Tag: Joe Erb

What To Do When Your New Equipment Arrives

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In last month’s blog, I highlighted the importance of seeking supplier support when bringing new automated equipment online. Indeed, successful automation doesn’t happen by accident.

An ideal scenario sees your automated machines whirring away as your technicians work with software to ensure that all processes flow as they should. Logistics and shipping are optimized at every level. Many of today’s commercial glass manufacturers may not be quite at this level of sophistication, but we’re getting closer every day. You may have invested in new automated equipment over the winter and are awaiting installation from the OEM in the coming months—just in time for summer.

In my work with customers who’ve implemented today’s top technology for commercial glass fabrication, I’ve seen some things they all have in common. Drawn from that experience, here’s a checklist with some tips on how you can get the most from your new equipment:

Don’t assume “business as usual” – New equipment will likely require adjustments to your typical processes. Floor staff will require some training on how to best work with the new machinery. If you’re adding capacity, raw materials ordering and fulfillment will need adjusting, too. Work with your vendors to ensure you have what you need to maximize your new capabilities.

More than anything, keep an open mind. Advanced new equipment may open doors to new opportunities for glass manufacturers—be open to where those doors might lead once you’re up and running.

Don’t neglect your older equipment – Not many commercial glass producers are completely overhauling all equipment at once. While it can be easy to become preoccupied with ensuring new equipment is up and running as you intended, priority must still be placed on numerous older and reliable machines and equipment that help you make quality commercial glass. Be sure that you don’t let maintenance lapses happen.

Optimize production flow – Vertical high-speed lines deliver great quality and consistency by efficiently assembling units in a straight line, allowing production managers great visibility into the product. Because supervisors can see straight down the line, they’ll know exactly what is happening with in-production units at all times, allowing them to spot any deficiencies easily.

The installation of new equipment provides a great opportunity for you to rethink plant flows and processes—indeed, a straight-line approach can and should be applied across your plant, where possible. Doing so will help to minimize the number of touchpoints and the distance your units need to travel from point to point. You’ll also have greater visibility into the product, wherever it is in production.

Prepare your sales teams – The benefits of new equipment extend beyond just the shop floor; high-tech machinery can sometimes help you make a higher-performing product. That means your sales teams must have the knowledge to convey those benefits to your customers. An example: A new high-speed line has enabled you to switch from a metallic spacer system to warm-edge spacer technology. Your sales teams must be armed with the right information and knowledge to communicate the benefit of your improved product to discerning customers.

New machinery brings new opportunities. Make the most of them by properly preparing yourself for installation and ongoing operation.

Joe Erb is a national account manager for Quanex

Color Considerations for Commercial Window Fabricators

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If you’re in the fenestration industry, and you stay up to date on home décor and design trends, you’re likely aware that colored vinyl windows have made an impact on homes everywhere. Homeowners are looking for darker hues that match modern living spaces — and window frames can make a statement.

But this is a commercial blog. Why are we talking about residential vinyl? There are a few reasons that I’ve been thinking about recently.

The first is because apartment or condominium dwellers have desires too, and builders have taken notice. My colleagues and I have been hearing increasing chatter in recent months about the demand for new color options in multifamily housing and high-rise applications. The second is because commercial-grade vinyl is an ideal choice for applications like the ones I just described for several reasons (as regular readers of this blog know), and it’s an ideal material to pair with an increasingly wide range of available color options.

For commercial window manufacturers, there are a few things to think through as you’re thinking of developing new color options or expanding your current portfolio. Let’s take a look:

Color Quality
Branching into new colors involves evaluating the different technology options that are available to commercial fabricators. Generally, paint and laminate options are the ones most frequently considered when it comes to offering colored windows. However, both methods have their drawbacks. Each needs additional labor on the plant floor (i.e., applying the paint or laminate), and at a time when fabricators are struggling with manpower, such steps can be limiting. Meanwhile, paint and laminate quality is of utmost importance. Lesser materials may be susceptible to longevity issues over time, especially in commercial applications and in most extreme climates.

But advanced color technology available today can solve each of these challenges. Co-extruded color technology, for example, sees that color becomes an integral part of the vinyl profile itself. Such technology delivers significantly enhanced scratch resistance, high durability and the ability to withstand harsh weather conditions seen by commercial windows. It’s an option worth exploring for each of these benefits.

Thermal Efficiency

I’ve written extensively about the performance benefits of select commercial vinyl window systems. In a regulatory environment that’s increasingly concerned with sustainability and stringent demands for commercial buildings, high-performing vinyl window systems can deliver outstanding energy benefits in applications where metallic systems have traditionally held the majority of the market share. The energy benefits can be striking, and these systems have increasingly proved their ability to deliver long-term performance.

Your ability to pair a high-performance commercial window system with high-quality color technology as described earlier can be a powerful differentiator in these types of markets. Think dense metropolitan areas especially, where aesthetic design considerations collide with stringent building code requirements.

Ordering and Availability

One challenge for manufacturers offering multiple color options is the added SKUs doing so involves. For example: Let’s say you offer one commercial profile in four standard color options, but several new project opportunities are requesting additional color options and some dual color configurations. If your supplier can offer these options, it could open new business opportunities, but also lead to added inventory challenges.

From an inventory perspective, things can quickly become complicated. You don’t want to have countless varieties of colored units sitting around in your warehouse, either. And your vinyl supplier won’t be hanging on to all that inventory themselves. A good one, however, can help deliver on your needs in step with your demand with a reasonable lead time. Open these kinds of conversations with your vinyl supplier to ensure you can both stay nimble.

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As the commercial construction industry continues to demand more from its fenestration systems, I think that increasingly broad color options represent one way we can continue to innovate. Pairing those options with high levels of performance and efficiency is even better.

Getting in Front of Energy Penalties

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Can you put a specific price on a building’s energy emissions? In New York City, starting in 2024, you can: $268.

That’s the penalty building owners will be charged for every metric ton of CO2 generated above an established limit beginning in two short years. Local Law 97, passed in 2019, will apply these limits for buildings in excess of 25,000 square feet from 2024–2029 before they become even more stringent (and with harsher penalties) from 2030–2034. While there are some additional complexities to the law—limits vary depending upon the type of building and its current emissions—the message is clear. Inefficiency now comes with a cost, and it can add up quickly.

New York City isn’t the only major city deploying these measures to reduce carbon emissions and promote greater sustainability. Washington, D.C., recently proposed a similar law that would take effect in 2025. Surely other cities aren’t far behind.

These measures are part of a more widespread push toward sustainability, but they strike me as a fairly distinct shift from how the industry has traditionally thought about a building’s efficiency. Energy efficiency is typically framed around the benefits—lower energy bills, occupancy comfort and, yes, reduced emissions. And it’s true that reaping these benefits requires an investment that some building and property owners may have previously not deemed necessarily worthwhile. But major municipalities instituting financial penalties for poorly performing buildings is a new kind of motivator for building owners and managers.

The commercial glass and glazing industry has some opportunity here, because high-performance window and glass systems are a great way to improve a building’s energy efficiency without sacrificing too much of the window-to-wall ratio. And I think this kind of financial imperative to improve energy efficiency in all buildings—new and old—will continue to drive greater acceptance of progressive window technologies.

One example is high-performing vinyl window systems, which can deliver outstanding energy benefits in a variety of applications where metallic systems have traditionally held the majority of market share. Not only are the energy benefits striking (especially when combined with warm-edge spacer systems), but there is also more evidence of their ability to deliver long-term performance. Last month I wrote about project-specific mock-up testing and why it’s becoming increasingly important to help validate the expected energy and structural performance of new, efficient building technologies. Vinyl systems, when installed with the right technique and care, absolutely have the potential to meet and exceed expectations.

For commercial glass professionals, we can advocate for technologies like these for our customers. For building owners in New York City and potentially other major municipalities, it’s decision time—invest in bolstering the efficiency of your properties today, or pay the price tomorrow.