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by Joe Erb

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Tag: labor

Meeting New Demands Without Compromise

June 16, 2022 No Comments

I’ve written a lot in recent months about the ongoing influence energy performance has on the commercial fenestration space. We can’t ignore it. Delivering on the needs of our evolving market will require our collective innovation, advocacy and commitment to delivering quality commercial glass and window systems.

Of course, we’re not pursuing this mission in a vacuum. A confluence of unique circumstances continues to challenge the traditional ways we’re used to doing business. Many commercial glass professionals are focused on dealing with labor and supply chain issues, and it can seem difficult if not impossible to focus on other areas of the business.

How are you dealing with these challenges? How are you responding to lengthy lead times? Product shortages? Demand for systems that meet new building codes? Price increases? These are the questions I’ve been trying to help my customers answer in recent months, and in those discussions, some common themes have arisen. Here are a couple of them:

Choose the right components for the right reason. In the face of longer lead times, shortages or rising prices on critical components, a simple solution presents itself: Look for alternatives.

The reality of that decision, however, can be anything but simple. If you’ve been building your glass systems a certain way for a long time, a different component can potentially throw a monkey wrench into your process. Perhaps it isn’t handled or applied the same way and may require retraining your plant floor staff. Or, say you’ve switched to a component for pricing reasons. It’s important to consider whether your alternative supplier’s product has a reputation you can trust, and whether that supplier will support your team should any type of issues occur. After all, your reputation is at stake.

The point is this: The way you design and construct your glass systems should be intentional. It can be tempting to let pricing or availability guide your hand (and in some cases, it may be a short-term necessity) but it can’t be at the cost of sacrificing the quality of your systems. This is particularly true as the glazing industry contends with rising thermal performance demands. Not only must our products meet high standards for performance, but they also must demonstrate the ability to be durable.

Find a helping hand. While you’re making decisions about sourcing critical components, another consideration to make about the suppliers you choose to work with is the value they can provide beyond just the components themselves.

The new thermal efficiency demands provide a good example. Let’s say you’ve bid on a project where local codes (or perhaps the project’s architect) dictate the window systems in the structure achieve a certain thermal performance minimum. It’s a more challenging target than a lot of your recent work—but it’s a project worth pursuing, and if it’s accomplished successfully, can grant your business some extra clout.
Design assistance can be valuable here, and your supplier maybe able to help. For example, a high-performing spacer provider has likely been involved with numerous projects requiring top levels of performance and may be able to provide ideas that can help you hit the required performance numbers in a more efficient manner. They may also be able to provide training or quality assurance services to ensure every unit meets the quality levels your customer expects.

Meeting the challenges of today’s industry requires collaboration. Working with vendors and suppliers who are willing to share ideas along with quality products can be a recipe for success.

Webmaster Uncategorized advocacy, collaboration, commercial fenestration space, commitment, critical components, design assistance, energy performance, glass systems, influence, innovation, labor, lead times, local codes, Product shortages, retraining, right components, sourcing, suppliers, supply chain, thermal efficiency, vacuum

Keeping Focus on the Human Element

August 25, 2017 1 Comment

A few weeks ago, while visiting one of our commercial glass customers in Texas, I had a few minutes to chat with the company’s human resources manager whom I met a few years ago during an open house event. Since that time, we’ve spoken on several occasions, and conversations have ranged from work related challenges to family, faith and hobbies.

During this particular trip, we got to talking about some of the labor challenges that their company, like many, continue to face. But the conversation went a little deeper this time. This HR manager views her job not simply through the lens of finding good, capable people to fulfill specific job descriptions—but through that of truly helping and elevating their understanding of the important part they play in the big picture. To her, finding candidates that might be needing a second chance, or are otherwise down on their luck, is also an important part of how she views her role as HR manager.

I bring up this anecdote because it struck me that, while it’s easy to get caught up in the latest trends and technologies surrounding automation and digital information, when you get down to it, this is still very much a business driven by people. You may have invested in an automated line—but that line doesn’t work without human involvement. And with that investment comes the responsibility to foster that human element in your plant.

But of course, it’s not so simple. In fact, I think that’s one of the biggest challenges any fenestration shop faces in today’s environment.

I wrote about investing in the employee of the future a few months ago, but it’s about more than fostering new skill sets. Are we taking the time to really communicate how new technologies and capabilities are impacting shop floor work? Are we making it clear that automation enhances jobs, rather than replaces jobs? Are we demonstrating how some of these technologies can help make jobs safer?

We also must consider some generational gaps that are at play when it comes to our labor. As of 2015, millennials surpassed Gen Xers as the largest generation in the workforce—and more and more, we’re depending on those younger workers to help get quality products out the door. For those of us who’ve been in the industry for a while, it’s easy to get stuck in “old school” ways of thinking. Whether it’s specific expectations of performance or job preferences, having an open mind can go a long way—and it can help us connect with workers at a time when that’s so important.

Speaking of human connection, it’s just about tradeshow season. I’ll be at the GlassBuild show in Atlanta, September 12-14, and I’ll be giving a few educational presentations revolving around some subject matter I’ve covered on this blog. You can find out more about the sessions here. I hope to see you there!

 Joe Erb is a commercial sales specialist at Quanex Building Products.

Joe Erb Uncategorized automation, employees, generations, labor

Getting Nimble: What to Keep, What to Outsource

March 17, 2017 No Comments

Summer’s just around the corner—and that means busy season is approaching for commercial door and window manufacturers.

However, to some customers that I’ve spoken with throughout the past few months, the busy season never really stopped, with winter bringing in more business than is typical. And as we look ahead, this year’s “busy season” might be busier than ever. Continuing growth in nonresidential building construction could bring up to 4.5 percent annual growth in the industry, according to one report. I’ve seen and felt that optimism recently.

An increase in volume brings greater complexity. More orders, more materials, and greater coordination among suppliers to get quality products out the door. Lead times get longer—something we’re already seeing in the commercial space, and a problem that could intensify if we’re not ready to meet the challenge. Not to mention our ongoing battle against a skilled labor shortage.

What’s Possible In-House? There are a few ways I see commercial door and window makers staying ahead in this environment, and the first is putting an emphasis on in-house capabilities. That isn’t to say that bringing new capabilities in-house is the answer—in a variety of cases, the opposite is true. But manufacturers should think about what, how and why different capabilities make sense to outsource versus accomplish in-house.

Consider a scenario where a manufacturer is outsourcing laminated glass from a supplier and bringing it in-house to insulate before shipping the completed units out to a customer. That may in fact be the most efficient process for the manufacturer to accomplish this; they’re getting a laminated product they trust and can more closely monitor quality and consistency when insulating the finished unit. For a different manufacturer, it may make more sense to have that supplier insulate the unit, too. It depends on the business, and where the highest value lies. And it’s something that’s worth closely investigating.

Consider a third scenario. A window manufacturer outsources its IG, but demand is spiking—as we anticipate might happen this summer. The manufacturer can compensate with more IG from its supplier, or it can handle overflow with in-house capabilities. Quality and consistency are, of course, critical here, and making sure your in-house insulating capabilities and equipment are on par with outsourced IG must be a part of such a strategy. But it can be worth the investment for the right manufacturer.

An Investment for the Future. Speaking of investments, businesses across the commercial glass space may take the opportunity afforded by a growing market to look into equipment upgrades. Automated equipment for all parts of the glass and window manufacturing process can help an organization boost its efficiencies, allocate labor strategically, and offer consistent quality through all projects.

All of those qualities—efficiency, labor maximization, and consistency—are going to be important in the coming months. And the organizations that act confidently and strategically on all three fronts have the most to gain.

 Joe Erb is a commercial sales specialist at Quanex Building Products.

Joe Erb Uncategorized efficiency, Joe Erb, labor, manufacturers, outsourcing, skilled labor

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