Well, that was a heck of a week…what a show we had in Atlanta. The opportunity to be back in front of people face to face really was energizing for all that attended, and my expectation of a motivated audience came true.
Earlier this month, I hopped on a video call with Charles Alexander and Danik Dancause of Walker Glass to get their take on the current state of the industry and leading trends. Alexander, who is the company’s vice president of sales and marketing, and Dancause, marketing operations manager, discussed some of the top challenges facing Walker and the industry, including product sourcing, the labor shortage and effectively reaching architects working remotely. They also talked through new bird-friendly legislation and other industry top trends.
With aluminum windows and doors, you can offer a choice of either painted or anodized black finishes to help homeowners, designers and builders attain this design-driven look and achieve the desired, durable result.
This week writing this mostly from the floor at GlassBuild as we’ve finally made it, we’ve finally gotten to the show! It’s been a heck of a run since the last GlassBuild in person in 2019, and so far, so good in getting to see people and build back those great personal connections that we all strive for.
Pressure-sensitive adhesive tapes (PSA) are playing an increasingly important role in door and window manufacturing. Not only are they a valuable assembly aid, but they are also being used in technical bonding and barrier applications that enhance the performance and lifespan of the end product.
We love to see new projects with glass walls, and old projects with new windows. But what about the pictures showing the project in its unfinished state? With just a few small editing tips, these installation pictures can be so much better.
While the attractive appearance of natural metal is always on point, it seems building owners and architects have an increased interest in specifying metallic tones. Many are selecting finishes that accentuate the metal framing of windows, skylights, curtain wall, storefronts and entrances.
I know in some pockets of our industry there’s stunningly no sight of a glass shortage, and all is well. In others, it’s a struggle. Well, folks, the bad news is I think things on the glass side are going to get even worse. So those of you not having issues, get ready, and those of you who are battling, buck up and be strong because capacity is being sucked away and if we heat up business-wise like we all expect in 2022, lead-times and glass availability are not going to be what you are used to, even in today’s challenges.
While viewing your employees’ potential and then developing them into future managers might seem simple at first, the day-to-day demands of our jobs and responsibilities get in the way. It’s much more difficult than you would expect to regularly take a step back and look at the long-term success of your business through the potential of your people.
The latest Architectural Billings Index was strong yet again but did show some slippage from last month. Possibly some of the uneven aspects of our economy is starting to catch up? The score of 54.6, down from 57.1, is still excellent but does show there’s some leveling off and the new inquiries came down as well from its insane record high from last month. This index may be settling down, and as long as it stays in the positive, all good.