We firmlybelieve that the architectureand design and glass com-munities will continue togravitate towards new prod-

ucts and color options… Using lami-nated glass in a whiteboard applicationhas been around for several years; how-ever being able to use magnets for colorcoding or hanging paper has really been agame changer.”

Joe Carlos, director of sales andmarketing for TriViewGlass: “We’re seeing a lotmore low-iron glass …We’re bidding jobs with softcoat on low-iron [and] wecan see that people want a higher lighttransmittance but at the same time theywant performance…”

Are there any relatively new products you expect to see more of in the year ahead?










Joe Carlos, director of salesand marketing for TriViewGlass: “I would say we’ve added newequipment. I think that if I had my wishlist what I’d have is we’ve been lookingat the possibility of getting into heat

soaking. We’re seeing a lot more specs for heat soak-ing and we’re considering the possibility of gettinginto that. But we’re seeing more specs for the struc-tural glazing where the glass is required to be heatsoaked so we’re investigating that right now.”

Are you looking to invest in any new fabrication tools in 2012?

Gary McGrory, McGrory Glass: “Mc-Grory Glass recently made a large in-vestment in solar panel rooftopproject and expects to have it runningin the next three to four months. [We]have always looked to be not only fis-

cally responsible, but also environmental stewards.This investment will allow us to run virtually all of

our equipment and electrical needsusing solar energy. One of the pri-mary questions we get asked as asupplier of technical and decorativeglass products is how ‘green’ theproduct is. We wanted to take this tothe next level and exemplify howeco-friendly the actual processing ofglass products can be.”

Bruce Cooke, director of North American fabrication forGuardian Industries: “Guardian has made a substantial invest-ment in capital upgrades at our North American fabrication fa-cilities over the past 18 months in edging, tempering,laminating and mirror applications. We have also addedback-painted glass and an array of acid-etched inventories to

our fab operations. We will continue to enhance our fabrication processesand customer support services throughout the year.”

Garrett Ames, vice presi-dent of sales and market-ing of Dillmeier Glass Co.:“We need to have the rightequipment in place to con-tinue competing in such a

price competitive market for the longrun. Between 2008 and 2010 we pur-chased new and used equipment in theUnited States. We saw the used ma-chinery market dry up somewhat lastyear. We are looking oversees this yearwhere the secondary market is stillstrong and are making our first 2012purchase next week.” �

Eugene Negrin,president of GalaxyGlass & Stone: “Wehave steadily in-vested in capitalequipment all

through the downturn in both2010 and 2011 and will con-tinue upgrading our capabili-ties and plant efficiencythroughout 2012. We have alsotaken this opportunity to up-grade our staff and are activelyreviewing new software to fur-ther increase our efficiency.”

Kirk Johnson, director of sales forHartung: “With the recent launch ofHartung Dallas and subsequent con-solidation with Agalite Arlington,throughout 2012 HGI plans on in-stalling new and upgraded equip-

ment in multiple locations allowing for moreproduct offerings, enhanced service levels and ad-ditional local market capabilities. In addition, HGIhas started the first phase in a series of controlledERP software implementations.”

Matt Vasquez, architecturalproduct specialist for Crista-curva: “Cristacurva invests innew machinery and equipmentevery year but we prefer to em-phasize the importance of thepeople operating them and the productsthey produce…”










Thomas Roche, a 16-year em-ployee of Cardinal Glass In-dustries, was disposing ofglass at the Portage, Wis., plant.

It was Christmas morning. It was a taskhe’d done hundreds of times before inhis career there, yet this time some-thing went wrong. “We dispatched around 2:45 a.m., be-

cause the plant manager called 911 to saythat the employee [had not been] seen fora couple of hours and was laterfound in the yard area,” Detec-tive Lt. Mark Hahn of the Cityof Portage Police Departmentlater told USGlass.Police investigation re-

vealed that the 55-year-old fa-ther of three was working in aremote area of the outdooryard, “disposing of largesheets of glass when it ap-pears that they had fallen on him,” ac-cording to a December 27 Portage PoliceDepartment news release. OSHA continues to investigate the fa-

tality. “Since it’s an open case, we can’tmake any comments,” says Chad Green-wood, assistant area director for OSHA’sMadison, Wis., area office.Even with all the right training, the

right protective gear at their disposaland the incentive to stay safe, some-times accidents happen, especiallywhen working with glass.

“Glass can be potentially dangerousif handled improperly,” says James Mor-row, Building Products North Americahealth and safety manager for the NSGGroup in Toledo, Ohio. “There are manythings that can happen to cause a pieceof glass to change, break, whatever youwant to call it.”“In many of the news reports con-

cerning injuries or deaths while han-dling glass, we read or hear words and

phrases like ‘routine operation,’ ‘a job hehas done for years’ and ‘properlytrained,’” says Mike Burk, product salesspecialist for Houston-based QuanexBuilding Products and chair of the In-sulating Glass Manufacturers Alliance’sGlass Safety Awareness Council. “We getcomfortable and forget the dangers weface when handling glass. Constant re-minders and zero tolerance can help.” Morrow adds, “The safety practices that

people put in place through the risk as-sessment process, it’s very, very important

people are properly trained and given theright tools to implement such practicesand, of course, that such practices are dili-gently carried out. Glass is heavy, it is hardand it is sharp and, if it is not handledproperly, those three things are all signif-icant hazards that can potentially lead tovery serious injury, or worse.”

Standardizing Best Practices

Morrow chairs the ASTMwork item WK22587, NewGuide for Personal ProtectiveEquipment for the Handling ofFlat Glass. “The whole pointof this document is to try toput some framework to thepersonal protective equip-ment (PPE) control,” he ex-plains. “Basically thedocument is a guidance to be

used when operations that handleglass are considering what type of PPEneeds to be worn and where.” Morrownotes that the focus may be expandedin future editions, but the group is fo-cusing on the basics right now. The guide has been under develop-

ment by ASTM Committee E34.35 onSafe Handling of Flat Glass for morethan two years; just recently the com-mittee voted to approve the document,bringing it one step closer to publica-tion. After additional tweaking, the

Protective Gear Producers,Safety Managers, AdviseFabricators on SafetyResourcesby Megan Headley

We get comfortable and forget thedangers we face when handlingglass. Constant reminders and

zero tolerance can help.—Mike Burk, Quanex Building Products










Photo: PPS

S Group

With all of the protection today’s cut- and puncture-resistant gear can provide,comfort remains a critical quality; if the gear isn’t worn it can’t do it’s job.

Limited Wear

Personal protective equipment(PPE) suppliers point out thatjust as a glass fabricator

would never claim a product is, forexample, impact-proof but only im-pact-resistant, their products haveinherent limitations. “Any cut-resistant garment is ‘cut-

resistant’ only ... not cut-proof,” saysRobert Kaiser, CEO of PPSS Group, aUK-based producer of PPE. ”Any cut-resistant garment can, of course, bepenetrated or cut, depending onsharpness of glass and force of pres-sure/impact.”“There are limitations to all prod-

ucts,” agrees Griff Hughes of Banomin Malvern, Pa. He adds that the PPElimitations “depends on the surfaceof the glass, what type of lubricantyou’re using to cut the glass, whetherit’s mineral spirit or if it’s water-based,and then you’ll also have other addi-tives like Lucor—that affects the grip.”Maurice Blackhurst, vice president

of Intertex Textiles in Oakville, Ontario,adds, “All materials have a life spanand, over time, cut resistance will beaffected. Factors that affect lifespanare cleaning/laundering, UV damage,abrasion, frequency of use and gen-eral wear and tear. Other factors toconsider are cut level ratings of spe-cific fabrics.” “Limitations we might specify might

be with regards to how to maintaintheir garment over time,” says JeffMartin, director of technology for Na-tional Safety Apparel in Cleveland. “Ifyou go for Kevlar material, for exam-ple, you do not want to bleach it orwash it with bleach because that willdegrade the garment. If you go with apoly-blend fiber such as a Dyneema,then high heat applications would bea limitation for it.” Martin adds, “The bottom line for

us is we work with the customer to de-sign what they need.”

document is expected to go to a vote byCommittee E34 on Occupational Healthand Safety before the end of March. “The main two points that we’re try-

ing to help people with are the part ofthe body that should be covered andwhat level of protection is recom-mended based on the application,” Mor-row says. “For example, one of the thingsthat the committee discovered in look-ing at the data in our industry is a highnumber of injuries to the neck. Rawdata alone does not reveal whether suchinjuries are caused by improper PPE,improper handling or some other causeor combination of causes. However, thecommittee is hopeful that the guide willaid employers in making better in-formed decisions about such matters.“The other main point is what level

of cut protection, depending on whichstandard you’re using, is recommended

for the different parts of the body basedon the potential severity. That part ofour document is pretty clear and I’mconfident that if people are experiencedin glass handling they’re going to see itas okay. I think we’re pretty close to that.But one of the things that may raisequestions will probably be the neckprotection [guidance],” Morrow says.Anecdotal data indicates that many

lacerations result into two areas, Burksays. “The first comes from attempts toprevent glass, pieces of glass or IG unitsfrom falling. Employees must fight thenatural urge to stop the falling glass. Itoften weighs much more than they ex-pect. Workers must be instructed tomove out of the way and let it fall. A sec-ond cause of lacerations appears to befrom lites that break during handling.











This can be caused by handling dam-aged glass or moving glass though tightspaces where the glass contacts otherobjects, causing fractures. Employeesmust be trained to inspect lites and as-sure a clear path prior to handling.”Burk points to another danger in fab-

rication facilities. “Another very alarming situation is

the number of deaths or injuries causedby crushing. Employees must be in-structed on the correct methods ofmoving, storing and handling glass lites.Removing one small lite of glass from astorage rack or cart can cause the entireload to shift. Storage methods, carts,racks, tie downs, cranes, lifting equip-ment and handling methods should beregularly reviewed,” Burk says.He notes that “there is also much to

be learned from ‘near misses.’ These areincidents where no one was injured, butwere endangered. These incidentsshould be analyzed much like actual ac-cidents to improve safety.”

Using Good Gear As Morrow notes, using PPE is one

thing; having the right PPE for the joband using it correctly is another. Robert Kaiser, CEO of PPSS Group,

a UK-based producer of PPE, advisesglass fabrication customers to ensureeffective PPE is always provided andworn, adding, “this should includecut-resistant aprons, gloves, upper

body garments and wrist protection.”In guiding customers toward a

safety plan, Maurice Blackhurst, vicepresident of Intertex Textiles inOakville, Ontario, recommends everycustomer do a full risk assessment todetermine the appropriate level of pro-tection for a given fabrication job. Headvises, “Factor in not only hazardsthat are inherent with routine dailytasks but also the threat of a cata-strophic event or major mishap.” Jeff Martin, director of technology for

National Safety Apparel in Cleveland,likewise helps guide customers towardappropriate protection selection.“In general we always say that high

risk areas such as the neck, wristsand inner thighs, where you’re ex-posed to life threatening injuries,should be protected with a high levelof cut protection,” Martin says. “Weuse ANSI 105. The title is For HandProtection [Selection Criteria], butwithin there are specific levels for cutprotection, so when we talk aboutlevels of cut protection we’re quotingfrom ANSI 105.”

How Your Gear Protects YouWhen designing their protective gear,

Kaiser says, these companies take intoaccount such factors as the strength ofthe glass, type of tools used, operationalduties, the movement of the glass han-dler, customer design requirements (e.g.

PPE Cut ResistanceLevel WeightLevel 5 >3,499 gLevel 4 1,500-3,499 gLevel 3 1,000-1,499 gLevel 2 500-999 gLevel 1 200-499 gLevel 0 <200 gANSI 105-2011, Table 1, Classifi-

cation for Cut Resistance: weight(grams) needed to cut trough mate-rial with 25 mm of blade travelwhen tested in accordance withASTM F1790-07.

PPE PunctureResistance

Level ForceLevel 5 >149 NLevel 4 100-149 NLevel 3 60-99 NLevel 2 20-59 NLevel 1 10-19 NLevel 0 <10 N

ANSI 105-2011, Table 2, Classifi-cation for Puncture Resistance:Force (Newtons) needed to punc-ture through material when testedin accordance with Clause 6.4 ofEN 388:2003.

PPE Abrasion Resistance Level Abrasion Cycles LoadLevel 6 >19,999 cycles Tested at 1,000 g loadLevel 5 10,000-19,999 cycles Tested at 1,000 g loadLevel 4 3,000-9,999 cycles Tested at 1,000 g loadLevel 3 1,000-2,999 cycles Tested at 500 g loadLevel 2 500-999 cycles Tested at 500 g loadLevel 1 100-499 cycles Tested at 500 g loadLevel 0 <100 cycles Tested at 500 g load

ANSI 105-2011, Table 3, Classification for Abrasion Resistance: Abrasion cy-cles when the first thread or yarn in broken when tested in accordance withASTM D3389-05.

NEVER LET YOURGUARDDOWNcontinued from page 27

If you can keep anedge from moving you can keep it from cutting, so the grip is very important …—Griff Hughes, Banom










required protective area) and the tem-perature of the working environment.Cut protection is far from the only factorPPE manufacturers consider. Blackhurst notes that it’s also impor-

tant to look at details such as what kind ofglass the customer will be working with,whether the associate will be lifting orcarrying the glass, the weight and size ofthe glass, and dexterity or grip for usingspecific tools. In addition, he says, “Weconsider additional patches for addedprotection and durability for those areasthat are more prone to contact or morecritical (wrists, neck and waist areas).” “The other thing that isn’t talked a

lot about in the industry but we dopoint it out to our customers is thatpuncture resistance is very importantas well,” Martin says. He adds, “Thereare very different physics behind thetwo [cuts and punctures], so really the

manufacturer needs to test for both inorder to be able to steer them in theright direction.”Abrasion resistance is also an im-

portant factor in designing, and se-lecting, PPE.“A lot of cases you’ll have an employee

holding a glass plate against somethinglike an apron patch and over time thatwears away so you’ll want somethingwith high abrasion resistance,” Martincontinues. “Cut is always the numberone [factor]; puncture is very critical tosafety; abrasion is more for thelongevity of the garment,” he says. Griff Hughes of Banom in Malvern,

Pa., emphasizes the importance ofgrip in glasswork. “If you can keep anedge from moving you can keep itfrom cutting, so the grip is very im-portant as well,” he says. Comfort can’t be overlooked either

for workers to wear their protectivegear at all times. “So, for example, ifthey’re in a high heat environment,we’re not going to put them in some-thing that melts,” Martin says.“Consider ease and accuracy of don-

ning and doffing PPE. Complicated orill-fitting PPE can give a false sense of


In general we always say that high risk areas such as the neck, wrists and

inner thighs, where you’re exposed to lifethreatening injuries, should be protected

with a high level of cut protection.—Jeff Martin, National Safety Apparel










safety,” Blackhurst says. He adds, “Thereis always a balance between comfort(bulk, flexibility, breathability, etc.) andprotection that must be considered. Theend-user must decide where their com-fort level lies. Our goal is to offer prod-ucts that optimize this balance.”Comfort is important because the

biggest danger comes in having gearthat isn’t worn. Burk suggests fabrica-tors initiate a zero tolerance safety pol-icy when it comes to wearing safetygear. He recalls talking with fabricatorswho described employees that “re-fused” to wear the proper PPE. “My im-mediate response was ‘send themhome,’” Burk says. “The safety policymust provide enforcement procedureswith a warning followed by time offand, finally, dismissal. Employees thatdo not follow safety procedure not onlyendanger themselves, but also thehealth and lives of their coworkers.There is no gray area here—follow pro-cedures or go home.” The single biggest piece of advice that

Morrow can offer when it comes to safehandling of glass is to always rememberthat glass can break if not handled prop-

erly. “Breakage is unexpected,” he says. Hewould also remind fabricators, “Yourcompany provides you with gear to pro-tect you and the only way it’s going to pro-tect you is if you’re wearing it 100 percentof the time. Even the best glass handlersexperience breakage at times—no faultof theirs, but glass sometimes breaks. Youdon’t want that to be the one time youdon’t have your gear on and you suffer se-rious injury. The hands and the wristsobviously are probably the most fre-quently contacted body parts so protect-ing the hands and wrists is critical.”

Reminders to Stay SafeWhile PPE is an important part of a

fabrication facilities equipment, it maybe easy to overlook those suppliers assafety resource themselves. As Hughespoints out, an important resource PPEsuppliers can provide is answers tocommon safety questions. “Our bigthing is to make sure we answer thequestions that [customers] have re-garding safety,” he says. Blackhurst notes that his company of-

fers a PPE care and maintenance guide-line that should be among customers’

USGlass Readers Respond We asked visitors to

www.usglassmag.comwhat they feel is the bestway to prevent injuries inyour glass fabrication fa-cility. Our readers aresuggesting the followingsafety measures.

Visit www.usglassmag.com to take this month’s online survey.

58%Frequent safetytraining sessions

9%State-of-the-artprotective gear

33%Employeeincentives

0%Hiring based on

safety certifications

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safety resources. “The guideline includessome key principles of a company’s safetyplan and PPE. These include detailinghow the clothing should be worn (don-ning and doffing) to maximize protection,cleaning instructions, inspecting and de-termining when to replace damagedheavily soiled and/or worn out safetyclothing,” he says. “Management andworkers should familiarize themselveswith the guide. Read it, sign off and keepa record. Post the guide in a central area.”Martin notes that once the New Guide

for Personal Protective Equipment for theHandling of Flat Glass is available, it willprovide a much-needed resource towardwhich suppliers like him can point theircustomers. Until then, suppliers con-tinue to tailor their products to the spe-cific customer’s needs, he says. Burk points out that while employees

might one day forget a critical piece of

PPE, they might be less likely to over-look a coworker’s omission. “Coworkerscan be a second source for increasedsafety. Coworkers must be charged withwatching out for their partners, warn-ing them and management of missingor damaged PPE and unsafe conditionsor procedures. They must be permittedto stop work until unsafe situations areaddressed,” he says.Blackhurst also suggests, “Post a picto-

rial overview in a central area to identifythe company’s required PPE so all asso-ciates are continually reminded of theirresponsibility to be safe in the workplace.” That continual and consistent re-

minder can be critical. All the trainingin the world can be provided to em-ployees but constant reminders mayprevent an employee from having just


More Resources The Glass Associa-

tion of North Americaand the InsulatingGlass ManufacturersAlliance offer a jointwebinar that looks at injuries and fa-talities caused by mishandling of glass,or complacency when handling glass.Presented by Mike Burk of QuanexBuilding Products, it also ponders waysto make the jobsite safer. View the we-binar by scanning the QR code hereor visiting www.glasswebsite.com orwww.igmaonline.org.

Glazing SafelyFor safety tips for

glazing contractors,see “No Excuses” onpage 40 of the July2011 USGlass.




http://www.glasswebsite.com

http://www.igmaonline.org


www.mcgrory.com

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one “off ” day that could end in disaster. “We tend to get comfortable and for-

get the danger of handling glass,” Burksays. “Employees must constantly be re-minded. Can you imagine if everyonecould relive the feeling they had ontheir first visit to a glass facility? Theextremely large lites of glass. The loudsound of breaking glass alarms every-one during their first encounter. Thesefeeling soon diminish as we get accus-tomed to the environment.” �

Me g a n H e a d l e y isthe editor of USGlass.She can be reached [email protected] orfollower her on Twitter@USGlass.












Atiny element is creating bigtrouble in the glass and glaz-ing industry. Cerium oxide,

one of the 17 elements that composerare earth elements, is the most effi-cient polishing material for glass.Float glass manufacturers use ceriumas a raw material in the glass meltingprocess. The element also is used inwindshield and glass repair kits.Glass industry users have experi-

enced price hikes and a shortage ofcerium in the last couple of years. Andeven though rare earths elementprices have dropped recently, uncer-tainty regarding its availability re-mains in 2012.

China’s Role China today controls 97 percent of

the global rare earths element market,according to a November 18, 2011,Fortune article. The country has theworld’s largest supply of such ele-ments and has been ramping up pro-duction over the past two decades.

Higher supply levels have resulted ina steep price drop. However, over thelast few years, the Chinese govern-ment has reduced its export quotasdrastically, which, in turn, has sentprices through the roof. “The current global situation for

cerium oxide is simple,” says KerryWanstrath, president of Glass Tech-nology Inc., a glass scratch-removalcompany in Durango, Colo. “For thepast 30 years, we have pushed awaydirty industries that no one wants todo, either because of environmentalreasons or the fact that those jobs aremanual labor and hard dirty work forlow pay. Well, over the same time pe-

riod there have been willing soulswho have capitalized on those oppor-tunities and now control the amountof product available to the entireglobe.” Those “willing souls” are theChinese, he says. “In controlling theamount of product that is available fordistribution you control the price.” Cerium supplies became critically

low in early 2011, says Steven White,product specialist at Salem Distribut-ing Co. in Salem, N.C. “China has steadily cut the export

of cerium oxide internationally about35 percent from 2010 levels, whichwere already 40 percent lower than in2009,” White says. “China is consoli-

ChemicalImbalance

Industry Ponders Cerium Oxide Shortage, Price Volatility by Sahely Mukerji

China has steadily cut the export of cerium oxide internationally about 35 percent from 2010 levels, which were already 40 percent lower than in 2009.

—Steven White, Salem Distributing Co.










Industry Ponders Cerium Oxide Shortage, Price Volatility

dating and closing mines and limitingthe mining, processing and theamounts allowed to ship out of thecountry, and has imposed a$100/kilogram export tax on purecerium.”In the middle of 2011, China dou-

bled its export quota, but includedmore materials in the quota system,White says. “This led to a calculateddecrease of 7 to 15 percent on rareearth material supply.”“Our suppliers indicate that the

Chinese reduced the amount of rareearth materials available for exportby 45 percent,” says Drew Mayberry,president of Lenoir Mirror inLenoir, N.C.China exported 11,000 metric tons

of rare earths through the first threequarters of 2011, according to a recentForbes article.The reason for China’s attempt to

close and consolidate mining opera-tions are reported publicly as “an en-vironmental concern,” White says.“However, Mr. Lin of the Rare EarthsSociety says: ‘Prices of gold, oil andother commodities are all high. Whyshould the cost of rare earths not behigh, too?’ [according to an article latelast year in the Financial Times].”“I don’t know if China actually re-

duced their output, but the simple factthat they made it very difficult to getcerium and the added export regula-tions created a waiting period thatmay have put certain cerium users ina very bad place,” Wanstrath says.“This environment allowed them toraise prices systematically. Amazinghow that works, that if you pay more

for something scarce, it suddenly be-comes available.” The Chinese will continue to influ-

ence the supply of the mineral in thenear future.“The general reports are that China

would eventually want to export zeroamounts of rare earths and protecttheir supply for their use only in thenext several years,” White says.

How the Shortage has Affected FabricationFabricators that need polished edges

and bevels are most affected by thisshortage, White says. “Shelving, tro-phies, storefronts and beveled mirrormanufacturers have all seen their fab-rication costs skyrocket due to the priceof cerium,” he says. “One customer hasreported that their cost per inch to fab-ricate on beveled mirror has doubleddue mainly to the 6 to 10 times increasein cerium prices. This is a result of asupply/demand increase, plus the in-crease due to the export taxes imposedby the Chinese government.“Many suppliers began an alloca-

tion process, which, in turn, forceddistributors like Salem Distributing toalso impose allocations,” White says.“Some companies purchased extra in-ventory in 2010, speculating thatcerium would be hard to get in 2011,and they were right. During the AsiaGames and the Chinese New Year, ex-ports from China were further hin-dered, resulting in many distributorsand manufacturers outside of Chinato run extremely low on cerium oxideraw material.”“As the price continued to rise, most

users began to look at how they usedcerium and made dramatic steps toreduce their consumption,” Whitesays. “For glass and glazing profes-sionals that meant: “1) reducing theconcentration of cerium in theirslurry tanks; 2) running the slurrieslonger prior to dumping their systemsfor clean up; 3) reducing spilling andmachine crossover which caused thecerium slurries to leak and to becomediluted with grinding water.” Like most folks using cerium in the

industry, Wanstrath has experiencedthe price volatility. “We experienced asteady and steep increase over thepast two plus years,” he says. “As a userand supplier of cerium, Glass Tech-nology had to get weekly price up-dates to make sure we were not sellingthe product below our new cost; thiscreated a very stressful relationshipbetween supplier and end users.”

The State of Global Cerium Supply According to recent reports, the

price of cerium and other rare earthselements are beginning to drop do-mestically in China, White says.“However, with the export tax, the in-ternational market doesn’t see thedramatic price drops,” he says. “It isrumored that the Baotou steel plant[in Baotou, Mongolia] shut down inNovember [2011], and their subse-quent buyout of large amounts of ma-terial from other producers in China,was an attempt to keep the prices ofrare earths high.”


Our suppliers indicate that the Chinese reduced the amount of rare earth materials available for export by 45 percent.

—Drew Mayberry, Lenoir Mirror









Despite unstable prices throughout2011, rare earths prices are expectedto stabilize some in 2012, according tothe Forbes article. The re-opening of a mine in Mountain

Pass, Calif., owned by Molycorp Inc., willbe a key factor in stabilizing prices in theU.S., Lenoir says. “While the Chinesesources will not be displaced completely,a new source domestically will relievethe constraint,” he says. The Molycorp mine shut down in

2002 because of competition fromcheaper Chinese suppliers, but resumedoperation in December 2010.Backed by $1 billion in private eq-

uity from Resource Capital Funds inDenver, Molycorp began selling rareearths in October 2011, and soon afterannounced third-quarter net incomeof $43.7 million, versus a loss of $10.1million a year earlier.The Australian mine of Lynas

Corp. is another source for rareearths elements, White says. “How-ever they are not scheduled to be atfull capacity until 2013,” he says.“Their primary goal will most likelybe to focus on the higher end rareearths, which can sell for 2-10 timeswhat cerium oxide sells for. Also, it isanticipated that they would only be

able to supply35 percent ofthe world’ssupply.” In other

words, anotherproduct mightbe needed totake the placeof ceriumuntil its sup-ply gets insync with itsdemand.

Handling the Cerium ShortageToday, “the overall supply of cerium

oxide has stabilized due to a decreasein demand worldwide,” White says. “Cerium is more readily available

today than it was six to nine monthsago,” Mayberry says.Wanstrath agrees. “It has been only

the past few months where we haveseen some relief.”Although the availability has im-

proved, the cost has not dropped. “Wehave responded by monitoring ourusage much more carefully than wehad in the past,” Mayberry adds. For now, cerium suppliers are ex-

ploring alternatives, such as ceriumimpregnated wheels and compoundsfor slurries that don’t contain ceriumoxide, White says. “The cerium im-pregnated wheels have been on themarket for many years, but (until re-cently) have not been able to gainoverwhelming market share due totheir difficulty in use and due to thefact that cerium oxide slurry pol-ishing quality is currently still thehighest,” he says. “The alternativecompounds so far can approachthe speed and quality of ceriumoxide, but the best materials costclose to what cerium can be ob-tained for.”

“Guardian Industries of AuburnHills, Mich., is working to ensure evengreater efficiencies in the use of currentmaterials, while also investigating vi-able alternatives to fit our manufactur-ing needs,” says Earnest Thompson,director of corporate marketing andbrand management. “The issue hasbeen on our radar for some time, so re-cent developments are not a surprise.” As for what the New Year will bring,

“I was unable to polish my crystal ballbecause of the cerium shortage, there-fore my forecast is a bit foggy,”Wanstrath says. “But there is a majorU.S. supplier of cerium in its raw formthat is scheduled to come online laterthis year, so it should help ease thepressure. However, the Chinese maystart to ease export restriction, thustaking some of the luster away from anew start-up anticipating high profitsfrom their new production facility. Letthe game continue.” White concludes: “We are all simply

holding our breath.” �

S a h e l y M u k e r j i is thenews editor of USGlass. Shecan be reached [email protected].

As a user and supplier of cerium, Glass Technology had to get weekly price

updates to make sure we were not selling the product below our new cost; this created a very stressful relationship between supplier and end users.

—Kerry Wanstrath, Glass Technology Inc.


Chemical Imbalancecontinued from page 35










It’s still a full week of in-depth glassdiscussions, and still a great placeto help create the resources used by

the glass industry and network withits experts, but more has changedthan just the name of the event for-merly known as “Glass Week.”

This year, the Glass Association ofNorth America (GANA) has slated itsannual conference for February 20-24, 2012, in sunny Sarasota, Fla. Allof its seven divisions have meetingsplanned at this event, along with itsvarious committees.

New this year is a separate EnergySession. In addition to presentationson “Requirements and Potential forWindows and Concentrating SolarPower Mirrors” and the “Future ofthe Solar Industry,” it will feature atabletop trade show to highlightproducts and services available inthe energy industry.

The GANA Towne Hall Meeting is newthis year as well. Based on member inputfrom recent surveys, board memberswill lead discussions on what is impor-tant to members, what the associationneeds to focus its time on and other newinitiatives that need to be considered.GANA hopes to collect comments frommembers to form the future of GANA.

In addition, sessions are slated to coveran overview and outlook for the glass in-dustry; background for understandingLEED and the IgCC code; the use of glassin solar energy applications, and the ef-fects of the ASCE 7 wind map changes.

Networking BaysideAfter a long day of committee sessions,

GANA provides plenty of opportunitiesfor networking and general R&R.

February 21 kicks off the conferencefor members new and old with a Wel-come Trivia Night Reception. Event or-ganizers advise that there’s no need toworry about gathering up your team,because you’ll become well acquaintedwith all members during a night of net-working and trivia. You’ll want to startbrushing up on your ASTM knowledge,as well as your pop culture expertise, tohelp your team win bragging rights.

The Wednesday, February 22, luau re-ception will have attendees walking intoa luau paradise surrounded by steeldrums, leis and freshly roasted pork.Enjoy a game of bocce ball and savor thewarm Florida weather poolside. And onThursday, February 23, event organizersare inviting GANA members to enjoy afinal night at a come-and-go reception atthe Boat House. Attendees can enjoy

cocktails and light appetizers on the baybefore preparing for the final day of theconference.

Rooms with a ViewThe host hotel, the Hyatt Regency

Sarasota, has recently benefited froma $22 million head-to-toe renovationdesigned to enhance the blend of bay-side location and pampering ameni-ties. All rooms have water view andWiFi access; what more could a busi-ness traveler want? Ah, yes: onsite vis-itors can find the hotel’s CurrentsRestaurant, overlooking the bay, withan innovative menu for breakfast,lunch and dinner. The Currents Barprovides a meeting place for cocktailsand conversation in a contemporary,recently updated waterfront lounge.And of course the Hurricane Hut al-lows guest to enjoy a tropical cocktailbeside the pool.

Stroll to town for the theater, shopsand sightseeing, spend your meetingbreaks at the beach, or head to St. Ar-mand's Circle, a unique island shoppingexperience, or Longboat Key, a beach-front destination just across the bay, alljust minutes from the hotel set in theheart of the Cultural District.

GANA Plans its Annual Conference in Sarasota, Fla.


GANA Expands Its Conference


GANA is gearing up for its annual conference with a full schedule of presentations, new activities and division meetings.










ANNUAL CONFE

REN

CE 201

2 PR

OGRAM

Monday, February 20, 20128-9 a.m. GANA Foundation Board of Directors (Closed)9-10:30 a.m. Centric Board of Directors (Closed)10:30 a.m.-2 p.m. GANA Board of Directors (Closed)2-5:30 p.m. Glazing Industry Code Committee (Closed)6-8 p.m. Past President’s Dinner (Invitation Only)

Tuesday, February 21, 2012 7 a.m.-5 p.m. Energy Tabletop Show7-9 a.m. Energy Division General Session7-8:15 a.m. Requirements & Potential for Windows and Concentrating Solar Power Mirrors

Speakers: Timothy Snow and Robert Tenet, National Renewable Laboratory8:15-9 a.m. Future of the Solar Industry

Speaker: Patrick Sargent, president of Corona Solar Group LLC9-11 a.m. Laminating Division Task Groups/Subcommittees/Committee Meetings11 a.m.-12 p.m. Protective Glazing Committee Meeting12-1:30 p.m. Luncheon Speaker: Effects of ASCE 7 Wind Map Changes

Speaker: Lucas A. Turner, PE1:30-2:30 p.m. Energy Division Meeting2:30-3:30 p.m. Laminating Division Meeting3:30-5:30 p.m. New Professionals Committee6-8 p.m. Welcome Trivia Night Reception

Wednesday, February 22, 2012 (Energy Session)7 a.m.-12 p.m. Energy Tabletop Show7-9 a.m. Mirror Division Task Groups/Subcommittees/Committee Meetings9-11 a.m. Decorative Division Task Groups/Subcommittees/Committee Meetings11 a.m.-12 p.m. Fire-Rated Glazing Council Meeting12-1:30 p.m. Luncheon Speaker: Use of Glass in Solar Energy Applications Now and in the Future

Speaker: Patrick Sargent, president of Corona Solar Group LLC1:30-2:30 p.m. Mirror Division Meeting2:30-3:30 p.m. Decorative Division Meeting3:30-5:30 p.m. Marketing Committee6-8:00 p.m. Luau Reception

Thursday, February 23, 20127-9 a.m. Insulating Division Task Groups/Subcommittees/Committee Meetings9 a.m.-12 p.m. Tempering Division Task Groups/Subcommittees/Committee Meetings12-1:30 p.m. Luncheon Speaker: Understanding LEED and the IgCC Code –

What will be Mandated by the Code?Speaker: Saulo Rozendo of Dow Corning Corp.

1:30-2:30 p.m. Insulating Division Meeting2:30-3:30 p.m. Tempering Division Meeting3:30-5:30 p.m. Flat Glass Manufacturing Division Meeting6-8 p.m. Reception

Friday, February 24, 20128-9 a.m. GANA Membership Breakfast Meeting9-10 a.m. GANA Towne Hall Meeting10-11 a.m. Overview and Outlook for the Commercial and Residential Glass Industry

Speaker: Michael E. Collins, managing director of Jordan, Knauff & Co.




www.usglassmag.com






James Wright, GCC James Wright, tech-

nical sales rep forGlass Coatings andConcepts (GCC) inMonroe, Ohio, first gotinvolved with GANAin 2009. GCC hasbeen a member since

2003, and has representatives involvedwithin the Tempering and DecorativeDivisions.

USG: What do you get out of yourmembership?

JW: We’re a member because we are asupplier to the glass fabricators, we sup-ply ceramic enamels for spandrel appli-cations and decorative glass. … We’reinvolved as much as we can because wewant to start on the ground level withindustry specifications and help outwhere we’re able to and where ourknowledge can help.

USG: What value have you gottenout of your membership so far?

JW: …The networking opportunitieshave been one of my favorite parts. Thepeople I get to interact with at GANAconferences are some of the technicalpeople within the organizations that Icall on, and I don’t get to see them whenI visit their locations. But at GANA[events], it gives me the opportunity tospeak with them and learn more tech-nically, about what their needs are andhow we can help.

USG: What projects are you lookingforward to working on in 2012?

JW: New this year at the annual con-ference, we have a New ProfessionalsCommittee. I’ve been working withAshley [Charest, account executive] andthe board members, and all are happy

that something like this is coming toGANA. Essentially it’s a committeethat’s being developed for memberswith five years or less experience in theindustry and in GANA.

What we hope [new members] will getout of it will be learning the parliamen-tary procedures that go on during com-mittee hearings; some of the acronyms(there’s a plethora of acronyms withinGANA that for new folks coming in canbe overwhelming); and then Kim Mannis going to speak to this group about theanti-trust rules…

This year it’s going to be open to allmembers to come in and learn moreabout the parliamentary procedures.Then the second half will be a closedsession to those committee membersthat fall within the five-year guideline… and it will be more of a town hallmeeting where we can ask questionsof experienced, veteran GANA mem-bers that we may not want to ask dur-ing committee sessions because wefeel shy or feel maybe this isn’t theright time to ask this question. Sohopefully we’ll get a lot of questionsanswered for some of the inexperi-enced GANA members.

USG: Any advice for people consid-ering getting involved with GANA?

JW: One thing that my generalmanager Jeff Nixon, who’s been at-tending GANA for a while, recom-mended to me when I first startedgoing is sitting in every meeting thatI can. I still try to do that even thoughit may not pertain to our company;it’s given me exposure to all the dif-ferent acronyms and parliamentaryprocedures—and everything thatGANA has to offer.

Mike Rupert, PPGMike Rupert, di-

rector of technicalservices for Pitts-burgh-based PPG In-dustries Inc., hasbeen a member ofGANA since 2004, al-though the company’s

involvement well precedes him. PPGis involved today in the Flat GlassManufacturing, Building EnvelopeContractors, Insulating, Temperingand Mirror Divisions.

USG: What projects are you lookingforward to in 2012?

MR: The one that personally I’m work-ing on, and I think the timing is good, isthe new glass informational bulletin on theproper applications for heat-treated glass.We assigned a task group to that at the fallmeeting, primarily to address those con-cerns that were raised within the temper-ing industry, if you will, regardingbreakage done in Texas and up in Toronto(see October 2011 USGlass, page 32). That’sgoing to be important. Our task groupmeets [soon] to review the first completeddraft of it. Hopefully by the annual confer-ence we’ll have made some progress. I’dlike to see it completed; I don’t know if we’llget everybody’s returned comments bythen, but I think it’s moving along quitenicely. I am looking forward to getting thatone completed.

USG: What is the most notable devel-opment you’ve seen in GANA duringyour involvement?

MR: … For me, without a doubt, thedocument on Construction Site Protectionand Maintenance of Architectural Glass.The content is good, but what’s reallyunique about that one is it was a collab-

GANA Expands Its Conferencecontinued from page 38

Member ReportLong-time and New GANA Members Share Reasons to Join

The Glass Association of North America (GANA) has a dedicated group of volunteer memberswho help craft resources for the industry at large. But these volunteers, whether they’ve servedfor decades or just a year or two, have plenty of reasons for being part of GANA year after year.










orative effort between GANA and the In-ternational Window Cleaning Associa-tion. That went from an adversarialrelationship to one of cooperation, and Isee that as a win-win too. To collaborateoutside of the association with another[group], I think is notable.

USG: What services do you take ad-vantage of the most?

MR: I’d say our company probably takesmost advantage of the technical docu-ments and publications. The manuals arefirst rate, they include a vast wealth of

knowledge that I think in this day and ageis particularly difficult for a single individ-ual to experience firsthand. So this is greatsources of information and we use thosequite a bit.

USG: Do you find it challenging tobalance GANA with work at PPG?

MR: That is a tough one at times, but Idon’t think so. If you look at all the mem-bers of GANA, we’re all in the business toserve our customers. That’s our job, that’swhat our companies pay us to do. But Ithink working collectively on industry is-

sues brings benefits to all our commoncustomers, as well as the stakeholders thatare out there, the architects, the code offi-cials, the developers. It’s all part of thesame job responsibilities, whether it’s di-rect customers of our companies orcustomers of the industry...

USG: Any advice for people consid-ering getting involved with GANA?

MR: ... The access to quality infor-mation and knowledgeable people faroutweighs the annual dues and timecommitment. It’s a great bargain. �

More Information?For more information about the GANA Annual

Conference, or to register, visitwww.glasswebsite.com.











During last year’s Vitrum, theinternationally known eventfor glass machinery (see De-

cember 2011 USGlass, page 64), thewhispered word on the trade showaisles was that there are two events in2012 that would be “must attends” forthe glass crowd. There’s glasstec, com-ing up October 23-26, in Düsseldorf,Germany, which has been known todraw upwards of 55,000 internationalattendees to see the latest in all thingsglass. The other event for industrymembers looking for something newis China Glass.The 23rd China International Glass

Industrial Technical Exhibition willbe held April 2-5, 2012, at the Shang-hai New International Expo Centre(SNIEC) in Shanghai. For years, ChinaGlass, organized by the Chinese Ce-ramic Society and co-organized bythe Shanghai Ceramic Society, has

been an event to attend to learn aboutlow-cost suppliers of glass products,machinery and tools. Now, suddenly,the growing trade show is the placewhere industry members from acrossthe world can go to learn about theproducts that will be in demand in theyear ahead. “China Glass has emerged to be a

major international show for Ed-getech over the past two to threeyears,” comments Ramsey Bader, di-rector of international sales and mar-keting for Houston-based QuanexBuilding Products.One reason is that the country’s

own demand for glass productioncontinues to grow significantly. “While most of the world is still in a

recession, Asia represents a high growthmarket for the glass industry,” com-ments Ken Wawrew, CEO of SynergXTechnologies Inc. The company, based

in Laval, Quebec, supplies inspectionsystems for the solar, architectural andautomotive glass industries. The networking opportunities pro-

vided by this venue on the other sideof the globe are also among the chiefreasons to attend, exhibitors say. “By participating in China Glass in

2011 we had the opportunity to meetmany existing customers as well as anumber of potential new customersover the course of the exhibition,”Wawrew says. “China Glass 2012 is avery important event to us and we aresure that our attendance will begreatly beneficial in reaching newAsian customers.”“China Glass is an excellent oppor-

tunity to connect with customersfrom all over Asia, including Japan,Korea and Southeast Asia, as well ascustomers from Australia and NewZealand. We have also seen solid at-tendance from Middle Eastern andEastern European customers. TheChina Glass show also draws atten-dance from Latin America and, to alesser degree, North Americanclients. In short, it has been a greatopportunity to meet potential cus-tomers from various world regions,”Bader says. He adds, “We are alsostaying the course in developingbusiness opportunities in the localChinese market and the China Glassshow is a very important event toconnect with reputable Chinese insu-lating glass producers.”

The Far East BecomesMore Central to theGlass Industry

A Preview of the 23rd

China Glass

Phot

os: T

echn

ofor

m

More glass professionals find China Glass to be an important event forglobal networking.





http://www.usglassmag.com/digital/2011/Dec2011.pdf#page=66






Planning to AttendThe 2011 event in Shanghai fea-

tured 766 exhibitors from 26 coun-tries; 205 of them were internationalexhibitors. A total of 28,440 profes-sional visitors from across the globeattended the event over the course ofits four days.According to show organizers, a va-

riety of products will be on displaythis year ranging from architecturaland decorative glass to auto and in-dustrial glass, hollow glassware andglass containers, electric lightingglass and other special glass, as wellas fenestration and hardware fittings.Attendees will be able to find infor-mation on various production linesand machines for float and containerglass, from annealing and decoratinglehrs to flat glass washing, cutting,edging, beveling machines and in-spection systems; also on tap areproducts for fabricating all mannerof glass products. Solar glass also promises to be on

display; not surprisingly since recentstatistics indicate the majority of

standard solar glass production todayis based in China. China Glass organ-izers say they’ll be spotlighting pho-tovoltaic (PV) glass and machines,solar PVB thin film for PV glass, PVmodules, photo-active coatings, au-toclave systems, thin film cell tech-nology, crystalline cell moduletechnology, and measuring and test-ing technology.

North American Exhibitors*

• Eclipse Inc.,www.eclipsenet.com

• Edgetech I.G. Inc., A Division ofQuanex Engineered Products,www.edgetechig.com

• Fletcher-Terry Co.,www.fletcherviscom.com

• Frazier Simplex Inc., www.frazier-simplex.com

• Glassline Corp.,www.glassline.com

• Glasstech Inc.,www.glasstech.com

• Henry F. Teichmann Inc./PPG,www.hft.com

• Merkle International Inc.,www.merkleintl.com

• Pyrotek Inc., www.pyrotek.info• Ramsey Products Corp.,www.ramseychain.com

• Sputtering Components Inc.,www.sputteringcomponents.com

• Strutz International Inc., A Division of Carl Strutz & Co.,www.strutz.com

• SynergX Technologies Inc.,www.synergx.ca

• Toledo Engineering Co. Inc.,www.teco.com

*List tentative

Seeing Shanghai’s SightsWhen not at the trade show, we have a few suggestions for how to make

the most of your trip to what is described as China’s most “cosmopolitan” city. • Stroll along the Bund (also known as Zhongshan Road), Shanghai’s most fa-mous landmark. This path along the Huangpu River will take you past a num-ber of the city’s architectural highlights;

• Visit the observation deck on the 88th floor of the Jin Mao Tower, the tallestbuilding in Shanghai, for views of the sprawling city;

• Check out the bargains along Nanjing Road, one of the most popular shop-ping streets in a city known as a “shopper’s paradise;” or

• Get out of the congested shopping hubs by taking a walking tour of the sce-nic and historic French Concession district. As far as getting around town, five subway lines operate around the city. Ac-

cording to About.com, stations and exits are labeled in English and Chinese. Ifopting to travel by taxi, be sure to have your hotel or destination card with theaddress in Chinese with you. The Shanghai New International Expo Centre (SNIEC) is strategically located

near the Longyang Rd subway station and only a 7 minute ride by Meglev trainfrom Shanghai Pudong International airport. Event attendees can take SubwayLine 7 and get off at the SNIEC terminal station or take Subway Line 2 and getoff at Longyanglu station near SNIEC. �

Register for China GlassFor more information on, or to

register for, China Glass 2012, visitwww.chinaglass-expo.com.

In 2011, 28,440 attendees visitedChina Glass and a similar number isexpected at this year’s event inShanghai.




http://www.eclipsenet.com

http://www.edgetechig.com

http://www.fletcherviscom.com

http://www.frazier-simplex.com

http://www.glassline.com

http://www.glasstech.com

http://www.hft.com

http://www.merkleintl.com

http://www.pyrotek.info

http://www.ramseychain.com

http://www.sputteringcomponents.com

http://www.strutz.com

http://www.synergx.ca

http://www.teco.com

http://www.chinaglass-expo.com






The American Archi-tectural Manufac-turers Association

(AAMA) is celebrating its75th anniversary at its up-coming annual conference(see “AAMA’s Diamond Ju-bilee,” page 45). RichWalker, president and CEO of AAMA,talked with USGlass about how the as-sociation has changed over 75 yearsand how it continues to work to changethe industry. USG: Can you describe how AAMA

and its mission have evolved since itsfounding? RW: Since 1936, AAMA has stood as a

strong advocate for manufacturers andprofessionals in the fenestration indus-try, dedicated to the promotion of qualitywindow, door, curtainwall, storefront andskylight products. This mission has beenvalidated several times over the years bythe board of director’s strategic planningcommittee. New frame materials and

market growth are the basis for the evo-lution of AAMA over the past 75 years. USG: How has AAMA helped

change the glass and fenestration in-dustry in 75 years?RW: It’s developed and updated per-

formance specifications and test meth-ods referenced in many national andstate building codes, leading to higherperforming products and a level playingfield, and making it more difficult forsubstandard products and imports tocompete in the U.S.AAMA’s promoted the acceptance of

new materials, technologies and prod-ucts—vinyl, fiberglass, insulatingglass. This translated into improve-ments in energy efficiency, windowsafety and durability.It’s provided support at the Interna-

tional Code Council and its regionalprecursor code organizations, ensuringthat the regulatory environment did notdiscriminate against a material norfavor other energy saving building

products at the expense of windows. AAMA also continuously monitors

and reports on national and state leg-islative and regulatory developments. Itensures that the collective voice of thefenestration industry is heard in themost influential regulatory arenas,committees and agencies (Environ-mental Protection Agency, Office ofManagement and Budget, and Waysand Means Committee). AAMA began offering the original

third-party product certification pro-gram over 40 years ago to provide man-ufacturers with the means toindependently demonstrate product per-formance to their customers via theAAMA Certification Label. During the upcoming Annual Confer-

ence, AAMA is finalizing its Green Prod-uct Certification Program—furtherevidence of our commitment to meetingtoday’s market demands.Finally, AAMA’s provided statistical

reports and AIA learning unit courses


AAMA EvolvesThe American Architectural Manufacturers Association

Commemorates 75 Years

AAMA’s 75 Years1936 – Began as the Non-ferrous Metal WindowInstitute (NFMWI).1945 – Reorganized after World War II to be-come the American Window Manufacturers Asso-ciation (AWMA).1950 – AWMA merged with the Aluminum Win-dow Institute (AWI), further unifying the industry.Separate specifications were developed for resi-dential and architectural windows. These specifi-cations served as the basis for the productcertification program.1960 – AWMA began working with the slidingglass door and window institute (SGD/WI). Per-formance specification were developed for slidingglass patio doors.

1972 – ANSI granted accreditation to AWMA’sCertification Program. The first third party U.S.window certification program was certified byANSI. 1978 – The Skylights and Space Enclosures Di-vision was formed.1980– AWMA absorbed Associated CertificationInc. (ACI) and formed the Manufactured HousingComponents Division.1984 – AAMA amended its charter to bring inframe materials other than aluminum. The VinylWindow and Door Division was formed, and thecurrent acronym for AAMA adopted.










that equip customers, code officialsand architects to make informed de-cisions about product performanceand application. USG: How does glass factor into

AAMA’s work? RW: Glass is an extremely important

component of the majority of fenestra-tion products. AAMA’s Glass MaterialCouncil works to provide technical, regu-latory, legislative, marketing and certifi-cation support to AAMA membershipensuring appropriate standards are es-tablished and maintained.The Council provides a vital com-

munication link with other glass tradeassociations. Most recently, AAMA haspartnered with both the InsulatingGlass Manufacturers Alliance and theGlass Association of North America tosupport important code revisions andconduct important glass dependentresearch (i.e. thermal stress and gaspermeability).USG: How does AAMA resolve ten-

sions among building productgroups—specifically wood, vinyl andaluminum windows? RW: As a longstanding material-neu-

tral organization, AAMA promotes thebenefits of all materials used to buildwindows, doors and skylights. The key topeaceful co-existence is the emphasis onand recognition of the vast majority of is-sues that all members agree upon. In ad-dition, there are procedural safeguardsand equal representation in key groupsthat prevent stacking the deck by a par-ticular group of members. A super ma-jority voting procedure is an example.Our marketing policies require positiveproduct promotion only—underminingcompeting materials is not permitted inall AAMA activities.

AAMA’s Diamond Jubilee AAMA is celebrating its diamond anniversary at this year’s annual conference,

taking place February 26-29 at the Naples Grande in Naples, Fla. In addition toa full schedule of meetings, presentations and networking events, the meeting willcommemorate the 75 years that have passed since AAMA’s founding and honorthose whose leadership and contributions have brought the association to whereit is today. Among the conference highlights is a planned keynote speech by former Navy

Seal, Rhodes Scholar, humanitarian and national champion boxer, Eric Greitens.Greitens is also the founder of the Center for Citizen Leadership. He addressesa broad range of subjects important to today’s companies, including leadershipand social responsibility, the next generation of American leadership, and serv-ice and the humanitarian ethic.

Making a difference will be something of a theme at this event. During the an-nual awards banquet and reception diamond jubilee, outstanding memberaward winners will be recognized for their contributions to AAMA’s progress.Later, Mary Garcia, corporate relations director of World Vision, will present theFourth Annual World Vision Fenestration Humanitarian Award. The 2011 awardwill be given to an AAMA partner that has shown a sincere dedication to helpothers, and a commitment to invest with World Vision, to make a transforma-tional difference across the U.S. Of course, AAMA members will be working to make a difference through reg-

ular committee meetings, as well. Among other activities, the FenestrationMasters Development Task Group will

meet to discuss the progress of the FenestrationMasters training program, in-cluding certification exam details. This initiative covers every aspect of the fenes-tration industry, so all members are encouraged to participate. The AluminumMaterial Council will have a special presentation on “New Structure and Proce-dure in the Qualicoat Organization/Results of Studies and Researches.” It will focuson the different standards and testing procedures that Qualicoat enforces for var-ious types of environments; standard quality specifications and tests for difficultenvironments such as coastal areas; marine grade type finishes and tests; andnew projects and initiatives. The Alternative Accelerated Weathering Task Groupwillhear a presentation where members can learn about and discuss unknown vari-ables and other phenomena. Topics will include the benefits of acceleratedweather testing, common equipment used to accelerate exposures, fluorescentand ultraviolet lamps, science and fundamentals of accelerated weathering andcorrelations between accelerated testing and actual outdoor exposure.From the opening general session, where important conference topics and new

developments within the association and the industry will be introduced, to theclosing session, with its reports of all conference activities within each council,members will be hard at work at developing future resources for the industry. For more information about the conference, and to register, visit www.aamanet.org.





http://www.aamanet.org







AAMA suppliers also play a key role inmitigating conflict. With equal votingprivileges, AAMA supplier membersoften serve different material marketsand therefore have common interests inboth the residential and commercialmarket segments. Suppliers facilitatecompromise and help forge workable so-lutions on controversial code and prod-uct performance issues. The inevitable differences arise. Rep-

resenting such a vast selection of buildingproduct groups can lead to interestingdebates but, in the end, it leads to betterstandards, better literature, better prod-ucts and a stronger voice.

USG: What is one program/docu-ment/practice AAMA has put in placethat you feel everyone in the industryshould know? RW: 101/I.S. 2/A440 – NAFS [North

American Fenestration Standard/Speci-fication for Windows, Doors, and UnitSkylights] is performance-based andmaterial-neutral. It’s the industry’s flag-ship document.USG: When AAMA is celebrating its

100th anniversary, what do you hopethe group will be working on? RW: A number of things:

• Safety-related codes and standards,and AAMA’s members’ contributions

to protecting occupants from both nat-ural disasters like hurricanes, tornadosand earthquakes and other safety/se-curity hazards like bullets, bombs andradio frequency interference.

• The diversity and depth of the industry,and AAMA’s contribution to educatingand mentoring the next generation ofknowledgeable industry leaders.

• The global marketplace, and AAMA’smembers’ contributions to a strongerU.S. economy through a solid manu-facturing base that supports good busi-ness practices at home and abroad.

• The promotion of windows as appli-ances—functioning as large monitors

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Engineers and Pioneers

AAMA Evolvescontinued from page 45










for computers and televisions or repli-cators of outside scenic vistas such asbeaches and mountains.

• Surfaces that adapt to the environ-ment, and the prevalent use of elec-trochromics that will regulate sunlightand provide privacy.

• Nanotechnology that enables afford-able fenestration to be more energy-ef-ficient than the walls that surround it.USG: Your keynote speaker will talk

about “inspired leadership throughchallenging times.” Can you share howsome of the earlier leaders of AAMAhave impacted the organization andthe industry? RW: In 1994, AAMA reorganized to

better accommodate the materials neu-tral position, while at the same time al-lowing isolated forums to addressmaterials specific issues. Sigi Valentin,Georges Thiret and Chuck Gildermanspent countless hours developing aunique structure to maintain balanceand allow AAMA to accommodate newregional and market growth. Thisstructure has served AAMA well, asborne out in the increases in member-ship since 1994.One of our honorary members, Lyon

Evans, just passed away in early De-cember at the age of 93 (see page 54).He was extremely influential toAAMA’s beginnings. Sixty-five yearsago, Lyon helped form and was the keytechnical member of the then “new as-sociation,” the Architectural Alu-minum Manufacturers Association.USG: AAMA has met at some excit-

ing destinations. What is one confer-ence that stands out in your memoryas being particularly remarkable? RW: Our 70th Annual Conference at

Marco Island, Fla. With many past presi-dents in attendance, it was made specialby the attendees rather than the venue! �

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W ith architects, designers andartists increasingly lookingfor ways to make their proj-

ects truly unique, technologies that in-volve printing on glass have fast becomeone popular way of doing just that.Whether printing directly onto glass oronto an interlayer material, it’s possibleto literally put anything on glass, fromlogos to photographs to so much more.

TruDeco (formerly Arch Deco Glass) inColumbus, Ohio, is one glass fabricator in-volved with processes that incorporate im-agery into glass. In fact, TruDeco has beendoing so since 2007. Over the years thecompany has been involved in projectsranging from airports to public displays,such as Heroes Plaza in Tampa, Fla., forwhich the company provided decorativelyprinted art glass for the area memorial.

Heroes Plaza opened September 11,2009, in recognition of those honor vet-erans serving in not only wars, but alsoas police, fire and emergency responders,who lost their lives in the line of duty.Residents who visit the plaza can readthe names of the community’s fallen he-roes etched on monuments, and also“appreciate artwork commissioned torepresent the danger that our soldiers,police, deputies and firefighters faceevery day,” according to informationfrom Hillsborough County.

TruDeco fabricated nine panels, each15 square feet in size and each with itsVisual product. The finished displayfeatures a unique, full color, customprinted image on film and laminatedwithin the glass. The application alsoincludes a two-color ceramic frit ap-plied to the upper portion of the glass.

“We began working on the projectabout six months prior to the install date,but the actual fabrication process wasless than two weeks,” says Dwight Flem-ing, Visual director for TruDeco. �

E l l e n R o g e r s is acontributing editor forUSGlass magazine andeditor of DecorativeGlass magazine.

In addition to the art display in Heroes Plaza, the nine art glasspanels also have LED lights at their bases so they can be observedat night. Ashe Glass & Mirror in Tampa, Fla., installed the glass andwas also involved in making sure the LED lights worked properly.

Ashe Glass & Mirror installed the panels September 10, 2009, the daybefore the dedication ceremonies. The panels are made up of twopieces of 3⁄8-inch low-iron, tempered glass and polished edges. Theycan be viewed and read from both sides.

A special section ofUSGlass magazine

Decorative Glass™

A LastingImpressionPrinting Technologies Create a Glass Memorial for Tampa Heroesby Ellen Rogers





http://www.decorativeglassmag.com





ShowCase

glassNew Retailer Kit Highlights ClarvistaPPG Industries has intro-

duced a sample kit for showerglass retailers and kitchen andbath designers to demonstratethe clarity and durability ofClarvista shower glass com-pared to conventional un-coated shower glass.The kits show a single pane

of shower glass after exposureto 1,000 continuous hours of140 degree Fahrenheit and 95 percent rel-ative humidity. The uncoated half of theshower glass displays extensive corrosion.The half made with Clarvista glass main-

tains its original clear appearance andshows no signs of corrosion.Clarvista shower glass is made with

a proprietary coating that seals the

glass surface, making it more resistantto corrosion caused by heat, humidity,soap and chemicals in householdcleaning products. �� www.ppgclarvista.com

Guardian Debuts SunGuard SNR 43 Guardian has introduced Sun-

Guard SNR 43, a new glass coatingfor commercial applications that of-fers a high light to solar gain ratioand low solar heat gain coefficient(SHGC).SNR 43 joins

the manufac-turer’s otherSunGuard ad-vanced archi-tectural glassproducts thatimprove energy performance andhelp projects achieve LEED qualifi-cations. It features a visible lighttransmission of 43 percent and ex-cellent solar control; its SHGC is just0.23 on clear float glass.The coating lets in plenty of light and

the low SHGC meets the latest energycode standards. SNR 43 is available onfive float glass substrates: Clear, Ultra-White low-iron, CrystalGray, Green andTwilightGreen.�� www.guardian.com

fire-rated glassMcGrory Expands FireLite OfferingsMcGrory Glass has expanded its

East Coast cutting and shipping serv-ices to handle the full line of FireLitefire-rated materials. These productsinclude FireLite, FireLite NT and Fire-Lite Plus. McGrory has been an au-thorized distributor for TechnicalGlass Products for the last 10 years.Company representatives report thattheir extensive inventory of the fullrange of FireLite materials enablethem to produce cut and labeled Fire-Lite glass in a matter of a few days.�� www.mcgrory.com


on displayQuanex to Display at China GlassAt China Glass, attendees will have an

opportunity to speak with experts fromEdgetech and Truseal, divisions ofQuanex Building Products, to learn moreabout automated equipment options andease-of-use in the insulating glass manu-facturing process, even when workingwith complex shapes or curved glass. Thecompany offers single and dual sealspacer options for both commercial andresidential applications.Super Spacer TriSeal is a flexible, silicone

foam, warm-edge spacer designed to satisfy thetoughest commercial glazing demands, including sil-icone structural glazing.Additionally, Edgetech is a global representative for Sparklike Ltd. of Finland

and will feature its technologies at its booth.�� www.quanex.com

SynergX Prepares China Glass Inspection OfferingsSynergX will display its Glass Scan Series of automated inspection products

for glass processing. The Glass Scan Series regroup in-line inspection andmeasurement systems specifically designed and built to optimize the glass fab-rication processes. In addition, the company will officially launch its new system,DIMX, a new in-line metrology system permitting complete dimensional meas-urement of glass with an accuracy of 100 microns. Combined with the com-pany’s grinding edge inspection system, DIMX is a solution for glass processorsto control in real time their curing and grinding processes.�� www.synergx.ca

For more on China Glass, turn to page 42.




http://www.ppgclarvista.com

http://www.guardian.com



http://www.quanex.com

http://www.synergx.ca





interlayersCurbell Authorized as SentryGlas SupplierCurbell Plastics Inc. is now author-

ized by DuPont Glass Laminating Solu-tions as a SentryGlas Quick Shipsupplier for North America. SentryGlas, a structural interlayer

manufactured by DuPont, is strongerand more rigid than conventional lam-inating materials, and allows glass toserve as a more active structural ele-ment in minimally supported glass ap-plications, such as façades, canopiesand railings. The Quick Ship program was de-

signed to get common sizes and mate-rial configurations to customers moreefficiently. At present, Curbell will offer60 and 90 mil SentryGlas interlayersheets, cut to size, in rectangular sizesup to 72 by 120 inches. �� www.curbellplastics.com

hardwareBEA Electric Strikes Increase Access Control

BEA’s new line of electric strikes forsecure doors was designed to improveuser control over granting access per-missions. The Rim Exit, No Cut andUniversal Cylindrical strikes are de-signed to work in a wide variety of ap-plications, allowing remote operationof the door’s locking latch.The Rim Exit surface mounted elec-

tric strike eliminates door frame cut-ting and is compatible with mostdoors using major rim exit devices.The No Cut cylindrical strike fits intoa standard ANSI door frame, and

works with all cylindrical lock brandswith a ½-inch latch projection. TheUniversal Cylindrical strike is an all-in-one kit that includes the three mostcommonly used modular face platesfor hollow metal, aluminum andwooden door frame types.BEA’s electric strikes are designed

to promote even load distribution in

the event of a forced entry. Eachmodel is UL/ULC listed for up to1,500 pounds of static strength andincludes a reinforced housing to elim-inate twisting in case of imperfectdoor frames. �� www.beasensors.com


personal protective equipment Get a Grip with Marless Gloves

Marless gloves from Banom aredesigned for use in handling rawglass panels that will later becoated with other materials. A spe-cial palm coating resists leavingany trace elements on sheet glassthat could later cause a defectwhen low-E or mirrored coatingsare applied. According to the man-ufacturer, the gloves’ tacky gripprovides positive surface contactin order to keep glass edges frommoving during the handlingprocess. The MaxPly Dyneema fab-ric provides cut-resistance andmakes these gloves cool and com-fortable to wear.�� www.banom.com

Intertex Keeps Protection Comfortable In partnership with textile manufacturer Norfab Corp.,

Intertex Textiles Inc. is offering new lightweightKevlar/Aramid fabrics in its apparel lineup, meeting ASTMcut level ratings up to level 4. The Cut Pro fabrics have beenengineered with very fine stainless wire inserted into theKevlar fabric weave, which dramatically increases the cutlevel, as well as the puncture and abrasion resistance, ac-cording to the manufacturer. These new lightweight fabricsrepresent a shift away from the traditional heavier metaleyeleted garments, while still offering high levels of cut re-sistance and increased comfort. �� www.intertex.ca

PPSS Helps Reduce Injury Risks PPSS Group provides cut-resistant clothing for flat glass, sheet metal and

other industries, using 100 percent Cut-Tex PRO, a high performance cut-re-sistant fabric developed by the company. Cut-Tex PRO is manufactured at aISO 9001:2008 quality standard certified plant in the UK. Cut-Tex PRO can ef-fectively reduce the risk of cut related injuries at work.�� www.ppss-group.com





http://www.curbellplastics.com

http://www.beasensors.com


http://www.banom.com

http://www.intertex.ca

http://www.ppss-group.com





ShowCasecontinued

louvers and sunshadesKawneer Adds Versatilityto Versoleil SunShades

Kawneer Co. Inc., an Alcoa busi-ness, has expanded its Versoleil Sun-Shade platform. First introduced in asingle blade system for curtainwall,Versoleil options now include outrig-ger for curtainwall and storefront, aswell as single blade for storefront. Pre-engineered for multiple cur-

tainwall and storefront systems, thesunshades incorporate easily into anybuilding envelope. Engineering ofcommon parts and pieces allows foreasy fabrication and installation whilea uniform attachment approach allowscustomers to quickly gain familiaritywith installation practices regardlessof system. �� www.kawneer.com

BIMNew BIM Models Availablefrom Major Industries Major Industries has released BIM

product models for its Guardian 275line of translucent panel skylights andwall systems. The product models fea-ture small file sizes. The models arecurrently available for download fromthe BIM page on Major Industries’website.BIM content is available for all of

the company’s most common skylightconfigurations, as well as both win-dow and curtainwall options to ac-commodate a wider range of users.�� www.majorskylights.com/tech-nical/bim.php �


material handlingA Hero in Glass Transportation

MyGlassTruck.com has releasedthe Hero, an enclosed glass carriertruck body that’s available in 12-,14- and 16-foot lengths. Engi-neered for maximum strength andminimal weight, company repre-sentatives say the Hero offers bet-ter fuel economy and more payloadcapacity than bodies constructed

of heavier materials riding on the same chassis. Its efficient design utilizes T6aluminum glass racks as part of a robust frame that supports the body’s .060aluminum wall panels. As standard equipment, each side of the Hero body features full glass rack

coverage and floor-to-ceiling racks can be installed into both sides of the inte-rior. A translucent roof lets the light in for visibility during loading and the floorhas a non-slip surface for traction. The body utilizes a full LED lighting systemwith sealed wire harnesses and reflective tape around the bottom ledge. Eas-ily removable skirts provide access to the rear wheels for tire changes andmaintenance. Lockable, double rear doors with anti-rack hardware offer a wideopening to load through and the cargo bay may be accessed via a rear step-bumper and two stainless steel fold-down steps and/or an optional roll-outwalk ramp that self-stores beneath the floor. �� www.myglasstruck.com

Wood’s Powr-Grip Adds Purpose with New LifterThe MRTALPR4 series vacuum lifters from

Wood’s Powr-Grip feature flexible vacuumpads, movable pad mounts and adjustableT-arms to accommodate a wide variety ofglass and metal panel sizes and contours. The lifters are available in two basic con-

figurations. FS625DC comes outfitted withfour oval pads to enable use on architecturalpanels with regularly spaced ridges or cur-tainwall sections with mullions or similar ob-structions. HV11FDC sports four round padsequipped for lifting flat materials such aslow-relief metal panels, glass and stone.The vacuum lifters come standard with a

high-flow pump and vacuum blow-off forrapid attachment and controlled, hands-free release. The dual vacuum system pre-vents load damage and injury bymaintaining vacuum in one circuit even ifthe other were to experience a leak. An ad-justable-position lift spool provides threedifferent lift points to optimize the lifters’hang angle, making repetitive materialplacement quick and easy.�� www.powrgrip.com




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vant, timely, and most of all … andherein is the really hard part for me… serious! So with all of this in mind, I set out

to write a column that would dealwith some of the issues currentlyplaguing us and to offer up perhapsmy opinion on the situation and, moreimportantly, perhaps even suggest ac-tions that could be taken to correctthem. So I started reading everynewspaper I could get my hands onand became an ardent viewer of all ofthe trendy news journalists that pon-tificate on nightly television. I evensought out and carefully reviewed thecommentaries and plans being ban-tered about by the various politicalcandidates of the moment. I hoped fora clue, a path or a direction to pursuein my quest to come up with a simpleyet meaningful suggested solution tosome of our current problems. In these times, it seems to me that

everyone feels that they are entitledto anything and everything that any-one else has; not because they’veearned it, but simply because theywant it. I have noticed in particularthat media advertising … perhapsthe truest indicator of where societyis headed … has particularly capital-ized on the concept of entitlement.Specifically, I hear the term “you de-serve it” used in all kinds of advertis-ing these days. Listen for yourself andsee how many times this term isused, whether it’s for a new car, a va-cation, a bigger home or a legal claimfor compensation due to a rare dis-ease you didn’t even know you haduntil some law firm told you that theywould get you the money you deservefor all of your heartache and suffer-ing. Whether you actually have expe-rienced any heartache and sufferingis irrelevant of course because youcould have suffered and, by golly, youdeserve whatever anyone else is get-ting anyway!It’s all gotten a little crazy. A couple

of weeks ago in downstate Illinois a

woman claiming to represent an ani-mal rights group petitioned the stateof Illinois to place a highway memo-rial sign marker at the location wherea small group of chickens that had es-caped from a farm had been run overand killed by a delivery truck. Herclaim was that the chickens werekilled in a cruel and inhumane fash-ion and they deserved a memorial intheir honor. Now stop and think for amoment about how the world workstoday and don’t be surprised if thetruck driver sues the farmer for let-ting the chickens mess up his truckand causing many traumatized andsleepless nights due to the event, andalso don’t be surprised if the farmersues the truck driver for not stoppingto allow safe passage for his escapedchickens. After all, didn’t they all de-serve something better than whatthey got? Almost every time I pick up a paper

there is yet another program beingannounced that is being put in placeto right the ills of society and makeour country a better place. Thinkabout it … fast starts, tarps, bailouts,handouts, government backed thisand government paid for that … itgoes on and on yet we seem to neversee any meaningful improvement. Iam convinced that common sense,pragmatism and rational thinkinghave abandoned us and our leadersare clueless. Hey, we deserve better,don’t we? So it was that after much read-

ing, listening, watching, and think-ing that I reached the sadconclusion that there is nothing Ican say that would have any signif-icance whatsoever relative to thedilemma that we find ourselves inat the present time. You see, I reallyam better at silly than at seriousand some days I am really not allthat good at either. Alas, I becamequite discouraged and decided thatno one had the answer and that,even if they did, they would most

likely want a lot of money for it. So therewould be no insight, no answers, nowords of advice, nothing of any conse-quence whatsoever from me. But then something unforeseen

happened. While tearing throughsome old files in search of records thatthe IRS felt were more important thanI did, I found an old clipping that Ihad filed away many, many years agoand, to my total delight, it said mostof the things I wanted to say but wasnot eloquent enough to do. It is notedas being part of a speech given byAbraham Lincoln and the thoughtsexpressed are as timely and meaning-ful today as they ever were:• “You cannot bring about prosper-

ity by discouraging thrift.• You cannot strengthen the weak

by weakening the strong.• You cannot help the wage earner

by pulling down the wage payer.• You cannot help the brotherhood of

man by encouraging class hatred.• You cannot help the poor by de-

stroying the rich.• You cannot keep out of trouble by

spending more than you earn.• You cannot build character and

courage by taking away a man’sindependence.

• You cannot help men perma-nently by doing for them whatthey could and should do forthemselves.”Timeless … priceless. Thank you

Mr. Abraham Lincoln! �

theBusinesscontinued from page 64

L y l e R . H i l l is themanaging director of KeytechNorth America, a companyproviding research andtechnical services for theglass and metal industry. Hill

has more than 40 years experience in theglass and metal industry and can bereached at [email protected]. You can readhis blog on Wednesdays atlyleblog.usglassmag.com.










NewsMakers

new hiresDavid Draper has been named chief

operating officer of Binswanger Glass, andwill now oversee the day-to-day opera-tions of Binswanger. Arturo Carrillo, Bin-swanger’s president and chief executiveofficer, is leaving the company to join itsnew owner, Grey Mountain Partners (seepage 10 for more). Draper previously hadserved as director of strategic planning atRobbins LLC (a Grey Mountain Partnersaffiliate company) and has also held a su-pervisory role at the Owens Corning OEMSolutions Group for several years.

Viracon in Owatonna,Minn., has a new directorof marketing and productmanagement, KevinAnez. With 19 years of ex-perience in the buildingmaterials industry, Anezcomes to Viracon fromAndersen Window Corp.,where he was a product

marketing manager. Previ-ously, he was an adjunctprofessor in marketing atDunwoody College ofTechnology in Minneapo-lis. In addition, the com-pany has promoted AlissaSchmidt to architecturaldesign department man-

ager. Schmidt has worked at Viracon since2005, most recently as an architectural de-sign associate. In her new role, Schmidtwill lead the architectural design depart-ment’s focus on providing design assis-tance to architects.

Direct Metals Co. LLC, aKennesaw, Ga.-based dis-tributor of specialty metalproducts, has added to itssales team. Chad Du-biski previously workedas a senior businessprocess consultant forE p i c o r .Also new

is Jorge Reyes, who willquote both custom andstock items of bar grating,perforated metal, wiremesh, expanded metal,safety grating and fiber-glass grating.

Shawn Hannux has joined ErdmanAutomation Corp. as an insulating glass(IG) process specialist and will focus onexpanding the Erdman IG equipment ap-plications for commercial and residentialoperations throughout North America.Most recently, Hannux worked as productsales specialist for Quanex EngineeredProducts Group’s IG Systems division.

promotions Tom Howhannesian

has been promoted topresident of HeinamanContract Glazing. He pre-viously has served aschief financial officer, andas vice president of oper-ations - California andvice president of businessdevelopment.

Mark Liston has beenpromoted to president ofGlass Doctor, following theresignation of formerpresident Mark Dawson.Liston has been in the roleof vice president at GlassDoctor for the past twoyears andhas more

than 30 years of franchis-ing management experi-ence. He previouslyworked for ClockworkHome Services as vicepresident of sales andmarketing and at Valpakas director of new fran-chise development. Filling the role of vicepresident of operations is Michael Gai.Gai has been the director of national ac-count services for the past year. Before that,he owned the Glass Doctor of King andPierce Counties franchise in Seattle forseven years.

Officials at HartungGlass Industries (HGI) ofSeattle have promotedKirk Johnson to directorof sales. He joined thecompany in September2011 as regional salesmanager. A 16-year vet-eran of the industry, John-son has experience in the

South and West. Johnson worked with theformer Vitro America for more than 10years and, before that, with Arch Alu-minum and Glass for five years. �


obituaries Lyon Evans Passes AwayLyon D. Evans of Wausau, Wis., an honorary member of the Architectural Alu-

minum Manufactures Association (AAMA), passed away on December 8, 2011,at the age of 93.Evans was born October 31, 1918, in New York. He graduated from Colgate

University in 1940 with a degree in architecture.More than 65 years ago, Lyon helped form and was the key technical mem-

ber of the then “new association,” AAMA. In 1957, he joined Hope’s Windowsof Jamestown, N.Y., and worked there until 1975, when he moved to Wausau.He became vice president of design engineering and research with the formerWausau Metals (now Wausau Window and Wall Systems).“I am thankful and privileged to have had the opportunity to work with Lyon

during my tenure at Wausau Metals,” says Ken Brenden, AAMA technical serv-ices manager. “The library of ‘Technical Bulletins’ he wrote between 1976 and1978 served as the foundation blocks for my fenestration education.” Lyon was inducted as an AAMA Honorary Member on May 2, 1989.

Kevin Anez

AlissaSchmidt

TomHowhanne-sian

ChadDubiski

Jorge Reyes

Mark Liston

MarkDawson

KirkJohnson









Best Little Glass Expo

Best Little Glass Expo The The

Glass TEXpo™ 2012April 12-13, 2012San Antonio, TexasEl Tropicano Riverwalk Hotelwww.usglassmag.com/texpo

Schedule At A Glance*Wednesday, April 11, 2012

1:00 p.m.TGA Golf Tournament Tee-Off

1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.Registration Open

Thursday, April 12, 20127:30 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Registration Open

9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Seminars & Workshops

2:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.Keynote

3:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. Glass TEXpo™ 2012

6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.Welcoming Cocktail Party

on the Show Floor

Friday, April 13, 20127:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Registration Open

8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.Seminars

9:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.TGA Awards Breakfast

10:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.Seminars & Workshops

11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Glass TEXpo™ 2012

* Schedule tentative and subject to change.

in

TexasTexasin

Pre-Registration Discounts End Soon!

You’re invited to

Co-sponsored by USGlass, Decorative Glass,Architects’ Guide to Glass and DWM magazines




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[ d a t e b o o k ]

The Insulating Glass Manufacturers Alliance (IGMA)of Ottawa, Ontario, hosted an educational semi-nar, “Performance and Innovations in Insulating

Glass Units (IGU),” December 7-8 in Vancouver. Theseminar was one of the best in the IGMA educationalseries in terms of content and participation, says MikeBurk, product sales specialist for Quanex Building Prod-ucts in Houston, and a presenter at the seminar. The 54 attendees came from all across North Amer-

ica, says Margaret Webb, executive director of IGMA.“They were IG fabricators, building envelope consultantsand window manufacturers.”The seminar was “vitalizing, informative and exciting,”

says Enbar Balilty, vice president and general managerof High Performance Glazing Inc. in Concord, Ontario.“I’ve attained a lot of useful information regarding bestpractices in approach to manufacturing quality controlIG units and the major causes of failure and prevention.”The first day of the seminar offered best practices,

the dos and don’ts of spacers, desiccants, sealants,coated glass, and how to do things better, Webb says.“The second day was more strategic in nature and sawdiscussions on glass breakage, how to select the bestenergy performance glass, handling glass, glass safety—glass can be dangerous to handle, and our people getused to being around it so much—vacuum insulatingglass glazing guidelines, and forensic investigation incase of failure. Lunchtime sessions included two pre-sentations on code updates and dynamic glazing.” An update on Canadian codes, the national building

code and glass standards, as well as a presentation ondynamic glazing, were also featured. The panel presen-tation “Glass Performance for Energy Efficient Fenes-tration” was a highlight of the seminar, Burk says. “Thepanel responded to many current and pertinent ques-tions asked by the attendees,” he says. “The ‘HandlingGlass Safety’ presentation appears to have hit homewith the attendees. A number of them have contactedme since the presentation regarding [personal protec-tive equipment] and safety concerns at their manufac-turing facility,” he adds.The sessions will be available through the IGMA on-

line educational center.�� www.igmaonline.org �

IGMA Seminar Focuseson Best Practices, Codes

Reviews&Previews


CALIFORNIA GLASS BENDING





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[ d a t e b o o k ]

NORTH AMERICAN EVENTS

February 20-24, 2012 GANA Annual ConferenceSponsored by the Glass Association of North America (GANA).Hyatt Regency Sarasota.Sarasota, Fla.Contact: GANA at 785/271-0208.

February 26-29, 2012AAMA 75th Annual ConferenceSponsored by the American Architectural ManufacturersAssociation (AAMA). Naples Grande.Naples, Fla.Contact: AAMA at 847/303-5664.

March 18-20, 2012BEC ConferenceSponsored by GANA. Paris Las Vegas.Las Vegas.Contact: GANA at 785/271-0208.

April 2-4, 2012BEST Conference 3Sponsored by the National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS).West Peachtree Plaza.Atlanta.Contact: NIBS at 202/289-7800.

April 12-13, 2012Glass TEXpo™ 2012Co-sponsored by the Texas Glass Association and USGlass magazine.El Tropicano Riverwalk Hotel.San Antonio. Contact: USGlass at 540/720-5584.

April 12, 2012Fenestration Day ’12Sponsored by Door & WindowManufacturer magazine.El Tropicano Riverwalk Hotel.San Antonio. Contact: Door & Window Manufacturerat 540/720-5584.

May 17-19, 2012AIA National ConventionSponsored by the American Institute of Architects (AIA). Washington Convention Center. Washington, D.C.Contact: AIA at 800/242-3837.

June 10-13, 2012AAMA NationalSummer ConferenceSponsored by AAMA. Marriott Oak Brook Hills.Chicago.Contact: AAMA at 847/303-5664.

September 11-14, 2012Construct 2012Sponsored by the ConstructionSpecifications Institute.Phoenix Convention Center.Phoenix.Contact: Show organizers at 972/536-6429.

September 20–22, 2012Auto Glass Week™(Exhibition/Extravaganza September 21-22, 2012)Co-sponsored by AGRR™magazine, the Auto GlassSafety Council (formerly theAGRSS Council Inc.), theIndependent Glass Associa-tion, the National Glass Association and the NationalWindshield Repair Association.Includes Auto Glass Repair and Replacement Olympics.Kentucky International Convention Center & Louisville Marriott Downtown.Louisville, Ky.Contact: AGRR magazine at 540/720-5584.

October 14-17, 2012AAMA National Fall ConferenceSponsored by AAMA. Hyatt Regency Tamaya.Santa Ana Pueblo (Albuquerque), N.M.Contact: AAMA at 847/303-5664.

INTERNATIONAL EVENTS

April 2-5, 2012 China GlassOrganized by the Chinese Ceramic Society. Shanghai New International Expo Centre.Shanghai, China.Contact: Event organizers at +86-10-57811261.

June 28-29, 2012Challenging Glass 3Organized by Professor Rob Nijsse and Dr. Fred Veer,Delft University of Technology.TU Delft.Delft, The Netherlands.Contact: Event organizers at 0041 (0)21 6932427. �

To see the full event schedule,visit www.usglassmag.com/events.

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[ u s g | s u p p l i e r ’ s g u i d e ]

ADHESIVES/SEALANTSAdhesives, GeneralDow Corning Corporation2200 West Salzburg RoadMidland, MI 48686P: 989/496-6000www.dowcorning.com/[email protected]

Glazing CompoundsOmaha Wholesale Hardware1201 Pacific StreetOmaha, NE 68108P: 800/238-4566 F: 402/444-1659

ARCHITECTURAL GLASSArchitectural Glass,GeneralOldcastle BuildingEnvelope™50 manufacturing locationsthroughout North AmericaP: 866/653-2278www.oldcastlebe.com

Acid Etched GlassGeneral Glass International101 Venture WaySecaucus, NJ 07094P: 201/553-1850 F: 201/[email protected]

Walker Glass Co. Ltd.9551 Ray LawsonMontreal, QC H1J 1L5 CanadaP: 888/320-3030 F: 514/351-3010www.walkerglass.com

Anti-Reflective GlassMcGrory Glass, Inc.1400 Grandview AvenuePaulsboro, NJ 08066P: 800/220-3749 F: 856/[email protected]

BlockDecalite Ltd.The Portergate Ecclesall RoadSheffield S11-8NX, UKP: 01142-096096 F: 01142-096001

Curved/BentCalifornia Glass Bending320 E. Harry Bridges Blvd.Wilmington, CA 90744P: 800/223-6594 F: 310/[email protected]

Precision Glass Bending Corp.PO Box 1970, 3811 Hwy 10 WestGreenwood, AR 72936-1970P: 800/543-8796 or 479/996-8065F: 800/543-8798 or 479/[email protected]

DecorativeGeneral Glass International101 Venture Way

Secaucus, NJ 07094P: 201/553-1850 F: 201/[email protected]

Film Covered WireSAFTI FIRST™ Fire Rated Glazing Solutions325 Newhall StreetSan Francisco, CA 94124-1432P: 888/653-3333 F: 415/[email protected]

Fire-Rated GlassGeneral Glass International101 Venture WaySecaucus, NJ 07094P: 201/553-1850 F: 201/[email protected]

McGrory Glass, Inc.1400 Grandview AvenuePaulsboro, NJ 08066P: 800/220-3749 F: 856/[email protected]

SAFTI FIRST™ Fire Rated Glazing Solutions325 Newhall StreetSan Francisco, CA 94124-1432P: 888/653-3333 F: 415/[email protected]

Technical Glass Products8107 Bracken Place SESnoqualmie, WA 98065P: 800/426-0279 F: 800/[email protected]

Fire-Rated Glass,Impact ResistantGeneral Glass International101 Venture WaySecaucus, NJ 07094P: 201/553-1850 F: 201/[email protected]



Hurricane-ResistantSAFTI FIRST™ Fire Rated Glazing Solutions325 Newhall StreetSan Francisco, CA 94124-1432P: 888/653-3333 F: 415/[email protected]

To place your listing(s),please contact Janeen

Mulligan at 540/602-3255













LaminatedOldcastle BuildingEnvelope™50 manufacturing locationsthroughout North AmericaP: 866/653-2278www.oldcastlebe.com


Laminated,Fire-Rated WireTechnical Glass Products8107 Bracken Place SESnoqualmie, WA 98065P: 800/426-0279 F: 800/[email protected]

Laminated,Glass-PolycarbonateCalifornia Glass Bending320 E. Harry Bridges Blvd.Wilmington, CA 90744P: 800/223-6594 F: 310/[email protected]

Pattern GlassGeneral Glass International101 Venture WaySecaucus, NJ 07094P: 201/553-1850 F: 201/[email protected]

Radiation ShieldingAmerope Enterprises Inc.150 Commerce Rd.Boynton Beach, FL 33426P: 800/327-3320 F: 561/[email protected]

McGrory Glass, Inc.1400 Grandview AvenuePaulsboro, NJ 08066P: 800/220-3749 F: 856/[email protected]

Ray-Bar Engineering Corp.697 W. Foothill Blvd.Azusa, CA 91702P: 800/444-XRAY or 800/444-9729 F: 800/[email protected]

Screenprinted GlassGeneral Glass International101 Venture WaySecaucus, NJ 07094P: 201/553-1850 F: 201/[email protected]

TemperedOldcastle BuildingEnvelope™50 manufacturing locationsthroughout North AmericaP: 866/653-2278www.oldcastlebe.com


Wired GlassMcGrory Glass, Inc.1400 Grandview AvenuePaulsboro, NJ 08066P: 800/220-3749 F: 856/[email protected]


X-Ray FluoroscopicAmerope Enterprises Inc.150 Commerce Rd.Boynton Beach, FL 33426P: 800/327-3320 F: 561/[email protected]


X-Ray ProtectiveAmerope Enterprises Inc.150 Commerce Rd.Boynton Beach, FL 33426P: 800/327-3320 F: 561/[email protected]


ARCHITECTURAL METALDies/Custom MetalEFCO Corporation1000 County RoadMonett, MO 65708P: 800/221-4169 F: 417/235-7313

Metals, General

USA Architectural Aluminum ProductsKawneer Product Line33 River Street, Suite 5Thomaston, CT 06787P: 855/USA-ALUM F: 860/[email protected]

BATHROOM SPECIALTIESShower Door HardwareC.R. Laurence Co. Inc.2503 E Vernon Ave.Los Angeles, CA 90058P: 800/421-6144 F: 800/262-3299www.crlaurence.com

US Horizon Mfg., Inc.28577 Industry Dr.Valencia, CA 91355P: 877/728-3874 F: 888/440-9567www.ushorizon.com

COMMERCIALWINDOWSCommercial Windows,General


Fire-Rated WindowsSAFTI FIRST™ Fire Rated Glazing Solutions325 Newhall StreetSan Francisco, CA 94124-1432P: 888/653-3333 F: 415/[email protected]

CURTAINWALLCurtainwall, GeneralOldcastle BuildingEnvelope™50 manufacturing locationsthroughout North AmericaP: 866/653-2278www.oldcastlebe.com

Get your companynoticed!

Place your listingtoday. Prices start atjust $350 per year.Don’t miss out!











Trulite Glass & Aluminum Solutions10200 N.W. 67th StreetTamarac, FL 33321P: 800/432-8132 F: 954/[email protected]


DECORATIVE GLASSDecorative Glass, GeneralOldcastle BuildingEnvelope™50 manufacturing locationsthroughout North AmericaP: 866/653-2278www.oldcastlebe.com

Etched GlassWalker Glass Co. Ltd.9551 Ray LawsonMontreal, QC H1J 1L5 CanadaP: 888/320-3030 F: 514/[email protected]

PaintedDecorative Glass Company14647 Lull StreetVan Nuys, CA 91405-1209P: 800/768-3109 F: 818/785-7429

DOORSBullet ResistantTotal Security Solutions, Inc.170 National Park DriveFowlerville, MI 48836P: 866/930-7807www.tssbulletproof.com

United States Bullet Proofing, Inc.16201 Branch CourtUpper Marlboro, MD 20774P: 301/218-7920 F: 301/[email protected]

ClosersAccess Hardware Supply14359 Catalina StreetSan Leandro, CA 94577P: 800/348-2263 F: 510/483-4500

Fire-Rated DoorsSAFTI FIRST™ Fire Rated Glazing Solutions325 Newhall StreetSan Francisco, CA 94124P: 888/653-3333 F: 888/[email protected]

Fire-Rated Framing SystemsSAFTI FIRST™ Fire Rated Glazing Solutions325 Newhall StreetSan Francisco, CA 94124-1432P: 888/653-3333 F: 415/[email protected]


General Door HardwareAkron Hardware1100 Killian RoadAkron, OH 44312P: 800/321-9602 F: 800/328-6070

C.R. Laurence Co. Inc.2503 E Vernon Ave.Los Angeles, CA 90058P: 800/421-6144 F: 800/262-3299www.crlaurance.com

DOOR COMPONENTSJLM Wholesale, Inc.3095 Mullins CourtOxford, MI 48371P: 800/522-2940 F: 800/[email protected]

Door Frames, Metal


DOOR HARDWARE AND RELATED PRODUCTSJLM Wholesale, Inc.3095 Mullins CourtOxford, MI 48371P: 800/522-2940 F: 800/[email protected]

Track CapsJohnson Bros. Metal Forming5520 McDermott Dr.Berkeley, IL 60163P: 708/449-7050 F: 708/449-0042

GLASS FURNITURETable TopsSpancraft Ltd.920 Railroad Ave.Woodmere, NY 11598P: 516/295-0055 F: 516/[email protected]

GLASS HANDLING/TRANSPORTATIONHandling Equipment,GeneralRolltech Industries11 Dansk CourtToronto, ON M9W 5N6 CanadaP: 419/337-0631 F: 419/337-1471

Packaging

SaberPack Interleaving Powders471 Apollo Drive, #10Lino Lakes, MN 55014P: 651/784-1414 F: 651/780-0432www.saberpack.com

INFORMATION & ORGANIZATIONSAssociationsInsulating Glass Manufacturers Alliance300 -1500 Bank StreetOttawa, ON K1H 1B8365 - 27 N. Wacker DriveChicago, IL 60606-2800P: 613/233-1510 F: 613/[email protected]

INSULATING GLASS AND COMPONENTSOldcastle BuildingEnvelope™50 manufacturing locationsthroughout North AmericaP: 866/653-2278www.oldcastlebe.com

AirspacersAlumet Mfg., Inc.3803 136th St. NEMarysville, WA 98271P: 360/653-6666 or 800/343-8360F: 360/653-9884

Helima Helvetion Intl.PO Box 1348Duncan, SC 29334-1348P: 800/346-6628 F: 864/[email protected]

Muntin BarsAlumet Mfg., Inc.3803 136th St. NEMarysville, WA 98271P: 360/653-6666 or 800/343-8360F: 360/653-9884

TM











SpacersQuanex Building Products800 Cochran Ave.Cambridge, OH 43725P: 740/439-2338 F: 740/439-0127www.edgetechig.com

Units, Bent-Curved


INSULATING GLASS MACHINERY AND EQUIPMENTIGE Glass Technologies Inc.2875 Jupiter Park Dr., Ste. 100Jupiter, FL 33458P: 561/741-7300 F: 561/741-3071www.igesolutions.com

Production LinesQuanex Building Products800 Cochran Ave.Cambridge, OH 43725P: 740/439-2338 F: 740/439-0127www.edgetechig.com

MACHINERY/EQUIPMENTErdman Automation Corp.1603 South 14th StreetPrinceton, MN 55371P: 763/389-9475 F: 763/389-9757www.erdmanautomation.com

IGE Glass Technologies Inc.2875 Jupiter Park Dr., Ste. 100Jupiter, FL 33458P: 561/741-7300 F: 561/741-3071www.igesolutions.com

Laminated Lines/MachineryCasso-Solar Technologies LLC506 Airport Executive ParkNanuet, NY 10954P: 845/354-2010 F: 845/547-0328

[email protected]

MIRROR AND MIRRORRELATED PRODUCTSMirror, GeneralPalmer Mirro-Mastics146 St. Matthews Ave., PO Box 7155Louisville, KY 40257-0155P: 502/893-3668 or 800/431-6151F: 502/895-9253www.mirro-mastic.com

Acid Etched MirrorWalker Glass Co. Ltd.9551 Ray LawsonMontreal, QC H1J 1L5 CanadaP: 888/320-3030 F: 514/351-3010www.walkerglass.com

Antique MirrorSpancraft Ltd.920 Railroad Ave.Woodmere, NY 11598P: 516/295-0055 F: 516/[email protected]

Timeless Reflections111 W. Erie St.Spring Valley, IL 61362P: 815/663-8148 F: 866/928-3330www.antiqued-mirrors.com

SERVICESModeled Submissions

(en-'te-lə-kē)“Modeled for the future”www.entelechycorp.com

Shop DrawingsDrafting Services by Scott Brown, Inc.156 Peachtree East, Ste. 225Peachtree City, GA 30269P: 770/461-8092 F: 678/489-9037

SKYLIGHTS & OVERHEADGLAZING SYSTEMSSkylight, GeneralOldcastle BuildingEnvelope™

50 manufacturing locationsthroughout North AmericaP: 866/653-2278www.oldcastlebe.com

SOFTWARESoftware, GeneralPMC Software Inc.Bartles Corner Business Park8 Bartles Corner Rd., Suite 11Flemington, NJ 08822P: 908/806-7824 F: 908/806-3951www.pmcsoftware.com

Point of SaleQuest Software Inc.1000 E. Sturgis St., Suite 8St. Johns, MI 48879P: 800/541-2593 F: 517/224-7067www.questsoftware.com

SOLAR GLAZING MACHINERYIGE Glass Technologies Inc.2875 Jupiter Park Dr., Ste. 100Jupiter, FL 33458P: 561/741-7300 F: 561/741-3071www.igesolutions.com

STOREFRONT/ENTRANCESStorefront Material,GeneralOldcastle BuildingEnvelope™50 manufacturing locationsthroughout North AmericaP: 866/653-2278www.oldcastlebe.com

Pittco Architectural Metals, Inc.1530 Landmeier Rd.Elk Grove Village, IL 60007P: 800/992-7488 F: 847/[email protected]

TOOLS AND SUPPLIESBohle America10924 Granite Street, Suite 200Charlotte, NC 28273P: 704/887-3457 F: 704/887-3456www.bohle-america.com

Cleaning TowelsJacone Distributors5717 Samstone Ct.Cincinnati, OH 45242P: 513/745-0244 F: 513/[email protected]

Glass RestorationGlasWeld Systems29578 Empire Blvd.Bend, OR 97701P: 541/388-1156 F: 541/388-1157www.glasweld.com

WINDOW HARDWAREStrybuc Industries2006 Elmwood Ave., Suite 102CSharon Hills, PA 19079P: 800/352-0800 F: 610/534-3202www.strybuc.com

StiffenersAlumet Mfg., Inc.3803 136th St. NEMarysville, WA 98271P: 360/653-6666 or 800/343-8360F: 360/653-9884

WINDOWSBlast ResistantUnited States Bullet Proofing, Inc.16201 Branch CourtUpper Marlboro, MD 20774P: 301/218-7920 F: 301/[email protected]

Fire-RatedTechnical Glass Products8107 Bracken Place SESnoqualmie, WA 98065P: 800/426-0279 F: 800/[email protected]

General Tools & SuppliesPacific Laser Systems449 Coloma StreetSausalito, CA 94965P: 800/601-4500 F: 415/289-5789 �


To place yourlisting, please contactJaneen Mulligan at

540/602-3255 or [email protected].










[ u s g | c l a s s i f i e d s ]

Products for Sale Used Equipment USED MACHINERYBOUGHT & SOLD

www.glassmachinerysales.comPh: 724/348-8450

Curved China Cabinet GlassStock curves fit most cabinets. Most sizes$90, $95, $98 delivered. Zone chargesmay apply. Call 512/237-3600, Peco GlassBending, PO Box 777, Smithville, TX 78957.

Industry Services

Businesses for Sale

All Machines in Stock• Non-Autoclave Laminating Machine

for EVA, SGP (Dupont) & PVB• Tempering Furnace - Flat & Bending

ALL SIZES• New 8 Spindle Beveler. • New 9 Spindle flat Edger/Miter. Ideal

for shower doors. Our best seller. Over200 installed and operating in US.

• New Shape Edger/Beveler. Prices EXW Miami. Includes free instal-lation/training/spare parts. In-housetechnical support. Machines in stock.www.jordonglass.com Ph: 800/833-2159. E-mail: [email protected] our 30th anniversary!

For more information, contact Janeen Mulligan at 540/720-5584, ext. 112, or [email protected].


Glass Shop For SaleLicensed commercial residential glassshop for sale In Kona, Hawaii 808/937-4496

Employment/Help Wanted

Bieber Consulting Group, LLC

Is a group of retired Glass Industry Exec-utives with the ability to solve your prob-lems, grow your business and add to yourrevenue stream. With over 40 years of ex-pertise managing sales and profits, weknow cost reduction, sales & marketing,finance, glass fabrication, safety, purchas-ing, labor relations and more. To explorehow we can be of benefit to you, call PaulBieber at 603/242-3521 or email [email protected]

Project ManagerNationally recognized top 30 commercialglazing company, which is well establishedon the east coast, is looking for an experi-enced Project Manager to work out of ourCapitol Heights Maryland facility. Candi-date must possess exceptional work ethic,and must be highly organized. Candidatemust have a minimum of 5 years experi-ence and the ability to handle a multiplemid to large scale commercial glass proj-ects. Candidate must also be very profi-cient in all MS, internet, and e-mailapplications. We offer top salary (com-mensurate with experience), 401-K, med-ical, dental, life, holidays, and vacation.Team oriented individual a MUST. Emailresume to: [email protected].

Glass Shop for Sale28 yr. business in central Mass. Excellentlocation. Nice balance of auto glass, resi-dential & commercial. Right on majorroute into town. Management team inplace. Lots of walk ins. Excellent reputa-tion for quality & workmanship. Last 5yrs-$4.5 million+. Owner retiring forhealth reasons. 7,000 sf building for saleor lease. Great opportunity!! Asking$700k. Interested parties send email [email protected].

Glass Company for SaleCommercial & Residential service. An-nual sales 1.5 to 2 Million. Business lo-cated between Cleveland & ColumbusOH. Only the serious inquiries please!Email: [email protected]

Let Keytech Be the Key to Solving

Your ProblemKeytech North America is a full-service research and technicalprovider to the glass and metalindustry. If you are in need of marketresearch or analysis, technicalservices including remediationexpertise, or business consultationand advice, Keytech North Americacan help. The Keytech team ofexperts brings with it more than 150years of experience in all phases ofthe glass and metal industry.

Solutions to Glass and MetalInstallation Problems• Dispute Resolution• Expert Witness Services• Testing Services• Product Sourcing & Evaluation• Billing Dispute Resolution• Architectural Interface• Project Forensic Services• Labor Dispute Resolution Assistance

Business Services• Strategic Planning• Problem Solving (Field & Shop)• Acquisition Assessment & Recommendation

• Succession Planning• Mediation /Arbitration Counseling• Dispute Resolution• Market Research and Analysis• Merger and Acquisition Transaction Assistance

• Valuation Services• Financial Analysis• And more

Contact Keytech North America in confidence

Keytech North America630/468-2848

[email protected]











http://www.keytechna.com

www.usglassmag.com February 2012 | USGlass, Metal & Glazing 63For more information on these companies’ products, visit http://products.usglassmag.com

Page Company Phone Fax Web Address

[ a d v e r t i s i n g i n d e x ]

12 Azon Systems Inc. 800/788-5942 269/373-9295 www.azonintl.com

3 Banom Inc. 800/227-7694 800/456-8393 www.banom.com

56 California Glass Bending 800/223-6594 310/549-5398 www.calglassbending.com

7 Cardinal LG 952/935-1722 952/935-5538 www.cardinalcorp.com

33 China Glass 2012 Exhibition +86-10-57811261 +86-10-57811262 www.chinaglass-expo.com

15 Corning 800/220-3749 484/229-9164 www.mcgrory.com

11 Fenzi North America 416/674-3831 416/674-9323 www.fenzi-na.com

32,41,49 Glass Association of North America 785/271-0208 785/271-0166 www.glasswebsite.com

55 Glass TEXpo™ 540/720-5584 540/720-5687 www.usglassmag.com/texpo

65 Glasswerks L.A. Inc. 888/789-7810 888/789-7820 www.glasswerks.com

21 Glasstech Inc. 419/661-9500 419/661-9616 www.glasstech.com

31 Glas Troesch 800/220-3749 484/229-9162 www.mcgrory.com

13 Glazers Choice 888/655-3430 216/292-3435 www.glazerschoice.com

29 JLM Wholesale 800/522-2940 248/628-6733 www.jlmwholesale.com

62 Keytech North America 630/468-2848 630/990-3489 www.keytechna.com

46 Leybold Optics USA 919/657-7100 919/657-7101 www.leyboldoptics.com

9 LISEC America 952/641-9900 952/641-9935 www.lisec.com

31 McGrory Glass 800/220-3749 856/579-3232 www.mcgrory.com

57 Monsey Glass 845/352-2200 845/352-2215 www.monseyglass.com

47 MyGlassTruck.com 800/254-3643 856/863-6704 www.myglasstruck.com

16-17 Oldcastle BuildingEnvelope 866/653-2278 770/497-3656 www.oldcastlebe.com

C4 PPG Industries Inc. 888/774-4332 412/826-2299 www.ppgideascapes.com

20 Precision Glass Bending 800/543-8796 800/543-8798 www.e-bentglass.com

56 Pulp Studio Inc. 310/815-4999 310/815-4990 www.switchlite.com

57 Ray-Bar Engineering 800/444-9727 800/444-0240 www.xrayglass.com

37 Soft Tech America 954/568-3198 954/563-6116 www.softtechnz.com

32 Southern Aluminum Finishing 800/241-7429 404/335-1560 www.saf.com

47 Strybuc Industries 800/352-0800 610/534-3201 www.strybuc.com

30 Swisspacer +41 071 686 9279 +41 071 686 9275 www.saint-gobain.com

1 Trulite Glass & Aluminum 800/432-8132 954/724-9293 www.trulite.com

C2 Western Window Systems 602/304-2905 602/323-6144 www.westernws.com




http://www.azonintl.com

http://www.banom.com

http://www.calglassbending.com

http://www.cardinalcorp.com

http://www.chinaglass-expo.com


http://www.fenzi-na.com


http://www.usglassmag.com/texpo

http://www.glasswerks.com

http://www.glasstech.com


http://www.glazerschoice.com

http://www.jlmwholesale.com

http://www.keytechna.com

http://www.leyboldoptics.com

http://www.lisec.com


http://www.monseyglass.com


http://www.oldcastlebe.com

http://www.ppgideascapes.com

http://www.e-bentglass.com

http://www.switchlite.com

http://www.xrayglass.com

http://www.softtechnz.com

http://www.saf.com

http://www.strybuc.com

http://www.saint-gobain.com

http://www.trulite.com

http://www.westernws.com







theBusiness

At any given time, there are atleast five or so half finishedmagazine articles in a folder

in my right-hand desk drawer. Someare waiting for an ending while oth-ers are in need of a beginning. Alongwith these unfinished articles are an-other dozen or so pieces of paperwith a sentence or two scribbled onthem that represents an idea or con-cept for an article. Sometimes thereare even complete sentences or par-tially developed paragraphs thathopefully will become part of an ac-tual article one day. As an amateur,part-time writer who has to earn aliving by doing things other thanpumping out articles and columns, Idon’t often get the chance to simplysit and think too much about the de-velopment of any given piece I write.I’m sure this admission comes as nosurprise whatsoever to anyone whohas read more than a few of my offer-ings. I readily admit that I find themonthly articles quite challenging toproduce. For the most part, mymarching orders are to provide some-thing that is relevant, interesting,readable, printable and hopefully hu-morous, and to do so using 850 to950 words. I am rarely given any par-ticular subject or situation aboutwhich to try to develop an article.Kinda scary sometimes and, believeit or not, a great deal of self-inflictedpressure is generated in an effort toproduce something that will notprove to be an embarrassment. The good side of my situation is the

occasional “hit.” It feels really goodwhen you get one. I used to play a lotof baseball in my younger years andthe best of the guys I played with

would get somewhere between 3 to 4hits for every 10 at-bats. So in theory,you fail at least 65 percent of the time,but the feeling of success from theother 35 percent more than makes upfor the failures. For me, writing issomething along those lines althoughthe percentages are a bit different tobe sure. The very best part about themonthly column is when you getsome positive reader feedback. Reallymakes your day, believe me. Lately, I have been getting numer-

ous calls and emails about the trou-bled economic times with which wehave been struggling these past fewyears. Invariably, the conversationsturn political. After all, we have tohave someone to blame and who bet-ter than our elected officials … thesame ones we voted for (and in some

cases maybe sent our hard earnedmoney to) in an effort to better ourplight. This is an election year and thepoliticians are out in force everywhereyou turn. And with elections comes agreat deal of politically themed mediaadvertising, and phone calls, andspeeches, and all kinds of stuff. Afterawhile it almost makes our whole po-litical process sickening. There areweighty and serious matters that needto be debated and decided and, quitetruthfully, I don’t always deal well withweighty and serious matters. I domuch better with silly and unimpor-tant matters. But there is pressure onme from multiple sources, not theleast of which is my publisher, tocome up with something that is rele-

You the Man, Abeb y L y l e R . H i l l











PPG Industries, Inc., Glass Business & Discovery Center, 400 Guys Run Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15024 www.ppgideascapes.com

Accept no substitutes.

Starphire, IdeaScapes, PPG and the PPG logo are trademarks owned by PPG Industries Ohio, Inc.

Only Starphire® Ultra-Clear Glass from PPG can deliver the highest visible light transmittance in a low-E glass while offering the truest color transmittance in thicknesses up to one inch. Accept nothing less. Find out more at www.ppgstarphire.com.








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