American Weatherseal, a major vinyl window manufacturer located in Orrville, Ohio, shut down operations this week. Things were looking bright only several years ago that they decided to build a new plant, which they moved into last year. I remember visiting the new plant just after it opened in 2007, and I was amazed at [...]

Triple pane windows are really taking off! What was once a market niche is becoming a high-growth segment of the window market. Look at thermal images of a dual-pane window versus a triple-pane window with one side cold and one side room temperature. With the dual-pane design, one can see heat loss all around the [...]

The GlassBuild America (GBA) Show is just around the corner. October 6 will be here before we know it. Yet, many remain unsure as to whether they are going to attend or not. Many suppliers are worried that they will all be standing around talking to each other.
During my travels the last few weeks, I [...]

Go to Google™ and type in the word “innovation.” You’ll soon end up at Wikipedia, which says, “The term innovation may refer to both radical and incremental changes in thinking, in things, in processes or in services (Mckeown, 2008).” The description goes on to say, “The goal of innovation is positive change, to make [...]

Good news! Oil dropped to $124 a barrel yesterday and looks like it is headed lower due in part to falling U.S. demand for gasoline. Economists sound relieved. Some of them actually sound surprised! Well, when prices go up, demand does fall, even when it comes to gasoline, the demand for which may be [...]

Energy Star will no longer be a slam dunk. The hoop is being raised so to speak. Beginning in 2009, the U-value requirements necessary to qualify a window for Energy Star will be significantly tougher. Stephen Bickel of D&R International, which administers the Energy Star program, announced recently that the new proposed criteria will be [...]

It is time for a new water heater. After 13 years, it is starting to leak. So I call half a dozen contractors to get quotes. After an hour of surfing the internetInternet, I have gained enough intelligence on the subject to shop confidently. The problem, however, is that the contractors I am talking to [...]

It seems as though Al Gore is now selling windows. I now have window companies asking me “how much carbon dioxide emission does your product save per year?”
Indeed, with the ever-increasing emphasis on “green” and concern about how much of a “carbon footprint” we are leaving, many customers are interested in capitalizing upon this by [...]

I drove past a window dealer in Michigan yesterday, and decided to stop in to see the showroom. I often like to listen in on sales presentations to get ideas on sales techniques that may be helpful when conducting dealer-training seminars. What I have been hearing all too often are salespeople keying in on window [...]

Thermal performance in window design is taking on a new definition. We have seen the industry go from center of glass U-value measurements to overall window U-value measurements. We have seen a change from aluminum as the dominant spacer system to warm-edge spacer options that range from less conductive metal types to totally non- metal [...]