Use technology, best practices to improve productivity

A panel of experts talked about Keys to Enhancing productivity at the 4th Annual ENR-CURT Construction Business Forum, June 15-16, at the Sheraton National Hotel in Arlington, Va. Paul Goodrum, associate professor, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Kentucky, College of Engineering, Lexington, Ky.; Albert Schwarzkopf, senior project engineer, Merck & Co. Whitehouse Station, N.J.; Jim Shoriak, director, Major Projects – Refining Group, Marathon Oil Co., Houston; Steve Toon, CE&T productivity engineer, Bechtel Group Inc., San Francisco; and Dave Umstot, vice chancellor of facilities management, San Diego Community College District, took part in the panel.

The experts agreed that using technology and best practices were key to improving productivity. “The construction industry is one of the largest manufacturing industries in the U.S., worth about $1 trillion, little lower now, maybe $800k-900k,” Goodrum said. “Construction lags behind other industries [in terms of productivity]. We need a productivity index. The data is there, but how you can begin to accumulate it is the question. We see a lot of variability in project performance. From project to project we’re not necessarily doing what we need to do. We need to ensure what needs to be done is being done. Technology can get you there.” Integrated design processes, such as BIM, allow designers, builders and trade contractors to work in a collaborative 3D environment during design and construction, he said.

There’s a need for workplace productivity analysis, Toon said. “Figure out how much time is spent doing direct work at the work place. All those pieces come together when you do the analysis. We want labor productivity at the back end. We need to embrace technology and need to implement it earlier on. Health and safety issues, HR policies, all need to be in place, and not shot from the hip.”

Doing the right thing in the wrong time is not necessarily productive, the experts agreed. “If not coordinated, productivity’s compromised,” Umstot said. “Timing the project is important. The owners need to put that in place. All of the contractors need to have input in the plan. Measure productivity on key activities, do a selection of the key activities, and roll those up in sector indexes. Theoretically, it can be done, but it’s expensive.”

Contractors who have the motivation, adopt best practices and succeed, the experts said.

“If we all improve productivity best practices, it will benefit the industry as a whole,” Schwarzkopf said. “We need to get better at that as an industry. If we do it, the rest of the world will follow, so we’ll need to keep improving.”

What’s missing now is a metric of best practices, Goodrum said. “We need to measure the practice. That’s the next step.”

Do you agree? What do you do to increase productivity in your company?

—By Sahely Mukerji, senior editor, Glass Magazine

Requirements for blast-resistant glazing projects

Are you considering jumping into the fray to receive some of the trickle-down recovery money? Perhaps you’re considering a project that requires blast-resistant glazing. If so, it's important to know what to expect, as many architect design teams have hired blast consultants to review submittals in detail. The stickiness of the submittal process really depends on who is looking at the submittals and who is preparing the submittals. Below are some submittal requirements that are typically necessary for a blast-resistant project:

• Cover-all Performance
Usually, the specs will have a cover-all performance statement like: “provide design of glazing system to meet the minimum blast requirements of UFC 4-010-01.” But what’s usually missing are the specific performance design requirements - level of protect, explosive weight category and stand-off distance. Getting these items identified at the beginning of a project is essential for the project to flow smoothly.

• Glass Thickness Design
UFC 4-010-01 Tables B-2 and B-3 have minimum thickness listed for single pane and insulating glass. Usually, the minimums work in every case, but it must be shown by calculations according to ASTM E1300.

• Framing Components Design
Calculations are typically required showing that mullions deflections and stress do not exceed allowed limits. The limit for deflection is typically L/160 for static blast loads determined from the UFC criteria.

• Connections/Joinery Design
Calculations are required to demonstrate that all of the internal joinery, including glazing stops and the anchors to the structure, are able to resist the minimum of two times the static blast load from UFC criteria or the glazing resistance determined from ASTM E1300.

• Glazing Frame Bite
The UFC requirements point to ASTM F2248. The glazing pane must be adhered on the inside face of insulating units to the framing either with structural silicone or glazing tape. The only way to have a bite without tape or silicone is under the alternative of blast testing.

• Alternative of Blast Testing
All of the above requirements can usually be neglected with submittal of appropriate blast testing in accordance with ASTM F 1642. Many times this has already been performed by the manufacturer. However, if the proposed size of the glass and span of the mullions exceed that which was tested, you may be required to go back and fulfill all of the other requirements. Usually anchors from the framing to the structure are still required to be designed and submitted even with the blast testing results.

I hope this helps with your decision to go after some of these types of projects. The government recovery money is finally making it down the glazing industry. Just make sure that you have the right help to get the job done. Really these projects aren’t that bad, they just sound much worse than their “bite."

--By Stewart Jeske, P.E., president, JEI Structural Engineering

It’s time to get on the BIM train

My first introduction to Building Information Modeling was way back in 2006 at the first annual Glazing Executives Forum during GlassBuild America: The Glass, Window & Door Expo. Patrick MacLeamy from HOK gave a luncheon presentation to a group of contract glaziers saying that BIM was coming, fast—and boy was he right.

The number of firms that have obtained BIM software has doubled between 2006 and 2009, according to the 2009 Business of Architecture, a survey from the American Institute of Architects. That’s 34 percent of all firms, and about 50 percent of AIA architects, according to the survey, as reported in a June 11 release from the AIA.

There are a lot of industry companies that have already jumped on the BIM train—companies such as Kawneer, YKK, Trainor Glass, Wausau Window and Wall Systems, and Vitro America, to name a few. However, I’ve spoken to other folks in the industry who are employing the wait-and-see approach. My observations at industry events last week alone make it clear to me that the time for waiting and seeing has come and gone.

I was jet-setting my way across the country to attend the American Architectural Manufacturers Association Summer Conference 2010, June 6-9 in Oak Brook, Ill., and the AIA 2010 National Convention and Design Exposition, June 10-12 in Miami. And BIM was a major topic of conversation at both events.

AAMA is in the process of developing the first BIM standard for commercial fenestration.

"The purpose in developing a standard for commercial fenestration products is to better assist users of BIM files in understanding the level of information contained within the manufacturer's model, said Rich Walker, AAMA president and CEO, in a Jan. 22 release. "This will benefit the overall industry by standardizing the data contained within the model so that BIM can be implemented across a broad range of products efficiently and effectively."

“I believe it will be a highly used standard, once it’s created,” Mike Turner, vice president of marketing, YKK-AP, and task group chair, said of the standard during the AAMA meeting last week.

At AIA, I saw many companies on the exhibit floor touting their new BIM models, and the seminar sessions were filled with talk about BIM. One of the major topics, similar to AAMA’s move for modeling standards, was the AIA’s call for open BIM software standards.

For more information about BIM and the glass industry, I recommend looking at the following articles we’ve run in Glass Magazine. Let me know your thoughts about BIM, and how your company is getting on the BIM train.

• Recommendations for contract glaziers adopting BIM, and BIM watch, articles by BIM expert Will Ikerd that offer tips for contract glaziers
  


• Closer look: BIM users report 300 percent-500 percent ROI, an article by Sahely Mukerji detailing the advantages of BIM and offering other in-depth information on the subject
  


• Electronic Construction, by freelancer Gina Rollins, that provides an overview of BIM and the role it will take in the industry

--By Katy Devlin, associate editor

Weighing opportunities

I was struck last week by a member of the industry, with whom I chatted on a conference call. He remarked he'd just heard for the first time about an important piece of legislation that I thought "everyone" knew about. The bill offers potential rewards to those prepared to capitalize on it, and could be a short-term "game-changer" once it passes.

The experience got me to thinking about the word opportunity.

Merriam Webster's dictionary defines opportunity as a "Favorable set of circumstances. An opening. A chance to break new ground."

As this implies, opportunities are meaningless unless followed up with action. In addition, before one can seize the opportunity presented, one must first understand what they're looking at.

I believe our industry is about to encounter a few obvious, and some less-than-obvious, opportunities that are just now peeking over the horizon.

First, the move to use U-factor in lieu of R-factor when touting energy efficiencies to consumers is now being debated, and it appears to be gaining momentum. This could be a marketer's dream in terms of building demand for newly positioned energy efficient windows. Click here for more information.

Next, the push to increase the use of three panes vs. two in various zones for commercial glazing will further push the envelope of technology, which always drives additional breakthroughs and results in incremental growth. More here.

Another opportunity revolves around the rebates offered on Energy Home Star products (aka, Cash for Caulkers). This program is still being debated, but we believe it is likely to pass in some form this year. Sales of energy-efficient products are bound to spike once this program goes into effect.

In addition, we're seeing the push for "green" buildings gain further strength, with Building Star legislation just introduced a few weeks ago to provide tax credits to commercial builders and suppliers. Click here.

These, and more, opportunities are now available -- or will soon be -- for companies that recognize them, research them and determine whether they fit with their business strategy. (Of course, having the resources necessary to take advantage of the opportunities is equally important.)

Opportunity has also been defined as an auspicious state of affairs or a suitable time. A quote by Eleanor Roosevelt captures it this way: "If you prepare yourself ... you will be able to grasp opportunity for broader experience when it appears."

Are you prepared for your next great opportunity?

— By David Walker, vice president of Association Services, National Glass Association

Why NFRC uses U-factors for windows

Recently, I’ve seen a number of articles, blogs and online discussions regarding U-factor and R-value, especially with regard to fenestration products. It’s time for NFRC to set the record straight on this important issue.

NFRC recognizes only U-factors for energy ratings for important technical reasons, consumer reasons and legal reasons.

This is not a simple issue. From a technical perspective, U-factor is not a material property value. It is the result of a calculation that combines the conductance values of the numerous materials in a fenestration product. This includes glazing materials, gas fills, spacer materials, framing materials, weather strips, sealants, etc. In addition, it includes the convection and radiation elements that occur within and adjacent to the fenestration product surfaces that dramatically influence its energy rating. In thermal chambers, NFRC tests products at specific environmental conditions with tightly calibrated equipment, and also applies a standardized air film coefficient to assure repetitive results from lab to lab.

The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers has long recognized U-factor as the correct measurement for both fenestration products, and wall and roof assemblies. Only specific materials have a recognized R-value. In addition, the International Energy Conservation Code only recognizes U-factor for fenestration products. ASHRAE 90.1, for commercial buildings, and the IECC, for residential buildings, both reference NFRC’s procedure for determining the U-factor of fenestration products (NFRC 100).

As a 501(c)(3) public service organization, NFRC has an inherent responsibility to communicate to consumers, government bodies and others the most appropriate and credible information about fenestration product performance. Because U-factor provides more technically sound information for fenestration products, NFRC provides U-factors rather than R-values. U-factor is directly related to energy savings because it directly predicts reduced heat transfer. In contrast, the relationship of R-value to energy savings is more complicated and highly variable.

With the energy performance of products assuming increasing importance in today’s marketplace, fenestration product manufacturers face expanded legal risks if they advertise the energy performance of their products in an inaccurate or misleading manner. In fact, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has adopted regulations intended to protect consumers from misleading and deceptive advertising practices regarding R-values and home insulation products (70 Fed Reg. at 31,259). However, those regulations give no direct guidance regarding the use of R-values for fenestration products.

It is critically important that product performance is communicated consistently to all interested parties. U-factor is the recognized term for relating the thermal transmittance of windows, doors, skylights, curtain walls and fenestration attachment products. NFRC will continue to recognize U-factor – and U-factor only – for fenestration products.

--Jim Benney is the National Fenestration Rating Council’s chief executive officer. He has been involved in developing product and performance standards for the window and glass industry for more than 20 years. He can be reached at jbenney@nfrc.org.

The opinions expressed here are those of the individual author and do not necessarily reflect those of the National Glass Association, Glass Magazine editors, or other glassblog contributors.

The mental game

You’ve probably heard that “a 1000-mile journey begins with a single step.” This is true. Just as true is the fact that “the journey continues with a single step.” In previous blogs I stated that I am training to run 56 miles on my 56th birthday. Also stated were potential conflicts/obstacles that could interrupt my training.

During my training every time an obstacle has appeared, I have been faced with a choice to stop or find a way to circumvent the obstacle. What I have realized is that the challenge is not physical but mental. In fact, it really comes down to taking another single step.

At the end of March, I was scheduled to run 28 miles. I can run 1.2 miles from my house to get on the Country Music Marathon course. I pick up the course at the 6-mile point of the CMM. The course finishes at LP Field, home of the TN Titans. Counting some deviation the stadium would be 22 miles into the run. The stadium is 6 miles from my house so that would give me 28 total miles. The CMM course runs through Music Row and The Gulch areas, which are attractive interesting parts of the city. After these areas it is a very boring unattractive course. It runs by government subsidized housing and through an industrial area that borders the housing. We go briefly through a park and return to the industrialized area. When I reached LP Field (22 miles) I called my wife to come pick me up. I just quit! I was pissed but did not know why I quit. I replayed the decision to quit in my mind for several days until I determined an answer.

I discovered that I was mentally bored. My mental exhaustion led to a perceived physical exhaustion. I was at the foot of a pedestrian bridge that goes from LP Field over the Cumberland River into downtown Nashville. Downtown Nashville is an alive place with construction, the Country Music Hall of Fame, tourists and other distractions. All I had to do was take a single step to begin to cross the bridge and get into the downtown area. My brain would have been awakened and any perceived physical exhaustion would have been diminished. I would have kept running and completed the 28-mile run. But I didn’t take that step.

It wasn’t a physical reason I quit, but a mental one. The decision to quit is rarely physical; it is almost always mental. All I had to do was cross the bridge. It didn’t matter if I ran, walked or crawled over that bridge. It only mattered that I continued on my journey, took the next step and crossed the bridge. This has become my mantra. All anyone has to do to overcome an obstacle is just “cross the bridge.” In my case it was literal. In others it may be figurative.

“Just cross the bridge!”

—Bill Evans, president, Evans Glass Co., Nashville

You get what you pay for

2009 was a tough year for contract glaziers. Of the companies that made this year’s Top 50 Glaziers and provided exact sales figures for 2008 and 2009, 55 percent reported a decrease in sales volume. Glaziers cited decreased backlogs and increased competition among the reasons for the slide. Some described a bidding environment in which general contractors were “shopping numbers,” looking for the best deal. One company reported its competitor was bidding projects at cost, just to land the job.

Whether the fault lies with the clients for rewarding low bidders or with the glazing companies for submitting these bids in the first place, this type of environment is detrimental and frustrating for everyone involved.

I’m a firm believer, however, in the motto: “You get what you pay for.” And I think in the long run, our industry will actually benefit from this situation. If you’ve ever been burned by a service provider that you chose based solely on price, you know what I’m talking about. Oftentimes, it only takes one bad experience with a contractor to make you re-evaluate your selection criteria.

Companies that take jobs at unrealistic prices have to cut corners somewhere. As one glassblog reader pointed out: “If a contractor is 40 percent less than the rest, there is a reason. Material does not have that much of a swing from one guy to another, so … where are the shortcuts going to be applied?” Unfortunately, for some clients, those shortcuts are applied to the building itself, costing them more to fix than it would have to hire a higher quality company initially. Fortunately, for us, these clients will be better educated when they spec their next project, recognizing the value higher-priced companies bring to the table in the form of quality products, trained personnel and customer service.

While I don’t wish this experience on anyone, clients that look only at the bid number and not at the glazier are setting themselves up for failure. My bet is they won’t make the same mistake twice. What’s yours?

—Jenni Chase, Editor, Glass Magazine

Representation without taxation

A Census Bureau person was on the news saying that, if conservatives don't participate in the census (due to their presumed anti-government sentiment), then they will be under-represented for the next 10 years in Congress, school funding, highway funding, etc. But really, everyone feels like "their position" is under-represented, whether they are liberal or conservative. We all believe that most people should think like we do, and that the system is stacked against us (and many times there are real abuses of the system that lend credibility to our assumptions).

While the census will never eliminate this "perceived" misrepresentation, neither will it result in an accurate count upon which to base our representation for the next decade. That's because the census is about counting warm bodies without regard to their citizenship, instead of counting citizens. Take a look at the form here. There are no questions about citizenship, only ethnic origin. Now, I'm not opening the whole immigration can of worms here, I'm just saying ... if we're going to use this count to establish our representation in the United States Congress, let's base it on the number of United States citizens.

Worse yet, the Census itself is a redundancy! The IRS already knows how many people are in this country, where they live, and how much money they make. They even know my kids' names and social security numbers. So, why are we counting everybody again, with an entire separate bureaucracy? Most everybody on the IRS rolls is at least a tax-filer, even if they are not a tax-payer. This seems like a much better way to establish congressional representation -- base it on law-abiding taxpayers/tax-filers, not a head count of every warm body. The result: the end of representation without taxation. The bonus: eliminating the Census Bureau will save billions of dollars, and eliminate one little bureaucracy. We can accomplish the constitutionally required count without them.

There are two possibilities regarding my theories: they make too much sense to become government reality, or I am way off base. Honestly, it could be either. Maybe the census is a wonderful thing. What do you think of the decennial enumeration? Do you have strong feelings about completing (or not completing) yours? Have you been visited by a Census worker, and what was that like? I ended up sending mine in before they came looking for me.

--By Chris Mammen, president, M3 Glass Technologies, Irving, Texas

Avoid delays on recovery-funded projects

The glass and glazing industry is starting to see the trickle-down of government recovery money, but it is not without a price. These projects are tagged with important features that glaziers will do well to be aware of. Most of the projects are for Department of Defense installations or GSA, and have blast resistance requirements.

A significant percentage of the recovery money ends up in the hands of architectural firms responsible for design and construction oversight. The design budgets are nice and fat, and many of the architectural firms hire blast-load consultants to provide design input, write specifications and review submittals during the construction phase. So now the typical submittal has to jump through an additional hoop. The blast-load consultants are usually eager to make their value known, requiring every “t” to be crossed and every “i” to be dotted.

Sometimes, the blast-load consultants are not altogether familiar with glazing systems, and this results in a nightmare of rejections and resubmittals. Submittals that are rejected require time, effort and often a tangible dollar amount to be resubmitted.

Projects with recovery earmarks are good business when you understand their process, and glazing contractors who want to cash in on the recovery money should be prepared for the additional efforts that are now necessary. Stay tuned for my next blog, where we’ll cover some of the items typically required in submittals for blast-resistant glazing.

--By Stewart Jeske, P.E., president, JEI Structural Engineering

Support solar manufacturing tax legislation

Solar panels have opened up a booming market for glass and glazing professionals. Most big names in the industry have entered the niche. Just in the recent past, Solutia, St. Louis, agreed to acquire Etimex Solar; the Dow Chemical Co. picked Midland, Mich., as the site for the first full-scale facility for its Dow Powerhouse Solar shingles; Cardinal Solar Technologies, part of Cardinal Glass Industries, Eden Prairie, Minn., opened a facility in Mazomanie, Wis., to grind, drill and temper two types of glass for use in PV; and Saint-Gobain, France, announced plans to boost its yearly sales related to solar power up to Eur 2 billion in five years and make acquisitions in the sector. First Solar, Tempe, Ariz., the market leader in commercial systems, is participating in the solar markets at a level of $1.9 billion; total market value for 2009 was $19.6 billion in 2009, according to a recent Research and Markets study.

Even non-core glazing players, such as Alcoa, Pittsburgh, and non-glazing companies, such as Chevron, San Ramon, Calif., are getting into the solar field. Alcoa has replaced the glass in parabolic troughs with reflective aluminum and integrated the mirror into a single structure. And Chevron has transformed an old refinery site in California into a test bed for seven advanced photovolatic technologies.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 has done its share to help the solar industry. Companies like Abound Solar Inc., Loveland, Colo., picked up $12.6 million in tax credits from the U.S. Department of Energy, via the ARRA, through a competitive selection process that examines how many green jobs a firm creates, the cost-effectiveness of its operations, the speed at which it implements manufacturing processes, and the overall benefit in terms of greenhouse gas reduction.

The Solar Manufacturing Jobs Creation Act, H.R. 4085 in the House and S. 2755 in the Senate, would help the solar industry even more by expanding the commercial solar investment tax credit to include the purchase of solar manufacturing equipment. The improved tax incentive for solar manufacturing will create long-term growth and jobs. Passage of this bill would create a generally available and immediately reliable 30 percent credit for the tools to create solar panels, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association, Washington, D.C.

You can do your bit to help pass the act. Here's how:

--Call and write your senators and representatives. If they are a co-sponsor of the manufacturing tax credit, thank them for supporting the legislation and encourage quick passage of the solar manufacturing tax credit.
--If your senators and representatives are not a co-sponsor, call and/or write and request them to co-sponsor H.R. 4085 and S. 2755.

Help create new solar jobs, while improving your lot in this wildly expanding field.

—By Sahely Mukerji, Senior editor, Glass Magazine

It’s decision time

The first quarter has ended. Let’s review our goals. You are either on track to achieve your goal(s) for the year or you are not on track. So what are you going to do about it?

If you are on track, you run the risk of taking your success for granted. You begin to think it’s easy to reach your goals and this can lead to complacency. You have worked hard so far this year. You have been doing the basics and have stayed focused on the end result. It’s been said that yesterday’s successes can lull us into today’s complacency, which is the foundation of tomorrow’s failure.

If you are not on track to reach this year’s goal(s), you have to make a decision. You have to answer one of the following questions:
1) The goal you set is still viable; you need to refocus on it. Are you going to recommit to the original goal?
2) Your original goal is no longer realistic. Redefine the original goal to make it more relevant and obtainable. Will you take the time to do this and commit to the updated goal?

If you do not consciously answer one of these two questions, you need to understand that you have unconsciously made a decision to give up on your goal(s) and possibly to even quit setting goals altogether.

It’s easy to focus on the immediate and lose sight of the long term. I need to get this job; I need to make this bank payment; I need to get this ordered. All of these are daily necessary items that distract us from looking at the big picture. It takes effort and concentration to look past “obstacles” and focus on the end result. If you do not focus on the end result, you cannot celebrate its achievement.

At this time of year there are several external influences that impact our race toward achievement. The weather is warmer. The colorful flowers are blooming and the grass is green again. Daylight Savings Time has made the day seem longer. People are spending more time outside. This is a very positive time of year. It is vital that we use the external influences to gain lost ground or get ahead in the race to reach your goal(s).

Every spring the activity level at our company increases because of these external influences. We get more “pep in our step.” Our expectations increase. Our attitude improves because we have emerged from the winter hibernation. As the leader at our company, it is my responsibility to remain focused on our long term goal(s). As a leader, it is my job to let my associates focus on the immediate tasks of everyday business, yet keep them on track so we will achieve the long term goal(s).

Do you expect to win?

Stay committed to your decision but flexible in your approach.

—Bill Evans, president, Evans Glass Co., Nashville

Watch those e-mails

E-mail is easy. Too easy. Richard Kelson, Esq., Babst, Calland, Clements & Zomnir P.C., Pittsburgh, says careless or casual e-mails can open companies up to problems if a legal dispute arises. Kelson spoke March 29 during the last day of the BEC Conference at Paris Las Vegas, hosted by the Glass Association of North America, Topeka, Kan.

Kelson emphasized to the audience of glaziers and suppliers the importance of watching what you say, and thinking before you speak. E-mail has shifted the way business is done, and the easy and often informal nature of e-mails can be dangerous for companies.

“Earlier in my career, my construction cases would have 100 exhibits. People would write one letter a week, if it was important. Today, I see 1,500 exhibits because of e-mails,” Kelson said. “E-mails are speaking without thinking. E-mails are too friendly to people who are not friends. E-mails are filled with bravado. … E-mails are coming from people who don’t have authority to speak for a company, and they are sent off without anyone reviewing them.”

Technology has made it possible for council to discover e-mails that were written but never sent. Mirror drives and back-up servers can house anything that has been drafted on the computer, even it if was never saved.

“I used to tell people to follow the 24-hour rule—to sit on an e-mail for 24 hours before sending,” Kelson said. “That rule won’t protect you now. Before you type an e-mail, write it out on paper, by hand.”

Kelson added that people should never send e-mails when “you’re overtired, emotional or upset.” Any e-mail sent after midnight can wait until the morning. “Don’t make a case for the other side by e-mailing after midnight,” he said.

The reply all, copy and blind copy functions in e-mail can lead to “devastating” unintended consequences if an e-mail is inadvertently sent to the wrong parties. “E-mails can end up in the wrong hands. … Always check and consider recipients before sending,” Kelson said. He also emphasized that no one should ever be copied on an e-mail to council. “This waives privilege.”

To prevent e-mail problems, and add legal protection, Kelson said managers need to train staff on writing e-mails. "If you can't train your staff to write e-mails the right way, then get a new staff."

--By Katy Devlin, associate editor

Collectively facing the dangers out there

Lions and tigers and bears? That’s nothing. The glass industry’s got codes and standards, and emissions regulations. Oh my.

The major threat to the glass industry right now, according to some presenters and industry officials here at Glass Week in Las Vegas, isn’t the economy, but proposed codes and standards, and emissions regulations or legislation. The economy, and construction industry, will recover (though, perhaps not as soon as we’d like). These codes and regulations, however, could limit the use of glass in buildings and weaken manufacturers' abilities to compete.

On the codes and standards front, ASHRAE 90.1 topped the conversation during the meetings. The 2010 version of the standard limits the window to wall ratio of buildings at 30 percent, down from 40 percent. A 25 percent reduction in glass could severely hurt an already suffering industry.

Fire-rated glass manufacturers are also facing code movement toward less glass. The sprinkler industry is issuing proposals to limit—or even eliminate—fire-rated glass in interior fire corridors, according to several fire-rated manufacturers.

And glass manufacturers could possibly see emissions requirements coming through legislation or through regulation. Both Congress and the Environmental Protection Agency are working to limit manufacturer emissions nationally. The California assembly has a bill that could be approved in the near future. Emissions regulations could make it difficult for U.S. glass manufacturers to compete in the global market.

What is the industry to do in the face of somewhat overwhelming forces? Bill Yanek, executive vice president of GANA, recommends coming together to help influence change. Energy codes, such as ASHRAE, aren’t going away. However, a whole industry voice to recommend performance-based standards that provide benefits for daylighting, rather than just eliminating windows, can make an impact. And a fire-rated glass industry, often-divided over code issues, can only challenge the sprinkler manufacturers through one voice. Emissions regulations are also coming, sooner or later. Glass manufacturers need to keep up with advancements in climate change proposals, and the industry collectively needs be vocal with government bodies about its interests.
By Katy Devlin, associate editor

Will the new jobs bill drive hires in the industry?

Last week, President Obama signed an $18 billion jobs bill to spur hiring by giving tax breaks to small businesses. The bill also includes $20 billion for highway and transit programs.

The bill was passed March 17 on a bipartisan 68-29 vote, according to an AP report. The new measure would exempt businesses hiring unemployed from the 6.2 percent Social Security payroll tax through December and give employers an additional $1,000 credit if new workers stay on the job a full year. Taxpayers would reimburse Social Security for the lost revenue.

In addition to the hiring tax incentives and highway funding, the bill would extend a tax break for small businesses buying new equipment and modestly expand an initiative that helps state and local governments finance infrastructure projects, according to the AP report.

It remains to be seen if the bill will spike hiring in the construction sector. Construction employment continued to shrink in most American communities as 313 out of 337 metro areas lost construction jobs between January 2009 and January 2010, according to a new analysis of federal employment figures released March 18 by the Associated General Contractors of America, Arlington, Va.

Phoenix lost more construction jobs (27,600) than any other city in America, according to the AGC report. Steubenville, Ohio, and Weirton, W. Va., experienced the largest percentage decline in construction employment (44 percent, 1,600 jobs), followed by Grand Junction, Colo., (34 percent, 3,400 jobs); Las Vegas (32 percent, 24,500 jobs); Napa, Calif., (32 percent, 1,100 jobs); and Santa Cruz, Calif., (31 percent, 1,100 jobs.)

Eau Claire, Wis., added the most construction jobs (500) between January 2009 and January 2010, and experienced the largest percentage increase (23 percent) the report noted. Other cities adding construction jobs included Ithaca, N.Y., (9 percent, 100 jobs); Michigan City, Ind., (6 percent, 100 jobs); Waterbury, Conn., (5 percent, 100 jobs); and Grand Forks, N.D., and Minnesota (5 percent, 100 jobs).

The report stated that 230 metropolitan areas experienced double-digit percentage decreases in construction employment, while no city experienced a double-digit increase in construction employment. Meanwhile, 18 cities nationwide lost more than 10,000 construction jobs between January 2009 and 2010.

What’s your take on the new jobs bill? Is it going to encourage construction company owners to hire? How will it influence the glass and glazing industry?

—By Sahely Mukerji, Senior editor, Glass Magazine

Staying strong in a weak market

Like you, I’m not immune to the seeming barrage of discouraging news regarding the construction industry out there. And frankly, sometimes I find it hard to see beyond the negative headlines. So, in an effort to brighten my outlook, I recently contacted several industry executives whose companies are doing well in this tough economy. Perhaps not surprisingly, some common strategies emerged as I listened to their success stories. One struck me in particular: Sometimes, you have to spend money to make money.

I don’t know about you, but when cash is tight, my first instinct is to save money rather than spend it. Yet, that’s exactly what these successful companies are doing. Take Maryland Glass & Mirror Co. in Baltimore, for example. It recently invested about $1.75 million in new equipment. While the company typically operates on a cash basis—“If we can’t pay for it, we don’t buy it”—officials felt strongly that an investment in new equipment was necessary to grow the business. The addition of a tempering furnace, in particular, enabled the distributor/fabricator to offer its customers a more extensive choice of products. And although it required a major cash outlay, it will save the company money in the long run. “We’re our own largest customer,” said David Dalbke, president. “We have purchased hundreds of thousands of dollars of tempered glass products from other sources. Now, we have control and can produce a quality product in a just-in-time delivery fashion.”

At Flat Glass Distributors, Jacksonville, Fla., the decision to invest in capital equipment was part of its effort to “redefine customer service” through improved turnaround times and higher product quality. So far, it’s paying off, said David Cates, vice president of sales and marketing. “We’ve been able to get customers because we’re doing a better job than our competitors,” he said. “It’s all about market share. I don’t get people telling me the economy is getting any better.”

To encourage businesses to invest in new equipment—and banks to lend them the money to do so—the Obama administration has proposed the creation of a $30 billion “Small Business Lending Fund” targeted at community and smaller banks to increase small business lending. In its FY2011 budget, the administration also proposed extending the Recovery Act provision to allow small businesses to immediately write off up to $250,000 of qualified investment, providing an immediate tax incentive to invest in plants and equipment.

If your company has found success in other ways, I’d love to hear about them as I continue to cover industry strategies for staying strong in a weak market. If you have a story to share, please leave a comment or e-mail me at jchase@glass.org.

—Jenni Chase, Editor, Glass Magazine

Running the Red Queen's race in Washington

Official Washington leaves much to be desired these days.

Here we have the presidency, the House and the Senate all in the hands of the same party, and yet we have a classic case of legislative gridlock. We're even starting to see progressive senators jumping ship, including Indiana's Evan Bayh, who cited partisan bickering and a disturbing lack of progress for his decision to retire.

Frankly, it's probably fortunate for business that our elected officials are mired in the muck. You know Washington.

And then there's the economy. Stuck in neutral, seemingly unable to burst forward due in large measure to weak consumer confidence, a still-sluggish housing market, and commercial banking still climbing out of the ditch of overcapacity, problem loans and tight lending.

We're at a standstill.

It's perfect timing for Alice in Wonderland to arrive in our local theaters. In that wonderful, classic fable, there's a metaphor that could just as easily have been written to describe today's politics: The Red Queen's race through the looking glass.

"Well, in our country," said Alice, "you'd generally get to somewhere else -- if you run very fast, for a long time."

"A slow sort of country," said the Queen. "Somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that."

Sound familiar? Is this what Bayh was talking about when he announced that he'd had it with the "do nothing" pace of Congress?

Indeed, getting from here to there is tougher than usual, for some.

There are several areas, however, where some officials -- especially at the agency level -- are pushing the ball forward, in the name of energy efficiency, and the like. Should they succeed, the results could be extremely costly to you ...

-- A move is afoot to limit the amount of glazing on commercial construction. I am part of a working group trying to head-off limits to the use of glass in the name of daylighting. The regulation, known as ASHRAE 90.1, is likely to come up at the ICC hearings in May. Bob Trainer's clarion call in an earlier blog for the "Got glass" campaign resonates strong.

-- I received an e-mail last week from a program manager in the environmental pollution control division within the state government of California. She was asking for help in gathering some facts and figures on the auto glass segment. It appears they're moving forward with their auto glass glazing requirements that she spoke about last year at an NGA event, which will require mandatory tinting by 2012. While there is mostly opportunity for the industry here, they are looking at requiring all shops to maintain and report on jobs completed within a 2-5-year period. This could increase your administrative costs by 5 to 15 percent.

-- Lead paint rules covering renovation and repair on homes and other structures built prior to 1978 are scheduled to take effect on April 22. How this ever escaped the Bush Administration, I'll never know; but it's clearly fueled by an even more activist EPA. Katie bar the door! Click on this link for more details.

While Congress may be running the Red Queen's race, it appears the agencies have no intention of relenting. At a time when business needs all the cooperation it can get from the government to grow and add jobs, it appears some activists have gotten the opposite message.

That's why now, more than ever, you need to get involved. When you see something objectionable or harmful taking place, respond quickly and proactively. Write your policymakers. Let them know you're watching, and tell them what they need to do better. In this tumultuous election year particularly, they should listen more attentively, even if they are huffing and puffing through the Red Queen's race.

— By David Walker, Vice President of Association Services, National Glass Association

The opinions expressed here are those of the individual author and do not necessarily reflect those of the National Glass Association, Glass Magazine editors, or other glassblog contributors.

Discussing double glazing

I got an e-mail the other day from a Mr. J.E. Swain, and he asked two questions:

1. "Why is the double-glazing industry producing 20-millimeter space partially filled argon gas units? Considering argon gas optimum gap between glass panes is 14 mm with a maximum of 16 mm, any wider, the gas reduces the efficiency and durability by approximately 35 percent, and why partially filled instead of full fill? 2. "Why is there no easy way for the consumer to determine the extent of argon fill of any double-glazed unit that is supplied?"

I forwarded his e-mail to a few experts within the industry, and this is what I got:
On the first question, Margaret Webb, executive director of the Insulating Glass Manufacturers Alliance, Ottawa, Ontario, suggested contacting the manufacturer directly. In general, she said, "Manufacturers will gas fill to the concentration required to obtain a specific rating for code compliance. This can vary from manufacturer to manufacturer as the overall thermal performance values are determined by the entire window assembly; [it] is not just a function of gas fill. Typically, gas fill will improve thermal performance of a unit by 5 percent."

Tracy Rogers, technical director, Edgetech I.G., Cambridge, Ohio, said that some manufacturers do not have optimized IG packages and best fit IG systems into existing framing systems. "A window system design must consider other dimensional requirements than just the IG unit overall dimension," he said. "Other manufacturers are designing for acoustical performance and, in this case, the greater the glazing gap the better; regardless of gas type. Lastly, some don’t understand proper design for thermal optimization."

Jeff Haberer, tech services engineer, Cardinal Corp., St Louis Park, Minn., said that introducing 20-mm spacers isn't a trend that he's seeing. "We have offered a 19-mm spacer for some time as it allows the use of two 3-mm glass lites to make a 1-inch overall thick IG unit that fits in most commercial glazing frames," he said. "This, plus a slight improvement in sound control (3dB) are the only advantages that I see."

On the second question, Webb said that the industry has not developed a non-invasive method of determining the gas fill in the field. "Calibration of any measurement device would be required for the specific field conditions, which change frequently even within one day," she said. "At the present time, the method of determining the gas fill of a unit is by removing the window from the building envelope and sending it to a lab. This need not be a destructive test but there are measurement devices that can be more easily calibrated in a lab setting where the environmental conditions can be controlled."

Rogers offered: "If a window manufacturer provides product that is certified under the National Fenestration Rating Council, the design gas fill content (argon, krypton, etc.) is listed on the temporary label (on the glass). If this label isn’t available, the product can be traced by the CPD # on the permanent label as posted on the NFRC’s Certified Product Directory on the NFRC Web site. If not NFRC certified, then they have to go by what the manufacturer provides."

Haberer said, "The difficulty in measuring argon has been pursued for decades now. There are now non-destructive ways of determining gas fill. They are relatively easy to use and determine gas content, but they cost approximately $12,000."

In the U.K., the British Fenestration Rating Council has a parallel program and requirements, Rogers added.

I'd love to get your feedback as well, and I'm sure so will Mr. Swain. Add your answers as comments or e-mail me, and I'll make sure they reach him.

—By Sahely Mukerji, Senior editor, Glass Magazine

Goal checkup: How are you progressing?

In my last blog we covered the basics of goal setting: 1) set the goal, 2) develop a plan, 3) keep the goal and plan in front of you, 4) focus on the reward for accomplishing it.

By now, you have either done nothing toward achieving your goal, have started but lost confidence in achieving your goal, or are making progress toward reaching the goal. Regardless of which stage you are in, it is most important to know where you currently are in your progress toward reaching your goal.

Goal checkup questions
Ask yourself:
1) Are you serious about your goal? If not, you’re wasting time reading this blog.
2) Where exactly are you?
3) How do you feel about what you’ve accomplished so far?
4) Do you have any external support encouraging you in this quest?
5) What adjustments, if any, do you need to make to be successful?
6) Are you using any of your five senses to make the reward real?

Dealing with competing priorities
One of the biggest challenges to hitting a goal can be friends and family who unintentionally ask you to do things that distract you from your primary target. Let me give you an example: I stated in my last blog that I have a personal goal of running 56 miles on my 56th birthday later this year. I am a member of the Glass Professional Forum. We are an informal group of glass shop owners from throughout the country that meet several times to discuss “best practices.” These meetings are very important to me and the success of my company. Our next meeting will be in NYC in May. We are deciding the specific dates now. I let the group know that I will not be attending because I have some long-distance runs scheduled for those dates. Nicole Harris, publisher of Glass Magazine and a member of this group, said she could run part of the way with me in Central Park. She said she could get others of the group to also run different distance legs with me in Central Park. As an aside, I may be the only person in the country that has not been to NYC, and it is a dream of mine to run in Central Park. I am confident that we are going to work out the details that will allow me meet with my peers, complete my long run and realize a lifetime dream simultaneously.

At first, it appeared that this meeting with my peers could be a distraction toward reaching my goal of running 56 miles. However, it could also keep me on track to reaching my company’s growth goals. How do I resolve the apparent conflict between these two critical goals? Every time competing priorities appear, it is a good thing. It tests your commitment, sharpens your thinking, and hones your priorities. The questions to ask are:
1) How do I resolve the apparent conflict between these competing goals?
2) How will this situation help me accomplish my goals?
3) How can I turn a potential distraction into a positive tool to help me succeed?

A quote to apply: “Limits, like fears, are often just an illusion” -- Michael Jordon.

—Bill Evans, president, Evans Glass Co., Nashville

Serving a changing architectural community

The architectural community has struggled through this recession. Faced with two years of declining business, firms have downsized, cut services and, for many, closed. According to a Jan. 20 New York Times article, employment at architectural firms nationwide was 184,600 in November, down almost 18 percent from its peak of 224,500 in July 2008. And in a recent AIA survey, 18.8 percent of respondents said their firm would be considerably smaller in 2010 because of downsizing; 3.9 percent said their firm would probably close this year.

In our architects issue in May, we would like to feature some of the products and services that architects are demanding in this changed economy, and we would like your input. Please email me or post a comment to the following questions if you’d like to share your thoughts. And thanks!

• In your experience, what is the glass and glazing education level of architects? How much do they know about the latest industry products? What types of products are they expressing the most interest in?
• How often do architects turn to your project managers for guidance on a project? What services are they asking you to provide?
• How have the changes in firms (downsized staff and services) affected the way you do business with designers?
  

--By Katy Devlin, associate editor

Grow glass

All the news on the economy trending toward the negative can wear you and your co-workers down. The construction and our glass industry have been down. All companies have made changes and adjustments.

There are small signs of rebounding segments in the economy. It’s time to turn our mindsets, energies and strategies to the positive. The glass industry saw unprecedented growth during the last construction cycle run-up. People like to live, work, and play around the products and installations our industry produces. This exciting trend did not go away, it just slowed.

All industries go through peaks and valleys, along with down cycle economies. Ours will rebound, and it starts with us! We need an all-industry push to "Grow glass!" We have a multitude of great products for many applications. We need to showcase our products and educate our markets on the exciting ways to use them.

Like “Got milk,” it should be “Got glass.” We have the most innovative and differentiating products in the construction market. Showing these products, samples, colors, textures, specialty aspects and performance characteristics is fun!!

The more we educate consumers and show off our products, the faster our industry rebounds. Do renderings of what a new front or façade could look like and get them in potential customers' hands to think about. It works! The potential in the solar energy market is massive. Glass companies must stake a claim and make it our market. The remodel and retrofit of old energy-wasting systems is another potentially huge market.

Tired old showrooms and marketing literature won’t cut it. Let’s spiff it up. Every time we have any interaction with customers we should introduce, explain and use visuals of the exciting new products and systems.

Glass products made it into bathrooms to a high level of success. Now, how about kitchens, walls, floors, ceilings, and hallways? We have awesome innovative new products for homes and offices. What about glass doors in homes? In Europe and Japan it’s very prevalent, but not in the U.S. -- yet!

Just had a restaurateur tell me how his exciting use of glass increased his wine sales and business overall. Glass adds value and business. It’s cool, trendy and makes you feel good.

Learn from our vendors. They have great varieties of offerings and applications. Why wait around? Let’s market and sell. Re-energize and train our people on promoting glass. We need to be up with the positive and "Grow glass."

--Robert J. Trainor, chief executive officer, Trainor Glass Co., Alsip, Ill.

Chinese glass imports continue to spark controversy

I honestly didn’t know what to think when I learned last year that the bid to supply blast-resistant glass for the new World Trade Center tower went to a Chinese company. On the one hand, I’m all for cost savings, provided the product or service is high quality. On the other, I identified with PPG spokesman Jack Maurer when he said in a Patriot-News interview: "This is going to be an iconic U.S. building that will have Chinese glass in it. At the end of the day, this glass could be made in the United States."

These feelings resurfaced when I read a recent New York Times article, in which Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) echoed Maurer's sentiment. “Imagine China building a huge structure intended to be an important national symbol and importing glass from the United States to build it," Brown said. "There is no way the Chinese would do that.”

In the New York Times article and a subsequent Toledo Blade piece, the national media called attention to the declining state of domestic glass production, citing Beijing Glass’ winning bid as evidence of U.S. glass manufacturers’ struggle to compete against foreign suppliers. The Chinese glass industry, specifically, experienced a three-fold increase in exports to the U.S. from 2000 to 2008, while the U.S. trade deficit with China on glass tripled in the same period, according to an Economic Policy Institute study.

“Our domestic glass industry is the most efficient in the world, but it cannot compete against production that is heavily subsidized by the Chinese government,” said Scott Paul, executive director for the Alliance for American Manufacturing, in a letter to glass executives last fall. “As a result, glass production in the U.S. has suffered in recent years, with plant closings and thousands of lost jobs throughout the country.”

According to an EPI release, the U.S. glass industry has contracted by about 30 percent—nearly 40,000 jobs—since 2001. Sixteen states, among them California, Michigan, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, have lost at least one out of four of their glass industry jobs since 2001. See how the float plant landscape in North America has changed over the past five years, here.

To help domestic glass manufacturers compete, some are pushing for tariffs on Chinese imports. Others, like Sen. Brown, are calling for a national manufacturing policy to lower the cost of doing business in the U.S. As for the glass manufacturers themselves, some—like Guardian, which The New York Times reports will supply the glass for the upper 85 floors of the tower—are continuing to expand glass production overseas. Read how, here.

"Those who are looking through the rearview mirror, waiting for the glass industry in this country to come back, should know it isn't going to come back, not the way it was," said Russ Ebeid, Guardian chairman, in the New York Times article.

What do you think the future holds for domestic glass production? Is a return to growth in the cards? Is government intervention the answer?

—Jenni Chase, Editor, Glass Magazine

Commitment ignites action

It's easy to remain committed when times are good. Everyone's busy, days and weeks run together as we go about our business, and we do the things we planned to do and are expected to do. Others do what they're supposed to do, just as we expect them to. Contracts are honored, customers pay, you pay your vendors, and everything trickles down and steamrolls ahead like it is supposed to. Sure, some people let you down. But for those of us who try to do what we say, doing so takes little effort or consideration.

But when times are tough, commitment requires more effort. Commitment becomes intentional. Commitment requires you to be ... committed.

I am reminded of this as I leave a meeting at the NGA offices. Times are tough at your association, a reflection and natural extension of the tough times in our own companies, industry, and country. So the staff's commitment is more noticeable now, although it has always been there and been taken for granted. They, too, are doing more with less. They are not doing the same with less, they are doing more with less. With a smaller budget and fewer people, they are putting out more and better products for us.

The training and education opportunities are top-notch, including myglassclass.com, the Glazing Executives Forum, Autoglass Technician Certification, and the new Window and Door Dealers Forum. Glass Magazine, Window & Door Magazine, and the e-news products have the best reporting and look at least as good as anything you will find on the news stand. And just wait till you see the GlassBuild America show in Vegas this September. Just like in your company, there are also more superstars behind the scenes making it all happen.

All these people are committed, and that is a choice they consciously make. Thinking about them brings to mind all the other committed people in my life: employees, suppliers, friends, and especially my wife, but this is a shout out to the amazing staff at the NGA. You might not know them, but they are hard at work for you and me, making this industry better and our jobs easier. Think of them when you read your magazine, or take an online class, or register to attend or exhibit at GlassBuild America. If each of us chooses to be as committed as they are, then our industry, the glass industry, will lead the way in the months and years to come. And we will all be better for it.

--By Chris Mammen, president, M3 Glass Technologies, Irving, Texas

E-networking is next best to face-to-face networking

—Matt Rumbaugh, division manager, Education, Training and Certification, National Glass Association



Are you on Twitter? How about Facebook? Even if you're not, you probably know people that are. Technologies that people had barely heard of two years ago are now major factors in how they communicate, how they advertise, and how they learn.

In my role here at the NGA, I spend a lot of time thinking about how people learn. Specifically, I think about how glass people learn. The challenge I have is to figure what people in the industry need to know and the most efficient way for us to help them do so. One of the things I quickly realized is that there's never a single right answer. Thus, I started reaching out to friends in the industry for help and perspective. When I did, I found that in the glass business, more so than any industry I've been a part of, relationships matter. If there's an issue in someone's glass business, they're much less likely to read for the latest business bestseller or hire a high-priced consultant. Instead, they reach out to their friends. That's one of the major factors underlying the NGA's Glazing Executives Forum. Even though we work hard to bring in quality speakers and facilitators, we always hear back that the highest value people get from the event is the ability to network with their industry peers. I'm sure other industries are similar to a degree, but in the glass business, it's definitely true that peer-to-peer learning is the most effective strategy.

We even notice this during our weekly sessions for the Glass Management Institute. For those not familiar, GMI is the NGA's professional development program. We meet via weekly Web conference with some of the brightest minds in the industry, discussing topics like sales, estimating, and project management. One of the things we've found is that our students aren't just passive observers during this process; they use technology to facilitate the learning even more. If someone has a question during our session, they raise it in our online chat room. Often, before a speaker even has a chance to read it, a fellow student will jump in with an answer or a resource to seek out more information. Students have swapped thoughts on marketing techniques, estimating software and project scheduling documents.

That's where Facebook, Twitter, and their various technological cousins come in. I'm sure you handle a lot of e-mail and you're obviously savvy enough with blogs to be reading this. But if you haven't explored these technologies, you might want to take them for a test drive. I'll confess to being a little behind the curve with Twitter (I have an account, but I haven't done much with it), but I find Facebook to be useful. At first, I mostly re-connected with friends from high school and college. Pretty soon, though, I linked up with some industry people and e-learning experts. It's become a vehicle to easily share interesting articles, exchange thoughts and ideas, and get introduced to others. There are things I learn via Facebook that I wouldn't otherwise hear about. While I may not have gotten the hang of Twitter, others have. Amazon.com uses their Twitter feed to offer special rates to their followers. Ashton Kutcher used Twitter to raise awareness of Malaria in Third World countries. During last year's protests in Iran, Twitter was the most effective way to follow the events. Sure, there's a lot of silliness, but there's a lot of powerful business activity, too.

Lest you think I'm just here to be a shill, let me assure you, I'm not. It's just that as I look more and more into how people actually learn, it's platforms like these that catch my attention. We can write hundreds training manuals or online courses, but they'll never take the place of interacting with your peers. And technology is getting better every day at facilitating these connections for all of us.

If you do decide to jump in, check out the NGA on Facebook or follow us on Twitter at @NatGlassAssoc. We'd love to hear from you.

Don’t get stung by new EPA requirements

Do you perform residential glass and window applications? Or install products at child care facilities? If so, it’s time to get up to speed on new lead paint requirements coming from the Environmental Protection Agency.

Starting in April, any contractor completing work in pre-1978 homes must follow the new procedures. Not doing so could result in fines up to $37,500 per day, per violation. Some folks have told me that they don’t expect much enforcement right away. But, $37,500? That’s nothing to sneeze at.

According to the new lead paint rules, contractors working on these older homes need to be trained and certified in lead-safe work practices, and take a series of additional lead-safe steps on the job site. Download the EPA’s compliance guide to see all the new rules. For the certification applications, click here. The EPA’s Renovator and Trainer Tool Box provides additional information.

These new requirements could have a pretty major effect on some glass and window companies. If you think your company might be affected, even for just a small number of jobs every year, read a full-length article from Glass Magazine about the rules, and check out the Window & Door Dealers Alliance lead paint Webinar on Feb. 9. April is going to be here soon; make sure you don’t get caught by surprise.

--By Katy Devlin, associate editor

Set a goal, turn it into a plan, then implement it

Let’s focus on goals. The theme of this and succeeding blogs will focus on goals, goal setting, and goal achieving.

We have just begun a new calendar year. If you have not set one or more goals for this year, do it now. Several clichés come to mind: if you don’t have a target, you can’t hit it; you can’t take a journey without a map. They go on and on. Suffice it to say that goals are mandatory, both professionally and personally, for growth and for survival. Goal setting gives meaning to everything else. A goal has to be time specific and measurable.

Can you think of anyone who has achieved anything by just showing up for work and doing what is expected? People who achieve always plan to achieve. Achievers are very specific about where they want to go and when they will get there. Virginia Wade, the last British woman to win a singles title at Wimbledon, said she had dreams, but not well planned-out goals. Once she planned her goals, she won Wimbledon. She set her sights on a goal, planned how to get it, worked to get it and got it.

Find something you want. That will be the reward for reaching your goal. Set the goal. Once a goal is set, turn the goal into a plan. Once a plan is determined, turn the plan into action by taking whatever steps are required. Keep in mind that consistency builds momentum. I have set a personal goal to run 56 miles on my 56th birthday later this year. I have determined, with the help of others, a training program to build endurance and strength. This includes cross-training, running, adequate sleep, proper nutrition, encouragement from others, and more. I have a plan to reach my goal. I have begun turning the plan into action by running, cross-training, eating well, etc. Each little action builds confidence, which in turn builds momentum and makes it easier to take the next step toward the goal.

Our company has also set goals. One in five businesses grows during challenging economic times. We have set some growth goals and have made specific plans to achieve the goals. We are beginning to penetrate markets we have not traditionally entered. We are making new contacts with potential customers that need specialty glass items. We are breaking down revenue and profit numbers so that each of us understands how we impact them. We are working to create a “we can” attitude in lieu of a “but” attitude. We can measure our progress.

Set a goal! Set several goals. Set personal goals; set corporate goals. As we enter the new year, let’s have a specific destination. Don’t wait for all the traffic lights to turn green before beginning the trip.

A quote to remember and apply: “The will to win means nothing without the will to prepare,” said Juma Ikangaa, a world-class marathon runner from Tanzania.

—Bill Evans, president, Evans Glass Co., Nashville

Roller coasters, anyone? 2010 promises a bumpy ride

2009 has wound down, leaving in its trail blood, sweat and tears. Arch filed for bankruptcy; Coastal Glass ceased operation; Oldcastle and PPG closed plants; PPG slashed 2,500 jobs; and AGC laid off workers. It was a rough 12 months, to put it mildly.

To add to misery, in 2010, glass and glazing folks will face challenges in the form of cap and trade and health care reform. In a rare Christmas Eve vote, Senate Democrats passed the health care legislation by a 60-39 margin. The House passed its bill in November, and officials say by February the two sides will sort out its differences and pass the final version.

Some have labeled the legislation a “government takeover of health care.” Read a story on industry professionals’ concern about the matter.

Meanwhile, by brokering a climate deal in Copenhagen less than a couple of weeks ago, President Obama has committed himself to push for comprehensive climate legislation in the Senate this year. To deliver on the pledges that the president made to other world leaders, it will be essential to enact a legislation to cap the U.S. carbon dioxide output and allow polluters to trade emission permits.

Not pleasant news for the glass and glazing industry, a major emitter of greenhouse gas. Read a story on how cap and trade could hurt the industry.

In the field of codes and standards, the proposed revisions to ASHRAE 90.1 could have undesirable effects on the industry. Read story.

However, all is not gloom and doom. The bright spot is the economy finally beginning to turn. At the Outlook 2010 Executive Conference in October, economists said housing starts will expand 26 percent in 2010. While single-family housing starts will rise 30 percent, multifamily starts will advance 14 percent.

Unfortunately, the picture is not as positive in the commercial sector, the economists at the conference said. The recovery in commercial construction has been pushed back to 2011 at the earliest, assuming that credit markets continue to improve and lending conditions become more accommodative. In 2009, the decline for commercial buildings in square footage was 54 percent, and in dollars down 43 percent. For 2010, the loss of momentum will continue, though the declines will ease as contracting retreats another 7 percent.

Overall, the level of construction starts in 2010 is expected to climb 11 percent, the Outlook 2010 economists said.

What are your lessons learned from 2009? Will you apply those this year to improve your situation? Tell me how.

—By Sahely Mukerji, Senior editor, Glass Magazine