nharris's blog

Yesterday, we published a special e-glass weekly report, breaking the news that Trainor Glass had filed for Chapter 11. An underlying question arises in these situations. What is important to cover in what is, after all, a bad news story for all involved, especially the former employees and suppliers that are owed money?

In bankruptcy stories, we try not to start by posting whatever financial details we gain access to. Many have told us they appreciate how we handle bankruptcy news because merely listing who’s owed what calls out companies potentially already in difficulty. The true value in covering bankruptcy stories is far deeper and more important.

With almost everyone I spoke to over the last several weeks about Trainor, the first reaction was shock followed by this question: What happened to cause such a large company with a great history, and what appeared to be good management, to fail? 

Other questions naturally follow, such as, are there more to come? What challenges do we still face with tight credit? How will Trainor’s failure affect the industry going forward? What lessons can we learn, for example, about pricing for market share rather than to cost? Will suppliers change their business practices to protect themselves better in the future?  

Katy Devlin’s in-depth report on the ripple effect Trainor’s closure will likely have on the glass industry addresses many of these questions, and there are still more to be asked.  

In these days of “expose-all reality TV” many Americans are riveted by the hyperbolic, often sleazy details such shows produce. I have several otherwise thoughtful, tasteful, discreet and informed friends who watch "Mob Wives." They tell me it’s like driving by an accident; you just have to look.  

Human curiosity is a powerful driver.  It’s what you do with it that counts.

The author is publisher of Glass Magazine and vice president of publications for the National Glass Association. Write her at nharris@glass.org.

When former Navy SEAL Eric Greitens talks about evolution, it's about character. It's about how he and 20 others out of a starting group of 220 recruits graduated from five weeks of  "next evolution" testing, as it's called by the commanders of the hardest combat training in the world.

At the American Architectural Manufacturers Association's 75th anniversary luncheon yesterday in Naples, Fla., Greitens described how this training principle forms the core of his post-combat work with "The Mission Continues," a non-profit organization he founded to help wounded and disabled veterans.  

Greitens autographed copies of his memoir, "The Heart and the Fist" for appreciative AAMA members.

"Every time you confront fear, every time you push yourself past your physical, mental and emotional limits, your character evolves," Greitens explained.  Disabled veterans face painful challenges as they chart a new course to become "purposeful citizen leaders."

Ask an AAMA committee task force member about evolution, and he or she might recall the hours upon grueling hours spent debating, writing and updating the standards that guide the window, door, skylight, curtain wall and storefront industry.

What AAMA volunteer members have achieved over these 75 years is not life-and-limb-perilous work (though the standards they write often address such issues), but there's no doubt their efforts are vital to the welfare of the built environment and its occupants.  

It's been a behind-the-scenes labor of "constant adaptation and progress," says AAMA President & CEO Rich Walker, in his upcoming column for Glass Magazine sister publication, Window & Door.  Evolution by another name: progress ranging from the North American Fenestration Standard to the 141-location-strong IG Certification Program; from FenestrationMasters with its 70 participating companies to the new Curtain Wall Fasteners publication.

As AAMA founding member Lyon Evans put it, this group of "technical 'smarties'" is rightly proud of their accomplishments.  Evans wrote this description of his fellow volunteers in a letter sent in recognition of the diamond anniversary just before he passed away in December at age 93. For AAMA members, his shared sentiments are emblematic of the character, evolution and legacy of their association.

Harris is publisher of Glass Magazine and vice president of publications for the National Glass Association. Write her at nharris@glass.org.

This weekend, I met up with a friend in the glass business who is helping his son build a trendy cocktail bar in New York City. Knowing the kind of high-end glass work he does, I assumed his son and business partner were incorporating spectacular and highly technical glass and metal in the bar design. Not so.

My glass-biased disappointment was short-lived when I heard about the bar top, and it got me thinking about an article I read recently on work skills for 2020.

But first, about the bar.

One day at the jobsite, someone upturned a five-pound box of nuts, spilling them everywhere. Eureka! The partners decided the bar top should be made of nuts! Entombed in plexi! How retro cool!

When trendy 20-to-30-year-olds sip inventive cocktails here, will they try to identify the nut types under their elbows? Will they know that Macadamias are high in omega-7 fat, low in protein and toxic to dogs? Will they care?

Maybe, but I know this age group does care about the subject of how the workplace is changing. In fact, anyone who expects to be working should pay attention. Recently, the Institute for the Future released its “Future Work Skills 2020” report identifying 10 future skills for the workforce: sense-making, social intelligence, novel and adaptive thinking, cross-cultural competency, computational thinking, new-media literacy, transdisciplinarity, design mindset, cognitive load management and virtual collaboration.

Two things might happen if you download the PDF report for details. It will resonate, and you’ll likely evaluate yourself and your employees against each skill. When I did so, I was reminded that the NGA publications team has collaborated virtually for more than a decade (though we have yet to set up Yammer or avatars), and we’re working hard to develop and share our new-media literacy.

The 30-year-old bar owners also are already using these future skills as they operate in the old-world construction trade, in this case, relying on novel and adaptive thinking to create a one-of-a-kind bar. I was struck by the informality, the fluidity and the pace of their enterprise. That’s not to say what they’re doing doesn’t require self-discipline—they’re up early and working at all hours on their latest venture—but they’re using sources in ways most of us couldn’t have imagined 10 years ago.

I thought about how slivered almonds, laminated between a mirrored-etched and possibly back-painted and backlit substrate would look as a kitchen counter.

Then I thought: It’s probably been done, and I need to recalibrate my novel and adaptive sense-making cross-cultural design mindset. And for sure, I’ll also ask my transdisciplinarity-driven cognitive load managing virtual team for input.

But first, I’ll eat a few nuts.

The author is publisher of Glass Magazine and its sister publication, Window & Door, and vice president of publications for the National Glass Association. Write her at nharris@glass.org.

During a recent factory tour, the VP of operations paused in front of a wall of employee photos to tell me how his company rewards money-saving ideas. “I got $6,000 last year for mine,” a customer service manager chimed in behind us. It’s not a new idea, but it seems too simple and too good not to do it.

It goes like this:

Install a suggestion box in the break room to solicit money-saving ideas. Once approved and implemented, half of the first year's savings is paid to the employee in cash.  Since 1994 at this particular company, the effort has yielded annual savings of $1,500,000 and payments to employees of $750,000.

You’ve heard it before: the men and women doing the work know best how to get it done efficiently. Moving into another hallway closer to the factory, I noted the rows of bulletin boards showing production output and other stats, current and historical, for all to see—another indicator of an involved workforce.

We donned glasses and ear plugs to enter the plant, and I surveyed the floor and workstations. Tidy and clean. Check. (You should know that I judge new friends and companies by how clean their kitchen and factory floors are.) I was also impressed by how the technicians looked up, gave us a quick nod and smiled. I asked how new machinery and tool selections were made. No surprise: The technicians choose, and thereby “own” the machine and the process.

What excellent glass company was so impressive in the face of fluctuating job scheduling, production crunches, costly lulls and capital investment in a tough economy that requires fresh ideas to stay alive? Not a glass company at all; it was Glass Magazine’s printer, Dartmouth Printing. They even provided the page from their policy manual so I could share it with you as a template. Click here to download The Employee Suggestion Program PDF.

I forgot to ask to see the suggestion box—lunch boxes were waiting—but like the factory floor, I know it is dust-free and primed to give back.

Harris is publisher of Glass Magazine and vice president of publications for the National Glass Association. Write her at nharris@glass.org.

There are three things you can always count on if you are lucky enough to attend Vitrum, the Italian glass show in Milan, Italy: high style, great food and new product introductions, especially machinery.

This year's event lived up to all three. Everything from the decorative entrance displays fashioned of glass chips and plantings, to the people (business suits, please!) conveyed an elegance most trade shows don't even try to approach. Milan is, after all, a leading fashion capital of the world.

As for the food, my taste buds and their memories attest that Vitrum 2011 was the all-time best show I've ever attended in 20-plus years, thanks to the first annual Vitrum Gourmet Festival. Usually, I shed a pound or two making trade show rounds, too busy for anything but a granola bar on the run. This show was different; make that Michelin- star-chef-spectacularly-different. Four prominent Italian chefs each prepared a multi-course feast for each of the four days. A special and very elegant "restaurant" was set up in Hall 22 with white linen tables surrounding a glass art showcase and a full-wall screen projection of the chefs and their edible artworks.

Right. So now I come to the third and most crucial item you can count on: new product introductions.

Now in its 17th year, the GIMAV-sponsored Vitrum is renown for being the venue where Italian exhibitors introduce truly new products. Call it, orgoglio, the Italian word for pride. Not surprisingly, most of the other exhibitors from around the world follow suit.

New product introductions are the core of any trade show, but these lean days, it's so much more impressive when you see it first-hand. The buzz and energy when you walk into a stand and start talking to the salespeople and technicians who want to show you what they have is jet-lag dissolving. It even helps you refocus when you're waiting for the espresso shot to kick in after the three-course lunch (with wine, no less). It's a fine thing that Vitrum and GlassBuild America are marketing partners. I'm proud to note, too, that NGA's print and electronic publications are highly regarded in a worldwide marketplace crowded by so many industry magazines.

So, if you missed Vitrum this year, I strongly encourage you not to make the mistake in Fall 2013. I'll be marking my calendar as soon as the dates are set. 

In the meantime, you can read about the products on display at the 2011 event here, as well as take a photo tour of the trade show floor.

Harris is publisher of Glass Magazine and vice president of publications for the National Glass Association. Write her at nharris@glass.org.

On Sunday afternoon, Sept. 11, 2011, as exhibitors finished assembling their booths in the usual mad dash to opening day, a sharp-eyed security guard noticed flashes of light coming from under the Barkow truck in the 800 aisle of the GlassBuild America show floor. As he approached, two men ran off, one from under the truck where he was apparently taking pictures.

Given the anniversary of the infamous date, this event brought in the Georgia police, who scanned the truck's chassis with mirrors. They quickly concluded that it was a botched job of glass truck espionage by two local yahoos.

Why the interest? For 2011, General Motors widened its truck body. Barkow's solution: "Super single" rear tires that buy enough room between the body and the outside of the tires. With President John Weise's permission, I snapped this photo with my handy iPad so I could instantly upload this trade show tale of innovation and attempted copycatting.

Steve Jobs famously said that innovation distinguishes a leader from a follower, a sentiment that resonates at every trade show, perhaps more so when times are tough. This year's GlassBuild America welcomes attendees to visit Barkow and the 392 other companies--including 73 new exhibitors--for the up-close, kick-the-tires experience only a trade show offers.

Glass Magazine extends that welcome with its own latest innovation (thank you Mr. Jobs): the glass industry's first magazine Apple app. You can download it free here.

Androiders, your tablet app is coming very soon.

Just a few years ago, the thought of reinventing the wheel was preceded by the question why. But the road keeps changing, and speed and traffic keep increasing. In our 24/7/365, post-9/11 world, news about reinvented wheels is delivered and received however you need and want to learn about it—in print, on your computer, smartphone or tablet. So whether you're delivering or receiving a load of glass, or needing to know what technology will be on it tomorrow, you have more choices. And that's a beautiful thing about innovation. 

Harris is publisher of Glass Magazine. Write her at nharris@glass.org.

After last week's news that Sun Capital won the bidding war for Vitro America's fabrication assets, this week's big question is: How will this affect an already fractured and fragmented glass industry?

The answer may depend on where you are in the glass food chain.

The fabrication industry's dramatic consolidation played out over the last few months, in a time when float manufacturers were still looking to recover from the sharp contraction in flat glass production that began even prior to the country's economic collapse of 2008.

In the wake of this latest consolidation news, it seems that at both the float and fabrication levels there will be even less supply and capacity in the marketplace. Some glaziers worry that this will add to their product sourcing challenges as they continue to face pricing and bidding pressures from their customers. Tight credit, which has been a significant challenge for many, has the potential to be an even greater concern.

For glass companies struggling with a weak balance sheet, it may be even harder to survive. This morning's Wall Street Journal report of a drop in the Dow, the biggest one-month U.S. factory slowdown since 1984, and stagnant hiring in both the manufacturing and private sectors doesn't help the short-term outlook.

Watch Glass Magazine for interviews with all the principals involved in this deal; we can expect that the focus will be on people—employees and customers. One thing is true: companies that attract talented people, make and sell the best products, and offer innovative technologies flourish even in turbulent times.

As with all changes of this magnitude, time will tell who those are. 

Nicole Harris is publisher of Glass Magazine. Write her at nharris@glass.org.

In 1959, Barbie and the float glass process were born. Turns out, Barbie was born a teenage fashion model and Sir Alastair Pilkington's invention of floating molten glass on a bed of molten tin spawned several competitive offspring.

But that's not all a doll and an industry have in common.

More than 125 careers later, Barbie is an architect, and as such, she was on hot pink display at the American Institute of Architects (AIA) show in New Orleans last week.

Float glass manufacturers also were at the show, where they displayed strength and marketing purpose in the form of new booths and products, as some metal and glass fabricators continued to roil the headlines.

Signaling a change in its approach to the market, Saint-Gobain exhibited its nine building products companies, including Vetrotech, the newly invested Sage Electrochromics, St. Gobain Glass, St. Gobain Solar, Certainteed and four other companies, in one large booth for the first time.

Guardian Industries' new large booth showcased exterior and interior glass applications. The side devoted to commercial products included the company's newest high-performance glass, SunGuard SNX 62/27. On the other side, the company introduced its new INGlass line of interior glass products, with three portable sample boxes and a handheld frame that architects and designers can use to test combinations for interior applications by layering textured glass, colored film and mirror, for example.

Pilkington and PPG updated their 2010 booths with new products to energize the architect's world. Pilkington promoted OptiView anti-reflective glass, which reduces both exterior and interior visible light reflectance to less than 2 percent. Stay tuned for a gold-coated glass product with some interesting history.

If only this sizeable glazing industry footprint was met in kind by architects walking the floor. Despite scheduling changes by the new show organizer, seminars and tours still claimed too many. So, to help them get deserved post-show attention, Glass Magazine is highlighting some of the new and impressive products and services on display, here.

On the last day of the show, I visited Barbie the Architect. After viewing the imaginative investment made by our industry at so many booths, it was gratifying to look into her 2011 Dream Townhouse and see that it included a glass (OK, it was plastic, but meant to resemble glass!) shower enclosure.

Here's hoping Architect Barbie--and her partner Ken--spec more glass far beyond the bathroom. It won't be for lack of options, inside and out. 

Nicole Harris is publisher of Glass Magazine. Write her at nharris@glass.org.

A consultant friend of mine says that every company owner must do four things to be successful: Know your unique place and role in your world. Develop a compelling vision of where you want to be. Develop a practical plan for how to get there. Play well with others.

You've heard a variant of the first three before, but everyone I share this with tends to recall No. 4 first.

I was reminded of the list last week as I listened to the 10 members of the Glass Professionals Forum update one other about their companies. This band of glass brothers has met annually, mostly at each other's locations across the country, since 2003. They own retail, commercial, auto and fabrication glass businesses and have helped each other solve a variety of issues, from orienting their business niche and selecting machinery, to showroom design and CEO compensation.

GPF members enjoying some down time, from left around the table: David Uhey, Denver Glass Interiors; Guy Selinske, American Glass & Mirror; Tom Whitaker, Mr. Shower Door; David Fitchett, Carolina Glass & Mirror; Angelo Rivera, Faour Glass Technologies; Robert Brown, Brown's Glass; Chris Mammen, M3 Glass Technologies; Steve Mort, Don's Mobile Glass; Bill Evans, Evans Glass Co.; Newton Little, ACE Glass Co.

The GPFers, as I refer to them, haven't met in 18 months thanks to the down economy. Emerging from two years of recalibrating, they discussed increased optimism, downsizing and cold calling to drum up business: a new experience for many.

What strikes me every time I'm with them is how much they continue to learn from and help one another. They trust the group with the most sensitive information, confident in each other's integrity and discretion. In doing so, they have developed rich friendships that yield camaraderie alongside business growth.

Fortunately for the greater glass community, the GPFers also believe in sharing some of what they discuss to help others like them. Watch for several "Your Profits" articles in upcoming issues of Glass Magazine and new "how to" videos on our Glass Magazine YouTube Channel. First up, how to hand-test a shower door hinge for quality in four easy steps.

Without question, these 10 glass company owners understand No. 4 on the success list—play well with others—and then some. 

Nicole Harris is publisher of Glass Magazine. Write her at nharris@glass.org.

The night before I left for Las Vegas to attend Glass Week and the Building Envelope Contractors conference, I listened to YouTube co-founder Chad Hurley describe how building a place where "creative types" could work together freely in an online community was his initial goal in creating the video-sharing Web site. YouTube developed far beyond that initial scope—from posting funny cat videos to propagating democracy in the Middle East—but trillions of views and a billion-dollar Google buyout later, it stays true to its community- inspired origins.

The glass fraternity that started as the Flat Glass Marketing Association and grew into the Glass Association of North America has shed the clubby atmosphere of resort meetings and formal dinners of bygone years when competitors would gather to break bread and toast one another. These industry gatherings of yore are wistful memories as, today, most everyone works longer days without the respite of tennis matches and hole-in-one prizes. What remains is a hard-working core of industry volunteers who continue their yeoman's labor to promote and protect the glass industry's vital interests.

The association staff has tried a number of tactics to revive attendance in the face of consolidating member companies and others too pressed to make the trip in tough economic times. The last few years have seen a rise in multi-meeting meetings. This year's eight-day line-up: the Insulating Glass Manufacturers Alliance, followed by the shrinking Glass Week, overlapping with the BEC meeting, capped by a National Fenestration Rating Council meeting. And in the middle, "Logic," a new, one-day, off-site, invitation-only event.

It could be the economy or four-plus meeting fatigue, but something about that invitation-only event didn't jive with the fast and fluid Facebook YouTube community-sharing world we live in. Coincidentally, one of  Logic's keynoters was social media guru, Chris Brogan, who advised the upper management-only crowd to design mobile-friendly Web sites and ensure that their messaging is accessible to all via multiple platforms, from smartphones to tablets to laptops.

As the world around us demands democratic openness and takes to the streets to challenge closed hierarchies, accessibility seems ever-more integral to community building, relevance, strength and longevity. As so many visionaries have said before him, Hurley remarked that he never could have imagined what YouTube has become.

Here's hoping the same for a revitalized glass community of the future. 

Harris is publisher of Glass Magazine. Write her at nharris@glass.org