GlassBuild is upon us and, in preparing for the show, we wanted to take a look at the companies making big financial bets on the largest booths.  Such large booths carry with them a total investment of hundreds of thousands of dollars, if not a million or somewhat more.  With a few exceptions, the companies making big 2018 booth bets were the same companies that did so in 2017 as well.

Our apologies if there were any last minute changes to booth sizes, but it appears that the largest GlassBuild booths this year were invested in by GED Integrated Solutions, Erdman Automation and Forel, all of whom hit the 5,000 square-foot mark.  With products dedicated to IG manufacturing and glass processing, this group is in the bullseye of helping window manufacturers increase their productive output.  These booths typically feature entire IG manufacturing lines, so it would be easy to chalk up their size to their sheer space requirement.  Bear in mind, though, that a much smaller booth with videos showing the production machinery in action could be used if these companies weren’t confident that the window manufacturers attending the show are in an equipment buying, expansionary mode.

The next tier of booth sizes brings more machinery companies.  We see companies like Lisec, Intermac, and Salem Flat Glass & Mirror, with their glass cutting and processing machinery and FOM USA weighed in with a booth for its aluminum and PVC profile processing equipment.  Quanex took on the largest booth among vinyl profile manufacturers, followed by Deceuninck.

Architectural hardware, being small in size, lends itself to a smaller booth.  However, C.R. Laurence and Amesbury Truth both stepped up with larger booths than their competitors.  Smiley Lifting Solutions took on the largest booth among material handling companies, an area that should be of interest as our workplace ages and workplace injury settlements rise.

Among international companies with large booth investments at GlassBuild, European companies – many from Germany and Italy – are the best represented.  A look at the exhibitor map indicates that Asian suppliers, while numerous, have chosen to invest in more modest booths.

Whatever the size of the booth, we predict large and upbeat crowds. See you in Las Vegas and here’s wishing you a productive show.