Every year I call my customers and ask them for a forecast. I get a varied response. Some say, “Your guess is as good as mine.” Others just repeat last year’s results. “Well last year we grew 10% so I am betting we will do that again.” It is evident from these conversations that very […]
The latest trend among vinyl window fabricators these days is second sourcing. For years many fabricators have been married to a single extruder with very little impetus to consider anyone else. After all, costs related to changing vinyl suppliers can easily go into the 6-figure category, which represents a significant hurdle for competitors. But now, […]
We will see four major trends in 2022. Let’s get started with the best one: sales will continue to grow. People are buying new homes as fast as they are being built and existing homes are being sold in hours. Who reading this has not received at least 10 texts, calls, or emails from random […]
What will 2022 bring in the way of challenges for our sales teams? Do we really need a first-quarter sales meeting to update and train our sales staff? After all, aren’t windows and doors selling themselves these days? My answer is an absolute “no.” The strong demand for windows and doors will persist well into […]
I was in the woods in my hunting blind earlier this week and, of course, checking my emails when all of a sudden, my cell phone died. I plugged it into my portable charger only to discover that battery power wasn’t the issue. It was just plain broke. I was hunting alone, so this made […]
Part of the fun associated with being in the door and window industry is seeing the development of innovative accessory products. These products leverage the functionality of doors and windows to help improve our lives. When the pandemic first hit, we rescued a dog that we named “Brinny.” Rescuing an animal from a shelter not only […]
These are crazy times. Demand for door and window products seems to be at an all time high with no end in sight. On any other planet that would be great news but not when it is coupled with material shortages, congestion at the ports, lack of qualified truck drivers, and anything else that could […]
As we head into the home stretch for 2021, door and window fabricators continue to be amazed at the unusually strong demand that doesn’t seem to be slowing at all. When demand is strong and business is good, fabricators are happy. But when demand is insane, material delays are a daily issue and labor is […]
I just returned from the Glass Build Show. Attendance was light, but the attitude was not. Many of my customers who would have otherwise attended chose to stay home, mainly because they are just too busy. Those who decided to go, however, went with a mission in mind. You see, the window and door industry […]
Well, the extra unemployment benefits provided by the CARES Act are due to expire on September 6 and Congress has no plans for renewing them. According to an article on CNBC’s Make It, once these benefits expire next week, most states have no intention of extending any additional benefits. So over 7.5 million workers will […]
