The pandemic has shifted our personal and professional lives in ways we could have never predicted. And yet as I think about the tremendous challenges we have faced, I also take heart in how our industry has pivoted to adapt and create more opportunities during such an unprecedented time.
The first of two major construction forecasts were released this previous week, and leading off was the annual Dodge Data & Analytics Conference. This forecast says the commercial sector for starts will finish down 23 percent this year and only gain back 5 percent of that in 2021.
It may have been forgotten, or at least minimized, in light of all else going on in our world, but our industry is still “battling” for the wall. There continues to be movements out there for less glass and it is one that the NGA and its dream team of leaders and advocates are fighting at every front.
The 2021 Top Glass Fabricators report, to be featured in the magazine's March issue, will provide data and analysis for this market segment, clarifying the market and labor challenges that have affected, and will continue to affect, the manufacturing industry during the pandemic.
Most flexible automation solutions/strategies are aimed at medium or large companies allowing them to do more with less. These solutions have overlooked a significant part of the North American glass fabrication industry, small fabricators. Smaller fabricators are focused on a city or region. It is time smaller fabricators were able to employ an integrated software solution.
I have written a few times on the book "Designing a World-Class Architecture Firm" by Patrick MacLeamy former CEO of HOK. I was lucky enough to get an email interview with Patrick and here is Part 1. You’ll see how his passion comes through here and the book was the same way.
The latest Architectural Billings Index was released this week and it was an absolute stunner. The scoring was way beyond what I expected or what conventional wisdom was pointing to. After a few months being stuck at 40―remember a score of 50 is break-even―the index shot up to 47 this month. Absolute jaw dropper.
glasstec Virtual kicks off today. Like many trade shows and industry events, this year’s incarnation has moved online―the in-person event is slated to return in June of 2021 in its traditional venue in Düsseldorf, Germany.
This whole Architectural Billings Index, as well as all of the forecasts, have been defying some conventional wisdom in when and where they are dropping. Obviously, I don’t want negative, but it is coming. Work on the books is dropping in real life, so eventually it’s going to play out here.
Every contractor knows how difficult it is to find the right formula for calculating estimates. In fact, many will say it’s the single most difficult part of being a glass shop owner. As I gained experience in bidding projects, I came to realize that I was looking at it all wrong.