Momentum gathers for GlassBuild America

In Atlanta last year, GlassBuild America: The Glass, Window & Door Expo, hosted more than 7,100 industry members on the trade show floor, pictured. This year, 300 companies have reserved 98,000 square feet of exhibit space, as of June 1.

GlassBuild America: The Glass, Window & Door Expo returns to Las Vegas Sept. 14-16. As of June 1, 300 companies had reserved 98,000 square feet of exhibit space, including 22 first-time exhibitors. Of the 70 exhibiting non-U.S. companies, 11 are new to the show.

“Despite the struggling economy, GlassBuild America continues to be the only show that is of the industry, by the industry and for the industry,” says Denise Sheehan, vice president, Industry Events, National Glass Association, McLean, Va. “We will continue to present the cutting-edge products and technologies for the glass, window and door market place; connect customers and potential buyers to sellers; help buyers find that exact machine for their shop that they couldn’t find anywhere else; and bring the best educational programs to help you improve your business and train your staff.”

The interest level for the show has increased the last two months, Sheehan says. “In May alone, 47 companies joined the show —11 first-time exhibitors—averaging 12 companies a week and totaling more than 9,000 square feet of exhibit space in one month,” she says. “I expect that momentum to continue over the next couple of months, as our exhibiting companies have commented that they expect a small turn in sales by the end of the second quarter.”

Every attendee has an opportunity to visit the show for three days free of charge by contacting their existing industry vendors, Sheehan says. “Our headquarter hotel, the Las Vegas Hilton, is offering lowered rates for their sleeping rooms and suites for all GlassBuild America registrants, along with deep discount coupons for their stay upon check in.” Go to www.glassbuildamerica.com for details on hotels, registration, seminar content and exhibitors, as well as a floor plan and exhibitor information.

Introduced last year in Atlanta, GlassBuild America once again will feature a special “Innovations Pavilion,” showcasing cutting-edge technologies and groundbreaking products in the glass industry. Ten companies have registered to participate in the Innovations Pavilion so far, featuring the latest advances in energy conservation, solar energy, “green” technologies, products and design.

The popular Live Impact Demonstration by Hurricane Test Laboratory, Riviera Beach, Fla., will be back again this year, as well.

Glazing Executives Forum

New this year at the GEF, Sept. 14, attendees will be able to earn American Institute of Architects learning credits. AIA has accredited the GEF for 2.0 learning unit hours; seminars at the show also will be worth 2.0 learning unit hours each.

Also new this year, FMI Corp.’s Jason Baumgarten, western regional manager, Denver , will present “Managing Labor Productivity Costs.”

The idea for the presentation came from a Glass Management Institute session, says David Walker, vice president, Association Services, NGA. “We started talking about managing costs through the smart use of labor,” he says. “Our students indicated that they struggle to get this critical part of the business right. It seems like if a job calls for three people, they end up sending five. Over multiple jobs, that’s a lot of wasted labor. When we asked for suggestions on getting better at this, no one could respond. At that moment, I knew we had a great topic for this year’s Glazing Executives Forum. We contacted our friends at FMI, who do some great work in this area, and they agreed to join us. It’s going to be a terrific session and a great way to kick off our event.”

The presentation will discuss the following, Baumgarten says:
• Making productivity a strategic issue—improving productivity is the best way to address the current market challenges
• The bottom-line impact of productivity—how a minimal improvement in productivity will make you more competitive on bid day and improve your bottom line
• FMI's P3 model: Process, Productivity Tools, People—how companies need all three working together to consistently improve productivity
• Keys to success: implementation, measurement and leadership—how top management and project management are critical to productivity improvement. What to measure and how to use the measurement
• Productivity trends in the glazing market—what best practices are being implemented, including new technologies that will impact the industry.

CEOs, presidents, CFOs and operations managers will all benefit from this presentation, Baumgarten says. “They will get new ideas for going back to their companies and developing a formal program to improve productivity,” he says. “They will also better understand that productivity is controllable by being proactive and implementing the concepts of being a lean organization. Most importantly, they will leave with an understanding that productivity is not a field problem; it is the entire organization supporting the field, providing resources in a timely manner and removing obstacles at the field level.” Participants will get to know about specific actions other contractors have taken to implement a successful program at their own company. Following his presentation, Baumgarten will facilitate a roundtable discussion to share best practices.

In addition, Jeff Dietrich, senior analyst, Institute for Trend Research, Concord, N.H., will present his annual economic forecast at the GEF. See Closer Look for more on Dietrich’s presentation.

Breakout session topics at the GEF will include labor productivity, estimating, new products, solar glazing, contracts and legal issues, green issues/sustainability, storefront and curtain wall, and software and office tools.

Seminars

This year’s GlassBuild America will feature two seminars: “Solar & Energy Efficiency: Applications from Design to Installation” and “Decorative Glass: Is it about the Product or the Design?”

Richard Voreis, CEO, Consulting Collaborative, Dallas, will lead the solar seminar on Sept. 16. Panelists will include Steve Coonen, BIPV consultant, Grass Valley, Calif.; Brett Trainor, manager, Solar Division, Trainor Glass Co., Alsip, Ill.; Robert Boehm, director, Energy Research Center, University of Nevada Las Vegas; Teodosio del Caño, chief technical officer, Onyx Solar Energy; and Ray Lucchesi, founding principal, Lucchesi Galati Architects, Las Vegas.

The seminar will educate attendees on building integrated photovoltaics, Voreis says. “One of the most promising renewable energy technologies is photovoltaics,” he says. “PV is truly a viable means of producing electricity on site, directly from the sun, without concern for energy supply or environmental harm. The solid-state PV modules simply make electricity out of sunlight, silently with no maintenance, no pollution and no depletion of materials. What is there not to like about PV?”

Because of the growing demand for renewable sources of energy, the manufacturing of photovoltaic solar cells and solar modules has advanced dramatically in recent years, Voreis says. Some of the newer advancements include thin-film applications on glass.

“Photovoltaic production has been doubling every two years,” Voreis says. “It has been increasing by an average of 48 percent each year since 2002, and in 2008, set an all-time record by growing by 110 percent, which makes it the world’s fastest-growing energy technology.”

Thin-film glass products typically incorporate thin layers of photovoltaic active material placed on a glass superstrate using vacuum-deposition manufacturing techniques similar to those employed in the coating of architectural glass. Think of the construction of thin-film glass as being similar to laminated glass, Voreis says.

Also, thin-film glass collects energy from the sun for several degrees off-axis in both vertical and horizontal directions, making it ideal for vertical fenestration product applications; especially, because it is also translucent.

The United States will become dependent on solar energy and fenestration manufacturers, and glass and glazing subcontractors must incorporate this technology into their projects, Voreis predicts. Incorporating solar modules into curtain walls, window walls, skylights, etc., is a natural extension of what they do today and it’s called building integrated photovoltaics, he says. This seminar will educate attendees on BIPV, with panelists representing members of the project team.

Bernard Lax, CEO, Pulp Studio Inc., Los Angeles, will present the decorative glass seminar. “Our presentation will focus less on the product and more on how decorative glass is used and perceived by the design and construction world,” he says. “In other words, how does a designer go about selecting his materials, how does the general contractor perceive and plan for the use of these materials, and what challenges are there for the installer. We want to get the industry thinking about where they see themselves in the process and acknowledge the commitments they need to make to be successful in the use of these materials.”

The biggest demographic for this presentation is installers and contract glaziers, Lax says. “Many of them do not realize how important a role they play in making projects with decorative glass successful, as well as how profitable it can be if they embrace the classification rather than fight it.

“The hope is that the audience understands the challenges each layer of the construction process faces in order to make these projects successful,” Lax says. “What is sometimes lost by the installers is that by creating turmoil, the products get removed from the project. A better understanding of the process enables them to be problem solvers rather than problem creators.”

Also new at this year’s GBA is the Window & Door Dealers Forum. Go to windowanddoor.com for more information.