The Info You Must Have

One of the most important sessions for our industry, maybe ever, will come this fall at the Glazing Executives Forum and GlassBuild when Connor Lokar of ITR takes the stage. This year has been unlike any other, and trying to figure out the marketplace/forecast/economy has been perilous to say the least. That is where Connor comes in. The work he and the team do at ITR is intense, and what he has to say later this year will be crucial for planning for 2026 and probably 2027. 

In addition, ITR had been calling for some challenging times in the economy in 2030, so does the turmoil of today change or affect that timeline at all? Just getting the download on that is a must. Bottom line? Make plans to be in Orlando in November for yourself and your business because the knowledge that will be delivered is crucial. Registration is opening soon, and I am sure I'll be reminding you...

Elsewhere…

Latest pod

In case you missed it… the latest From the Fabricator podcast dropped, and it’s really connected on a bunch of different levels.  The duo from Bendheim, Said Elieh and Peter Stattler had people interested and engaged in their process and approach. And Ted Baumgardner’s piece had folks craving more AI info… so good stuff and thanks again to those guys for doing the pod. If you missed it, please check it out!

Watch on Youtube, listen here, or search “From the Fabricator” on your favorite podcast app; Apple, Spotify etc.

Loss for the industry

Sad news as an absolute titan of the international glass industry recently passed away. Arthur Ulens, who was once the head of AFG Flat Glass and a leader at several other spots, including Glaverbel, leaves a massive hole in our world. I had limited dealings with him when he was based in Canada, and I will remember him for being supportive of our family business and for the many innovations he brought to market. My deepest condolences to Arthur’s family and friends. He will be missed.

Artificial intelligence

I mentioned AI above, and last week it was a part of the two biggest job openings, and now get ready for AI when you return your rental car. Hertz has started it, and for you fellow road warriors out there, it’s not gonna be great for us. This story of a person who got dinged by the AI review for a tire scuff… yes a tire scuff is a bit worrisome…

Summer Q&A 

Last this week… the Summer Q&A Series continues, and I thank you for the great feedback! I love it when a plan comes together. This week, I head north to Canada to catch up with The Sales GOAT, Art Huard, of NVOY Architectural Products and NVOY Fire Rated Systems. I wanted to see what was new and hot, and also take Art’s temperature on the climate between the USA and Canada.

Max: How's it going? How's business?

Art: Thank you for this opportunity. Business is tentative all around. I think there's currently a lack of confidence in the marketplace's future. As a result, anyone considering moving forward with projects or making any progress is holding back, waiting to see what happens next. We have tons of quotes out. We have tons of people who have projects that are on the books, but pretty much all of them, except for some government work, hospitals, institutions, etc., are waiting.

Max: And that's similar to what I'm hearing, and it is very frustrating. But there are exciting things that you've got going on. Two of them I want to touch on. Your impact on the fire-rated side has been something else. GlassBuild last year was part of that kickoff and it went really, really well. How's life on the fire rated side?

Art: Life on the fire-rated side is very exciting. Fire-rated glass is in a category that I refer to as safety and security products. I'm referring solely to fenestration products, doors, windows, partitions, et cetera. And if there is one part of the market that is really moving forward and taking a foothold in the North American market, it's safety and security, and fire-rated is a huge part of that. And I think going forward we'll see fire-rated and then what I call multifunctional glass that incorporates fire-rated with some other security options, such as forced entry, ballistic, blast resistance, hurricane, even. And this whole genre of safety and security, with fire-rated at the base of it all, is something we see every day, with more and more demand right across North America. So is it exciting? Yep. Should our industry, in general, be thinking about how it's going to meet the demand for safety and security products going forward? Without question. Yes.

Max: Great. And then speaking of just something that's growing and interesting, VIG, and especially you're in Canada, and that could be really kind of the birthplace of huge growth for VIG

Art: I'll tell anyone who will listen that when they look at VIG, they're looking at the future of the business. And I would not even say glass business. I would say windows, doors, glass, anything that has a vision portion to it, you're looking at the future. And it's exciting because in my work up in Canada, we have been giving seminars at some of the functions like Fenestration Canada, et cetera. And we're standing room only. We're in the middle of the day. We watch some of the other presentations going on. And when it's time to hear about vacuum insulating glass and what it can bring to this industry, it's standing room only. And it's interesting because we have two types of clients. We walk in to see someone and they say, It's not for me right now. It's a little early in the game, blah, blah, blah. And we walk out and we say, thank you for your time. We are happy to come back and talk to you when you're ready. The following person we walk into says, I see the future. I understand what you're telling me I want in. How do I get going on this? And while we're in the early days and people are doing all of their due diligence in their homework, I see a tsunami coming where people who have sound framing systems can swap out current glass products in favor of vacuum insulating glass. And instead of an R-3 window, offer an R-10 window, same frame, same labor, just different glass. It's going to change the world.

Max: Love it, and I also, I've seen the pictures of you speaking in front of throngs of people, so I know that that's true. Last question… I'm very curious, you're Canadian, you're the sales GOAT up there and throughout North America, but how is your view of Canada-US relations since the election? How are you feeling? The whole thing's been very frustrating to me, but what's been your view?

Art: Everybody that I do business with in North America respects us, and we respect them. So, whether you're an American or Canadian, and to a large degree, business people from around the world, when they come to see you or you go to see them, there's a worldwide respect among business people. Politics throws wrenches into that whole scenario and creates uncertainty depending on what they're trying to achieve at the moment. But I think these are all short-term issues, and in the longer term, it will return to where it was before. And all of the people I do business within the USA are the same. They haven't changed. There's no animosity, there's no ill will whatsoever. We just have to deal with a particular climate, and we're dealing with it. And these things will pass.

Max: I love your optimism. Thank you on all of this, and I appreciate what you do!