Take advantage of Section 179. The 2022 Section 179 deduction is $1,080,000 (that’s one million, eighty thousand dollars). That’s a full 30k increase from last year. This means your company can buy/lease/finance new or used equipment and write off the full cumulative purchase price on your 2022 taxes. This can result in big tax savings, […]

It’s November already! With the year winding down and the demand curve leveling out, many window and door fabricators are getting caught up on back orders. Before you know it, spring of 2023 will be here. Even with reports of new COVID strains in the news, it is quite apparent that public life is almost […]

Many window manufacturers are reporting that sales are slowing down. The last few years we really didn’t have to worry about demand. We had other things to deal with like supply chain. Now, many fabricators are finally seeing a slowdown and are feeling uncertain about 2023. Well, when it comes to demand, it would be […]

Can you afford to take time away to go to upcoming trade shows? Well, most of my customers are still as busy as ever, despite the slowdown in new construction and thanks to backorders. But unfortunately, due to inflation and higher interest rates, a slowdown is just on the horizon. Holiday spending will be more […]

I was visiting a customer yesterday discussing the upcoming revised Energy Star requirements that will go into effect sometime in mid-2023 (Energy Star 7.0). He felt confident that, utilizing triple-pane insulating glass (IG) configurations, the majority of his window designs would meet the new U-value criteria, even in the Northern climate zone. This led to […]

I landed upon this recent article by Nicole Spector and after reading it, it does appear that the jury is still out as to whether or not we are really in a recession. Some indicators seem to point toward a recession while others are suggesting the economy is still in good shape. Most of my […]

During customer visits in the last few weeks, the feedback I am getting is that a slowdown is indeed happening. Window fabricators may produce a steady number of units, but new orders do not match daily production levels. Backorders make up the difference. Lead times are coming back down and in some cases are returning […]

Well, here we are once again heading for a new version of Energy Star that will begin in 2023 with even tougher requirements. As I completed my travels during the first half of this year, I noticed an overall lack of concern regarding the upcoming Energy Star changes. My customers seemed focused on the present […]

During the last few weeks, I have visited customers, and the topic of Energy Star has come up. Everyone wonders if the EPA will stick with the stringent requirements outlined in drafts 1 and 2 of Version 7.0 or move to some halfway point. This would give window and door fabricators extra time to adjust […]

With inflation on the rise and high gasoline prices biting into the discretionary income of working Americans, employers are tasked with ensuring that their wage rates are optimized to attract and maintain a reliable workforce. I recently returned from a road trip and spent time on the manufacturing floors of some of my top customers. […]