The ET Foundation, an educational and scientific organization devoted to promoting and advancing aluminum extrusion processes and technologies, and the Aluminum Extruders Council (AEC) have released a Call for Entries for the 2024 International Aluminum Extrusion Design Competition. The competition includes two entry classes: professional and student, with each competing group within their own class. […]

It probably goes without saying that door and window manufacturers learned a lot in the past few years, as we dealt with the pandemic and its aftereffects. Supply chain issues, hot demand, sky-high lead times … you probably don’t need me to remind you. We worked through it together. And amidst these challenges, there was […]

Customers from around the U.S. gathered in Nashville, Tenn., the first week of May for A+W Software’s biennial user conference. The company says its initiatives focus on the needs of customers, as the event helps to shape products, functions and supported systems. The goal includes developing software to increase competitive advantages and productivity, officials said, […]

“Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.” – George Bernard Shaw. The official Merriam-Webster dictionary lists change as a transitive verb, and I’m not arguing with the authority, but I think of it more as a noun. Change – like gravity – is a constant “thing” in life and […]

In talking to my customers, business in November is just like any other November. In other words, it has been very busy up until Thanksgiving, but since the turkey was cooked it’s been more like “Tanksgiving.” During the past two years, business was not seeing the normal holiday slowdown as door and window manufacturers were […]

“Customer Satisfaction Selling” has been around for decades, but in uncertain times, its importance is greater than ever before. The concept traces back to a lengthy and ongoing study on thousands of customers to determine what their thoughts and feelings were when people attempted to sell them or convince them to do business. The study […]

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 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 […]

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 […]