Tag: commercial glass

Why Supplier Support Matters in 2023

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No one wants to start 2023 on a sour note, but to make a point, let’s consider a hypothetical scenario for a moment.

Imagine that you’re a mid-sized commercial glass manufacturer. Despite a few challenges in 2022, you had a good year. So good, in fact, that you made the investment in a new automated insulating glass (IG) line to maximize your production potential and meet demand. Maybe it’s your first line. Maybe it’s your second or third. In any case, it’s an investment in your own growth and prosperous future.

So, let’s say your new line is being installed this month. Your equipment supplier will remain on hand to see that production is up and running and that your equipment is properly calibrated and in good working condition.

Then, they’ll leave. And what happens next is critical.

Successful Automation Doesn’t Happen by Accident
It can be easy to fall into the trap of viewing an automated line as a money printer. The promise of increased production figures, all accomplished with less labor, is an attractive one. But the reality is that an automated line is a sophisticated piece of equipment, and making the most of your investment takes the right skills and right mindsets.

For example: Are your maintenance teams up to the task of keeping your new equipment in proper working condition over the long term? Do they know the proper best practices to ensure you’re running the same quality glass in 12 months that you were in month one? Are they willing and eager to learn about how your new equipment works and how they can maximize its potential?

How about your raw materials inventory—are you ordering enough to meet your new production targets? Are your shipping operations capable of getting more units out the door?

These are just some of the questions you need answers to, or else you might find yourself wondering why your major investment isn’t delivering the return you might have expected. The good news is that our industry is a collaborative one. Still, unless you’re one of the major commercial glass manufacturers who are operating dozens of automated lines, there’s a possibility that you don’t have all of the required expertise under your roof.

And that’s OK—because in an ideal scenario, you should be able to find support from some of your vendor partners. It’s likely your spacer supplier has knowledge of how to best run their product on the type of equipment you’ve just installed. They may be able to provide you with additional tips and best practices on how to get the most out of it.

Leaning On Your Vendor Network
The truth is that the right network of trusted suppliers can bring significant value to your operations, and I think that’s something that will only become truer this year and beyond. The pandemic threw the need for flexibility and tailored support into sharp relief over the past several years. Today, it’s continuing to manifest in all different ways across the B2B value chain.

Recent research from McKinsey shows that modern B2B customers want more channels, convenience and a more personalized experience from their suppliers. New ways of communication and collaboration, which were made mandatory by widespread COVID policies, now have the potential to deepen engagement between B2B buyers and their sellers. Perhaps you have a training need in your facility.

A vendor supplier may be able to provide you with a virtual lunch-and-learn where once the only option was thought to be a time-consuming, on-site instruction course. Or let’s say you’re facing an equipment issue—you may be able to get in touch with a technical support resource more quickly and easily to help diagnose and solve a problem.

So, even if my automated line example was irrelevant to your operations specifically (maybe you’re an old pro at automation, or maybe your niche requires manual application), the point remains that leaning on your trusted suppliers may bring you unexpected benefits. Bringing in outside experience can shed new light on any problem, helping you remain successful this year and beyond.

The Role of Commercial Glass and Glazing, Today and Tomorrow

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The year is coming to a close rapidly, and it’s a time that I find valuable to reflect on where our industry stands today, and where we have to go in the future.

Anyone reading this will be closely familiar with the collective challenges we’ve faced around supply chains, labor and more over the past few years. Despite these issues, we’ve largely been able to make the best of it — and I’m confident we’ll be able to successfully navigate any choppy waters that may be ahead of us.

According to the Architecture Billings Index (ABI), an economic indicator for nonresidential construction activity published each month by the American Institute of Architects (AIA), October marked the first decline in billings since January 2021. This tells us two things: That 2022 has largely been a good year for the architectural industry, and that we’ll need to remain watchful headed into 2023.

“Economic headwinds have been mounting and finally led to weakening demand for new projects,” the AIA writes. “While one month of weak business conditions is not enough to indicate an emerging trend, it is worth keeping a close eye on firm billings in the coming months.”

Commercial glass and glazing professionals should do just that. But no matter the economic conditions we’re faced with — ideal or not — it’s worth remembering the critical role we play in the modern world. The glass and glazing technologies we help bring to bear are an integral part of modern architectural marvels around the world. But we’re also a critical part of more modest commercial buildings that people around the world depend on. Grocery stores. Schools. Banks. Office buildings. And so many more.

As we look toward 2023 my message is this: Stay focused on the fundamentals. The modern world depends on our ability to deliver uncompromising quality and reliability in critical applications, whether the construction market is booming or otherwise.

I’ve detailed a few of those fundamentals in a couple of my favorite posts for this blog over the past year. They include:

Quality. There are a number of ways we can ensure the quality of completed glass products. Whether it’s following established best practices for commercial glass fabrication or going the extra mile via testing to ensure long-term performance, continuing to explore how we can make quality improvements is an essential part of our industry’s future.

Read: Three Tips to Ensure High-Quality Commercial Insulating Glass

Read: The Increasing Importance of Mock-up Testing

Efficiency. Buildings are responsible for about 40% of global energy consumption and about one-third of global greenhouse gas emissions, modern construction can and must be more efficient than ever before. We have the potential to make meaningful contributions with innovative new glass technologies. Seizing that potential will require incorporating those technologies into our finished products.

Read: Today’s Decisions Impact Long-Term Success

Read: Meeting New Demands without Compromise

Let’s remember the essential role we play and commit to always delivering quality, innovative work for commercial applications everywhere.

Joe Erb is national account manager for Quanex.

Giving Architects What They Want

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I spend a lot of time thinking about how the commercial glass and glazing community can collaborate on an ongoing basis with the broader architectural community. Architects are a critical part of how we create modern commercial spaces, and they’re continuously looking for new, sustainable and efficient ways to realize forward-thinking and innovative designs.

It’s our job to meet those needs. Window and glass systems are an important part of overall building design. It’s up to our industry to build relationships and to provide those quality, high-performing solutions that architects and designers demand. This is especially true as new building codes and standards mandate higher levels of performance, and as a drive toward greater sustainability becomes more important.

So, how can we help? There are a couple of ways.

Make High-Performance Products Easy to Specify

Architects need information to do their jobs properly, and it’s the responsibility of the commercial glass and glazing professionals to get them that information as easily as possible. When drafting a specification, they might need anything from thermal performance specifications, color options, LEED performance documentation, data sheets or even detailed specification guidelines. Any or all of this information could be required before a specific product becomes a specification.

It is increasingly important that this information be accessed quickly and seamlessly, particularly as specifications grow more complex due to the pressure from newer building codes. Anyone drawing up a specification for a new building in New York City, for example, needs the right information to be sure the product selected is up to code. To do their jobs well, architects are becoming increasingly sophisticated, and we need to provide them with the technical information required to help make high-performance fenestration products essential parts of new designs.

Continue Delivering New Insights

Over the last decade, the commercial design community has embraced flexible warm-edge spacer technology for high-rise applications for several reasons. The technology’s workability has brought new efficiencies to projects throughout North America, along with outstanding thermal performance. The benefits are clear, and the real-world proof is out there.

This has happened in part through relationship-building and effective communication of the benefits that true warm-edge spacers can provide. The technology has also proven itself in demanding commercial applications, heightening its appeal among commercial builders and designers. As word about the benefits continues to circulate, the momentum only stands to increase in the coming years. Meanwhile, North American commercial vinyl and window profiles are in the position that warm-edge technology was in not too long ago. Performance has caught up to demanding applications, and we need to communicate those benefits as often as we can. We have an opportunity to provide invaluable assistance, helping architects to understand the thermal and structural capabilities of today’s commercial vinyl to meet a project’s requirements.

It is our job to continue these conversations with the architectural community and to demonstrate how we can help achieve aesthetically beautiful, high-performance and cost-effective designs. Continued proactive engagement is the way forward.