GlassBuild 2025 Brings Industry Together and Into the Future
At GlassBuild America 2025, the future of glass and glazing was at the forefront of many conversations with those exhibiting at the show. From robotics to artificial intelligence (AI), company leaders continue to innovate and automate. This year's show welcomed 128 new exhibitors out of 589 total, and over 9,600 participants, on 232,600 square feet of exhibit space.
Robotics and AI at GlassBuild
Several companies showcased robotic solutions at GlassBuild. Billco Manufacturing featured its Robitic Arm, created in partnership with Kawasaki. It can manage loading and unloading throughout the factory. Salem Fabrication Technologies brought its AMR, or autonomous mobile robot, to GlassBuild. The glass handling robot is also a result of a partnership with Kuka, a supplier of intelligent robotics. The low-to-the ground, square-shaped robot can lift and carry up to 1,200 pounds, say Salem reps, such as a pallet of glass. By reading QR codes affixed to a factory floor, the robot can then navigate its package to the next location.
AI has been in the zeitgeist for several years now, and many people seem more comfortable using it in their own lives. Industry leaders say there’s still further to go in explaining how AI can actually become part of their business.
A+W Software recently introduced Mira, its AI order entry system, which can read in-bound emails, including attachments, and then use Gemini and ChatGPT to complete order entry. Christian Weichelt, chief marketing officer of Cyncly, says he tries to demystify what AI can do for their customers’ businesses and discusses what’s best for their individual company. “They need to pace adoption, and to have a goal in mind first so that we can help them reach it,” he says. “It’s about using tech in an intelligent fashion.”
Automation aids in labor issues
As many companies continue to grapple with a lack of skilled labor, automation and user-friendly additions are being added to machinery. RazorGage exhibited an AutoPusher System that is fully automatic in direct response to this need from customers. A company representative said they are also open to exploring the possibility of using robots for automatic loading and unloading in the future. “With the current state of the workforce, it’s increasingly important for customers to maximize yield, minimize mistakes and increase throughput,” he says.
Urban Machinery also expressed that automation is always something they are looking to increase with their machinery. While automating loading and unloading is difficult, they aim to create automated saws that help remove operator error. A company representative for Pertici says “Customers are always looking for user-friendly and intuitive” products and that “manufacturers like easy software” because employees working with machinery are not always skilled in that area. Rotox adds that customers need an easy and user-friendly interface. Matodi has also made an effort to create machinery that is user-friendly with pre-loadable templates to aid in the labor shortage.
Bird friendly glass a hot topic
Aside from technology and automation, bird-friendly glass is a product that is hot on the market. Several types of bird-friendly glass solutions were on display at GlassBuild, including options from Guardian Glass, Walker Glass and Vitro Architectural Glass. Guardian featured three of their bird-friendly glasses, two frits--including Guardian Bird1st Etch--and their UV coated option, Guardian Bird1st UV, which is mostly invisible to the human eye. Guardian’s Alex Sobolev says that selecting a bird-friendly glass can depend on a range of factors from design to performance.
Some architects and other stakeholders still prefer an invisible solution, which the UV glass provides, he says, but advocates for bird safety tend to prefer a more visible option like a frit, since patterns that are more visible to humans also tend to be more visible to birds, he says. The range of bird-friendly glass regulations across the country also requires different types of glasses.
Walker Glass also featured its new AviProtek Turbo glass, now available in larger sizes and with shorter lead times. Founder Charles Walker says that legislation is definitely pushing adoption of these eco-friendly solutions, as well as other initiaties like LEED, which offers credits for bird-friendly glass. While the building industry may still be in an early adoption phase of bird-friendly solutions, awareness of bird-friendly glass is now very normalized, he says.
Vitro Architectural Glass was exhibiting its new BirdSmart Bird Safe Glass. BirdSmart glass is a first-surface laser-etched glass with a Solarban low-e coating on the second surface, manufactured using laser etching. Vitro MSVD Product Manager Erin Casci disucsses this more in-depth in an episode of GlassCast, which was recorded live at GlassBuild.
Tariffs and economic uncertainty
As tariffs around steel and aluminum still hang in the balance, companies are bracing and preparing for the impacts. While many are saying they are fortunate to not have felt the effects just yet, they are making sure to stay in constant communication with those in their supply chain to prepare for any future challenges.
A representative for Oz Machine said they have heard of some customers feeling the impacts for tariffs, but many have tariff concerns written into their contracts with suppliers so they are not being impacted too much for this year. A company rep for TBP Converting says that not many people are building right now due to tariff and economic uncertainty. "When it comes to tariffs, it's been coming in waves," says a rep for TBP Converting. "We're just trying to meet our customers we're there at."
