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Ian Barker (Barx) started life as an eager entrepreneur. Early teen businesses included goldfish farming, bike restoration, and wood turning. Now as a Director of The Glass Racking Company Ian assists factory managers and business owners of window and glass companies to save time, reduce damage and rework, and create safer work environments. Ian enjoys his work. Outside work Ian has a wife and two kids. He freedives and enjoys spearfishing, snow skis, swims, hunts with his son Charlie, attends all his daughter Lorelei's music and singing performances, adores his wife and children, and enjoys a beer. |
7 February 2012
How do I get the best efficiency from my glass vehicle fleet?
Rather than answer this one myself, please checkout the following link to the latest USGlass Magazine. On page 36 is a 4 page feature which addresses this very topic in great detail. It’s a very good article and well worth a read. Click HERE to read.
Or if that doesn't work for you here is the link :
http://www.magnetmail.net/actions/email_web_version.cfm?recipient_id=619694701&message_id=1761230&user_id=KEYCOMM&group_id=367613&jobid=8800034
Combining the benefits of the right truck cab chassis, the items outlined in the USGlass article, and the right retention system can make a huge difference to your transportation solutions and your company. Benefits will include time savings, cost savings, reduce risk of injury to staff, and improved image to your clients.
I hope you enjoy the USGlass article.
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30 January 2012
What does it really cost me to build it myself?
The Glass Racking Company is a supplier of factory handling equipment and transportation systems to the glass and window industries. Some companies in the glass and window industries build equipment themselves. So for the example of a trolley, what does it really cost to build one yourself?
Our trolleys have castors rated at 460kg (1000lbs) each, as they are designed to carry to weight of the glass. We buy them cheap as we source in bulk direct from the manufacturer, but buying a smaller volume locally of a similar quality castor can be expensive. Many self-made trolleys I see have inferior castors, so there is not a true cost saving here.
The bearing surfaces on our trolleys are an inserted polymer which is designed specifically for glass, and is a product owned by us and not available off the shelf. Self-made trolleys often have black rubber bearers (which rub and mark glass and windows) or timber. Both are inferior products which may be cheap to purchase but are not an apples with apples comparison versus a trolley from The Glass Racking Company.
Our trolleys have safety arms for safe manoeuvring of the glass and window around a factory. Few self-built trolleys have this feature.
We hot dip galvanise our trolleys for longevity and appearance. Many trolleys are used in wet conditions so galv is the best finish. Many self-made trolleys are raw steel or painted, so not the same.
I believe that the cost for a staff member to design a trolley, source all the parts, manufacture and assemble the trolley and make it suitable for work in the factory is much higher than most people realise. It’s the opportunity cost of what that staff member could otherwise be doing which is the real cost per hour. Also many business owners tell me it only took their person a day to fabricate the trolley, which doesn’t allow for all the design and sourcing time.
Lastly there is always a risk when you build something for the first time. Much innovation but also but cost comes from experimenting with new ideas. This is avoided by purchasing products from a specialist provider with over 20 years experience in supplying the glass and window industries.
So what is the real cost of a self-made trolley?
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23 January 2012
What did that staff injury cost?
With any work injury the primary concern is making sure that the injured staff member is ok and able to recover. There’s usually an investigation into how and why the injury happened so that the likelihood of a reocurrance can be reduced. Rarely however is the actual cost of the injury assessed.
I suggest the following costs need to be included :
The staff time off work
The cost of any medical treatments born by the company
The time taken by management to process the injury
Loss of production by other staff immediately following the incident and injury
The loss of productivity while the staff member is away
The additional management workload required rescheduling work and staff while the staff member is away
The time and costs associated with implementing new procedures (sometimes debatable as to their necessity)
Loss of staff morale
Company reputation
In some countries government and insurance levies are increased for workplaces where injuries are more common
The management stress associated with having an injured staff member (I’m not sure how to put a dollar figure on this, but thought it should be on this list)
Yep, it’s a pretty long list of potential and very real costs.
Many of the products supplied to the glass and window industries by The Glass Racking Company are focussed on health and safety to make our workplaces safer, reducing incidents and injuries. Our primary goal is staff wellbeing, but a clear secondary consideration is the actual costs of an injury.
At times our customers management tell us that staff won’t use the tools they’ve been provided. With equipment which has been purchased for health and safety benefits, whose decision is it as to whether the equipment gets used or not? Consider the potential costs when making this decision!
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16 January 2012
How can technology give me a competitive edge?
The Glass Racking Company is one of around a dozen companies globally which specialise in factory handling and transportation systems for glass and windows. I believe we are the only company in the world which has developed a solution specifically for transporting window frames. Everyone who buys this solution is looking to gain competitive advantage.
So is it the technology that creates the advantage? I believe not. It’s the application of that technology to fix a well-understood problem, and that’s where the quality of the people who manufacture and supply the solution make a difference.
I’m often asked to quote a particular product from our catalogue. When I ask the customer for more detail about what they’re trying to achieve, I’m often able to offer an even better solution. That’s a skill we have, and a benefit of doing business with a company who is dedicated to understanding and helping the glass and window industries.
Can companies, which copy our products, offer the same benefits? I think not. So they key to gaining a competitive edge is to align with a partner who has good staff and good technology. Having only one is not enough.
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9 January 2012
What would happen in an earthquake?
In my home town we’ve had over 8500 earthquakes in the last 12 months, including the most violent earthquake ever recorded anywhere in the world. The losses of glass have been massive, and to date there have been no earthquake related fatalities in the glass and window industry.
During the year all Christchurch glass and window manufacturers have been seeking to make their workplaces safer in an earthquake.Earthquakes can occur in any part of the world, and it makes sense to consider the following if an earthquake occurred :
- How would each of my staff get out of the building?
- On their way out what storage systems would they have to pass by, and how would those storage systems be behaving in an earthquake?
- Which items could fall and break?
- Which items would become potentially dangerous if broken or falling?
- Which items are on castors or wheels and would potentially move in an earthquake?
In one glass factory I visited the staff had to run a gauntlet of falling glass to get out of a building. Had it not been for glass retention systems they would have been injured. Another factory had trolleys on castors rolling around the floor, and one factory manager narrowly missed being crushed by a rolling glass cutting table.
A third factory was unloading a pack of glass from an open top container when an earthquake occurred. The pack of glass swung, narrowly missing one of the staff who was in the container. In each of these situations the earthquake was making any movement by the staff more challenging. Many people have been knocked to their feet by the earthquakes, so any planning for exiting an area need to take this into account.
Bryn and myself now have unique knowledge about earthquakes and the glass and window industry and are keen to share this with anyone who wants to listen. Please call anytime.
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2 January 2012
Where do my factory staff walk?
When factory staff in glass and window factories are standing in one position doing their work we gain many benefits. These include :
- Improved productivity by that staff member
- Reduced disruption to other staff members
- Improved health and safety (mostly)
- Improved quality
However, if the part of a manufacturing process which a staff member is responsible for requires them to move around the factory then each of these four benefits tends to diminish.
Many of the storage and factory handling (trolley) solutions which The Glass Racking Company provide the glass and window industry are designed to bring bulk or partially processed raw materials closer to where the staff work. A great example is our tooth based DGU and sash trolleys. These allow a sash maker to have a stock of cut lengths and DGUs right next to his sash assembly table, and a trolley for placing the finished sashes in. When organised well, the sash maker can be head down making sashes all day without the need to walk around the factory. The only movement needed is to wheel another load of DGUs to his work area, or wheel a load of finished sashes to the final assembly area.
It’s an interesting exercise to track where each of your factory staff move around the factory on a typical day. Once you understand their movements and why they move it becomes easy to make improvements.
26 December 2011
Its Boxing Day today and most of the glass and window industry staff and management are at home with their families and friends.I hope you’ve had a good Christmas, and thank you for your readership and feedback over the past year.
I would also like to wish you a very Merry Christmas and we are looking forward to helping you and your company’s through 2012. Bryn Thompson, Founder / CEO The Glass Racking Company bryn@theglassrackingcompany.com .
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19 December 2011
Where do hard surfaces touch my product?
Glass manufacturers and window fabricators work with products which scratch very easily. When scratched both products becomes worthless. Scratches only occur when a hard surface touches the product, so it makes sense to build manufacturing processes which eliminate the risk of a hard surface touching the product.
I challenge you to walk through the entire manufacturing process at your facility from the point of delivery (and consider how your raw materials are delivered) to the point where the customer takes ownership of the finished product, to identify where (if any) hard surfaces touch your product. If you make changes to these areas of your factory you will reduce rework costs.
Products to eliminate the hard surfaces vary from simple plastic sheathing on pipework, to polymer bearing surfaces on trolleys and storage systems, and clip on copolymer Profoams for separating units. At The Glass Racking Company we have a range of such products and will be pleased to help you. We are also focused on developing new protection products for the glass and window industries, so if your needs are new to us we’ll work with you to create a solution which will work.
Please let us know how we can help.
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12 December 2011
What did that rework cost?
This is the third blog in a series of questions for executives and staff in the glass and window industries to ask ourselves, our staff, our customers and our suppliers.
In my job I get to meet a lot of business owners and factory managers for glass and window companies in their facilities. Some are very open about their rework costs and issues. Others tell me they never have rework. Either way most end up buying a solution where one of the major benefits is reduced rework.
So what did that rework cost?
Imagine a window fabricator who’s taking a load of custom made windows to their customer site one hours drive from their factory. Along the way one of the windows, an average sized and valued unit, is scratched and the factory glazed DGU gets cracked. What does this actually cost the window fabricator? Is it the cost of the unit? The steps involved in fixing this issue could include the following :
1. The driver phones the business owner
2. The driver tells the customer
3. The customer and the business owner talk
4. Someone tries to work out why this happened, and what the business can do differently to reduce the likelihood of the same thing happening again. This may lead to new policy and procedure, training, and/or corrective action.
5. The business orders more aluminum or PVC and a new DGU
6. The business owner and the supplies haggle over delivery times and who is to pay
7. The business owner advises the customer of likely dates/times for the replacement window
8. The business owner schedules the manufacture of the replacement unit in the factory
9. The business receives the raw materials and manufactures the unit
10. The unit is delivered to site
11. The customer is disappointed and the credibility of the business is impacted
12. Payment for the windows may be delayed
I spoke to a few window fabricators about what the actual dollar value of the fix is. I estimated the cost at around $400. One window fabricator said it would be at least twice that. What do you think?
Most agree that the cost of rework can be calculated and that the cost is high.
The keys to reducing rework is to stop hard surfaces from touching finished product, reduce the unwanted movement of finished product (such as when being transported), and reduce the number of “touches” of the product post manufacture. The Glass Racking Company has many products to achieve this. Some of these products are very low cost and have an immediate benefit and cost saving for the business using them. I believe these are “no-brainers”.
So I challenge you to think about your most recent rework. What was the cost of the fix, why did it happen, and how could you reduce the likelihood of this happening again?
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5 December 2011
Is this the best use of my time right now?
I’m writing this as I sit in a small town on a late Sunday afternoon after having my flight home cancelled. How ironic.
This is the second blog is a series of questions for executives and staff in the glass and window industries to ask ourselves, our staff, our customers and our suppliers. This particular question “Is this the best use of my time right now?” is a question to ask ourselves, although it can be turned around a little and asked of others.
All this question does is remind us of what our goals are and what you’ve already worked out you need to do to achieve them. Focus is just a way of not being distracted – and we are often offered distractions from what we know we should be doing.
My main goals for the coming week are well defined. If I can avoid distractions, and my flight tomorrow morning leaves on time, I should be able to achieve them.
However, the best use of our time is not limited to the working on our business goals. The best use of our time might be to take time to reflect, to reminisce about the good old days with a friend, to get exercise and stay fit, to let your kids know that you care and want to spend time with them, or to socialise with colleagues. We all need to spend time doing these things to be balanced, and when we’re balanced we’re most productive at work – we achieve more of our work goals.
I believe the key is to always be considering whether or not this is the best use if your time, and if it isn’t, change what your doing to something which will give a better outcome.
Simple questions. Better outcomes.
For me a better outcome is to go fishing in the rain with an old friend, so that’s what I’m going to do right now ……
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28 November 2011
What can I do to help?
This week I start a series of blogs on questions which make you think.
Its often said that successful people ask more questions than unsuccessful people, so I thought I’d run a series of blogs on good questions for the owners, managers and staff in the glass and window industries to ask themselves, their staff, their customers or their suppliers.
To kick this series off, here’s a very simple question : “What can I do to help?”. As I say to my kids, the more times they ask that question of their parents the better the household and our family runs. Kids being proactive and helping around the home leads to less stress and happier parents. When the home is running well the kids get more of things they want. It’s that simple.
Relating this to business in the glass and window industry, the same applies. We tend to want to help those who want to help us. If someone has a problem, whether they’ve admitted it or not, to ask what you can do to help is often all it takes to improve the relationship and lead the way towards better results and outcomes.
In dealing with customers it’s essential to find out what issues the customer is facing. This creates opportunities to promote your company and its services. My prospective customers often experience broken or damaged glass and window units during transportation to the customer site. What can I do to help? Well, my solutions from The Glass Racking Company help reduce transit damage and reduce costly rework ….
Think about it - when was the last time you said “What can I do to help?”. Say it a few more times today and see where it takes you. Let me know how you go.
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21 November 2011
Movember
Yes it’s that time of year again. Movember, the month when over a million men around the planet grow moutaches to raise funds and awareness for mens health.
Movember is something that I’ve supported for the last few years, and this year I’m again sporting some facial hair for the month. Men’s health issues have been in the closet for too long and if Movember helps get them out into the open and assists with funding research into cures and preventions then I believe it’s a good cause.
You’ll see attached a photo of my moustache after 21 days growth. It’s reasonably bushy and unfortunately even more grey than my moes of previous years, providing fodder for my friends, colleagues and families humour.
If you’re sporting a mo for Movember please send me a pic. It’ll be good to have the support of others in the glass and window industry.
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14 November 2011
Planning for the future
Imagine you’re given the ability to see the future. Imagine you can see that in your home town the number of new residential and commercial building constructions will increase by over 400% for the next 10 years. The start date is uncertain, but most likely a gradual increase over the next 12 months.
What goals would you set for your business, and what changes would you make to your business, starting today?
To make the game more interesting think of the changes you could make to your business in terms of the 8 P’s :
Product development (Will your product address the new market and is now a good time to invest in product improvements)
Pricing (What volumes will you sell at what margins)
Placement (Where in the market will you focus your sales effort)
Promotion (How will you advise new and existing customers about what you do)
Packaging (What services will you offer around your product and service)
People (How will you motivate and hold your best people, and how will you recruit)
Process (Will your processes meet your future needs)
Physical presence (What are the non-product things which your customers will see)
This is the challenge offered to the glass and window industries in Canterbury following on from the series of earthquakes and destruction of the last 14 months. Interestingly the number of glass and window companies which have made radical changes to their businesses is quite low.
If it were up to you, what would you do?
7 November 2011
Retail glass.
Our retail industry in New Zealand seems to be over-run by chains of stores that focus on price. Sports shops, as an example, seem to be more about selling low cost branded bags and hats and less about assisting the customers to use the right sports equipment for the sports they enjoy. My personal experience buying tennis equipment for my son is that good advise about racket selection from a retailer is hard to come by, and the entire retail experience was frustrating.
I also hunt. Hunting retail shops are brilliant. There are many very good specialist hunting stores, with staff who are hunting fanatics and happy to share their knowledge and wisdom. Shopping for hunting equipment is both enjoyable and educational, and most times I leave the hunting shop feeling I’ve achieved something and moved forward. This retail approach helps me as the customer and also sells their product.
In the evolution of the sports stores there must have been some point in time where they decided to stop focussing on employing experts in favour of cost reductions. A dark day indeed.
I believe that our glass industry has some similarities to hunting stores. The industry is full of experts who give good advice and good service. When a customer buys a houselot of windows or retrofit double glazes their house they are investing in a key component of their biggest asset. Surely this is the time to seek good advise before price.
Hopefully the nature of the product and the people in the industry will prevent the glass and window industry going the same way as the general sports stores.
The older I get the more appreciative I become of good advice, and the more accepting I am that good advice comes at a price or with a premium.
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31 October 2011
What makes the glass and window industries special?
The People
This is the last blog in a series of 13 weekly blogs on things I like about the glass and window industries.
One of my reasons for setting out to write this series of blogs was that the industry is depressed in terms of volumes which has made being a business manager or owner very challenging, with many having to make hard decisions they thought they’d never have to make. Additionally local businesses in my home town of Christchurch have been affected by the natural disaster of major earthquakes which have severely impacted our lives and businesses. The net result has been a glumness in the industry, a lack of confidence by business owners, and general negativity. As one business owner said to me last week “I’ve just had it with business and everything. I’m not sure when or how it’ll come right and I’m sick of pouring my savings back into my business”. Unfortunately this sentiment has been quite common. The glass and window industries people have become depressed and are not at their best.
I’ve been a part of that and find myself also down at times over what’s happened. It’s only natural.
So, what better way to cheer myself up (and hopefully a following of readers) than to get back to basics, the things we enjoy about the industries we work in! The glass and window industry is a wonderful industry that I’m very pleased and proud to be associated with. It has dynamics which make it unique, it’s chocka full with interesting people and characters, and it’s changing at a rapid rate. Coming up with a list of 13 things I like about the industries has been a piece of cake.
Taking a stance that the cup is half full, the economics of the industry will come right. We’ll see a lift in house and commercial building construction which will lead to increased volumes in the industry, and we will see a return to more normal profitability for businesses. In the meantime lets all keep doing our best, and enjoy the good things which the glass and window industries have to offer. Being glum won’t help, but being upbeat and positive will. Continued rolling in the mud doesn’t make you any cleaner!
We are the people of the industry and the industry is its people.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this series of my blogs. Any feedback is welcomed, as are suggestions on what else you’d like investigated and reported on.
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24 October 2011
Today is the day after the New Zealand All Blacks won the Rugby World Cup for the first time in 24 years. Most years we have been positioned as the top team in the world in every aspect except winning this trophy, so to finally win is a huge monkey off our backs. For many this win was as much a relief as a reason for celebration, and for me its both.
Back to the blog on reasons why the glass and window industries are such a great place to work :
What makes the glass and window industries special?
Health and Safety
Glass is a heavy flat panel product which is fragile, and when broken creates sharp edges and shapes with the ability to injure. The glass and window industries all require significant manhandling of glass, so our staff are in physical contact with the product during processing and installation.
The industry knows it has health and safety challenges. The Window Association of New Zealand is completing a document for its members on glass handling, and Viridian Australia just released a safety handling manual on DVD. At the recent annual awards ceremony for the AGGA/AWA the opening address challenged the attendees to help make the industry safer stating that the industry has had too many injuries. We all know we need to do health and safety better. What was good enough in the past is no longer good enough.
No safety, know pain
Know safety, no pain
The Glass Racking Company supplies a range of products to address health and safety needs within glass and window factories. Even in my home city, with over 8500 earthquakes in the last year including the most violent earthquake ever recorded anywhere on the planet, our success rate of selling safety solutions is low. We get asked for solutions. We design and quote a lot of solutions. But the number of customers who actually proceed to installing a solution where the primary outcome will be a safer work environment, whether from us or sourced elsewhere, is for me, surprisingly low.
Where we do get health and safety improvements is where they are built into solutions. Where the primary benefit of a product is for example a time saving, and the secondary benefit is health and safety. This helps the industry move forward with health and safety, but is it enough?
Health and Safety is a hobby-horse for me. I cringe when I read reports of staff from the glass and window industries being injured. I particularly dislike reading reports where the equipment used or staff training were to blame for the incident. These incidents are unnecessary and we are all responsible. I wish I could do more.
However, this series of blogs is about what makes the glass and window industries an interesting place to work, and despite my frustrations with health and safety, it is something that interests me.
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17 October 2011
What makes the glass and window industries special?
Glass is an international industry with local manufacturing
Congratulations to the All Blacks for their stunning victory over the Wallabies last night. Unlike the previous days rugby world cup semi-final between the Welsh and the French, the best team on the day did win. The final is now set between France and New Zealand, the two countries with largest number of rugby players – what a segway into this weeks blog …….
There’s no such thing as a small glass float line. They’re all massive, and they need to be. The volume produced from a single glass float line is enough to feed a pyramid of glass companies, window fabricators, and glaziers. This volume capability means that many float lines export their glass product to offshore markets. Glass is truly an international product.
However, in many markets the processing of that glass into finished product (cutting, edging, creating DGUs, etc) is completed in the home market, and most times relatively close to the site where the glass item is finally installed. In this way glass is truly a locally manufactured product.
For a variety of reasons, many glazing businesses are very small operations. Much of the work they do requires local processing and manhours and will never be replaced by larger highly automated offshore production.
The glass and window industry supports businesses from some of the largest to some of the smallest. The businesses bear little in common except that they work with the same core product, and in my opinion this is something which makes the glass and window industry an interesting place to work. Many of the smallest operators started their careers working for the larger companies, then broke away to do their own thing and run a business their way. Other smaller businesses are growing and will some day be major players – maybe not a float line operator but a key glass processor for their local area. Others are clearly happy with their lot and will just keep doing what they do.
The Glass Racking Company is a provider of glass and window transportation and factory handling solutions. We have the pleasure of dealing with all sized companies across many countries.
The glass and window industry provides opportunities to everyone who works in it, which creates change, and for me, makes the glass and window industry an interesting place to work.
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10 October 2011
What makes the glass and window industries special?
Many senior managers and owners are young and innovative, new blood
This is a series of blogs on what makes the glass and window industries an interesting place to work. One of the majors for me is the people, and I especially enjoy time with the more senior or older members of the glass and window community - their wisdom and practical knowledge is always a pleasure to experience.
In this particular blog I’m going to focus on a different group, and one which I see as growing in momentum. It’s the young and enthusiastic new blood which the industry has attracted.
Although the world economy may be in the doldrums, we see many new entrants to the industry taking on senior roles as boards and executives try to find ways to innovate their way to a better financial position.
While manning a trade show stand for The Glass Racking Company, a young man boldly walked up to our stand, introduced himself, and asked “What new innovative products have you got to show me?”. What a great question! It turns out he is a general manager and very focused on using technology to enhance his business and gain competitive advantage. We talked for almost an hour. Senior Managers with this kind of passion for their business lead the industry.
In my home town one of the busier window fabricators is a new start-up, with an owner and manager who is new to the industry. He studied the industry, worked out where an opening for a new player with a new approach would fit, employed a very good right hand man, and went into business. Their model is working and they’re succeeding in a depressed market.
On a recent sales trip I visited a window fabrication business which had been under new ownership for around a year. The owner was working his way through the business investing time and money into each area to make it better before moving to the next area of the business. We discussed window transportation and agreed some actions to work on – some were about understanding the business and issues better, and some were about technology and solutions. I enjoy these meetings and I’m sure that the purchases he makes from The Glass Racking Company will make a major difference to his business.
The key to introducing new innovative executives to an existing business is that the business maintains a backbone of experienced and skilled staff and that both the new and experienced staff respect that each has a role to play. Allowing a new person to change things they don’t fully understand is just as harmful as having all new ideas squashed before they are fully explored.
It’s the people in the glass and window industries that make it an interesting place to work. This blog has focused on the new blood, and some time in the future we’ll have a look at some of the characters.
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3 October 2011
What makes the glass and window industries special?
The risk of low cost imported commodity products
I live and work in a western economy and in a western market. My company and others which operate as we do have investment in R&D, tooling, skilled employees, requirements in terms of government legislation, and a similar cost structure to the glass and window companies which we supply.
Our competitors can be broken into two groups – those which operate in the same environment, and those which manufacture at lower cost offshore locations, typically Asia. Those which operate in lower cost offshore locations most often have a lower priced product to offer the market, but price is not everything. This is the same challenge for the glass and window industries. To be successful local manufactures must justify their price premium through differentiating their product.
In many of the markets in which we operate, suppliers of glass and windows from these lower cost offshore manufacturers are quite new and are seen by many of the incumbent suppliers as being a threat to the local businesses and economy. And they are. In some cases local government legislates to protect local businesses while other governments are more free market.
The reality is that there will always be countries which have a lower cost of manufacture than traditional western countries. It seems unlikely that will change in the short to medium term. This is a challenge which is here to stay and each business must work out their place and how they can be successful.
This is a challenge which is not unique to western economy glass and window companies. Most if not all western manufacturers have the same challenge.
In general, most lower cost offshore manufacturers are best at doing large runs of identical product. When it comes to standardisation they are the kings. However, short runs of highly tailored product present a challenge. This is where local manufacturers can differentiate. In many ways the architects who design difficult glass and window solutions are the best friends of the local manufacturer. In fact you could say they are essential to the ongoing viability of many local manufacturers in some markets.
How ironic that the architects who create difficult projects, and are often criticised for it, are also the life blood.
This is another aspect of our industries which challenges us, generates concern and discussion, creates decisions and change, open doors of opportunity for those who are prepared to change, and helps make glass and window an interesting industry to participate in.
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26 September 2011
What makes the glass and window industries special?
The vital role of the large glass manufacturers and the aluminium die holders
In most of the markets which The Glass Racking Company operates there’s at least one large dominant glass supplier to the market. This company generally supplies the smaller glass companies and glaziers with both raw product such as packs of glass, plus finished product such as DGUs. Likewise for aluminium and PVC supply to the window fabricators, there is generally at least one dominant supplier, typically a die holder.
These companies and their staff play a vital leadership role in the glass and window industries. Key responsibilities to the industry include :
1. Supply of goods to the industry
2. Participation, management and funding of industry bodies and associations
3. Technology leadership
4. Health and safety leadership
5. Marketing to the general public (such as the benefits of DGUs or value added glass)
6. Marketing to the architects (such as the benefits of structural glass)
7. Distribution of equipment (many smaller customers utilise hand-me-downs)
8. Training (many industry staff start their careers with these large companies)
And I’m sure there’s plenty more roles they play. However, perhaps the most interesting role is as a trusted partner to the industry. Most medium and small glass companies, glaziers and window fabricators will turn to their key suppliers for advice on important business decisions, and in most cases they will get good advice. Through their dealings with the industry the senior managers of the dominant suppliers tend to be positioned with the knowledge and experience to offer good advise, and for free.
New entrants to the glass and window markets are often surprised at how strong the bond is between a small glass company, glazier or window fabricator and their major supplier. A new offering has to be significantly better than the incumbent to even get a look in, and even with a price advantage, companies may be hesitant to change. Such is the strength of the bond. Well done to the incumbent suppliers – this proves their worth.
Many other industries don’t have a structure with dominant suppliers who are trusted partners, and this helps make the glass and window industries unique. This is another aspect of the glass and window industries which makes it an interesting place to work.
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19 September 2011
What makes the glass and window industries special?
The unique challenges of transportation of glass
20 years ago when we entered the market developing and manufacturing glass transportation vehicles much glass was transported by general freighters in what is often referred to as furniture trucks. These were general purpose vehicles, with general purpose retention systems (straps, ropes and cleats), loaded and driven by staff with general truck driving and delivery skills – not specialists in glass in any way.
If the industry had continued supplying small single glaze glass panes this may have continued to be a viable delivery solution. However, our glass industry developed and continues to develop, creating a need for purpose built systems to handle the new types and size of glass units, reduce the load and unload times, reduce damage in transit, and create cost effective glass transportation solutions. Likewise many glass companies are now training glass factory staff to be truck drivers and delivery staff as they want those front line staff representing their company to be recognised as glass specialists, and handle the product appropriately.
I could write a book on what makes glass transportation unique, but for the purposes of this blog will focus on safety to the driver and other road users. Aside from some chemicals, no other product is as potentially dangerous to road users as glass. Glass is by its nature a very thin heavy flat sheet product with the ability to cut and slice which becomes even more dangerous when broken. If a glass load separates from a rack or vehicle during transportation (at speed) it’s a killer and needs to be treated as such. If the glass vehicle is involved in a collision and the glass separates from the rack or vehicle then it adds another very dangerous element to an already dangerous collision incident.
The Glass Racking Company has a tried and proven glass retention system for securing glass to our racks, and our racks to the vehicles. This solution and its components have been certified by independent engineers and we are continually updating and improving on a system which works. We take this responsibility very seriously and often work with transportation authorities and industry bodies in the markets we service.
By comparison, some glass transportation systems still use ropes, straps and in some cases glazing rubbers to secure glass to a vehicle. In my opinion as a road user and industry participant this should be illegal. It’s quite simply unsafe. The more the industry develops the more inappropriate these retention systems become.
I believe that the glass industry has a responsibility to rid itself of unsafe practises in all aspects of the business. We all play a part in this.
So, in summary, the product that we work with and transport is another aspect of the glass industry which makes it an interesting place to work. Looking forward we have much work to do to make transportation of glass as safe as what it needs to be. This will involve discussion and debate and I’m sure continued product development from companies such as The Glass Racking Company.
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12 September 2011
What makes the glass and window industries special?
The unique challenges we face on-site
I hope you had a good weekend. I spent the weekend enjoying the opening and first games of the rugby world cup, including watching Argentina almost topple England in Dunedin. It’s been an absolutely brilliant weekend which sets the scene for my next blog in a series on what makes the glass and window industries interesting places to work.
When working on-site we are handling our product when it has the greatest value – any breakage, scratch or damage at this stage of the process has maximum cost. From a construction perspective, we are also handling one of the more difficult items on the building site due to weight, shape, and ease of damage. This is what makes the glass and window industries on-site challenges so interesting.
Additionally damage to a window or glass item on site is usually more challenging to replace than other construction products. Damaged timber or wall panels or tiles are typically an off the shelf item and relatively easy to replace. In many cases there is surplus items on site specifically for the purpose of replacement. By comparison in a lot of markets all windows are tailor made and not available as an off the shelf item. This increases the inconvenience and cost associated with the rework.
Equipment exists to address the site challenges we face on 90% of construction sites :
1. Lifting grips to help when staff need to lift glass and window items
2. Automated lifters for items which are too heavy to lift manually
3. Trolleys and frames for taking the weight of product, storing product, and assisting with moving product
4. Quality equipment built for the glass and window industries which has protection for the product through use of polymers and foams
At The Glass Racking Company we supply all of these products. We understand the needs of the industry and have spent 20 years developing solutions which work. Our website, product catalogue, monthly newsletters, weekly blog, Youtube videos, and activity on social media such as Facebook and LinkedIn are all ways in which we build awareness of our solutions to common industry problems.
For the really difficult sites and projects we’re often approached to assist with coming up with an innovative solution to a particular need. A good example was a lifting crate for glass to fit through a narrow gap in the top of an air traffic control tower. Our protection products, engineering skills, and access to resources meant that a solution was quickly designed, checked, manufactured and put into service. A challenging on-site requirement was addressed.
If you have experienced damage to finished product, injury to staff, or simply can’t work out how to complete a particular job, then please contact us. We’re here to help and won’t waste your time.
For me, this is what makes the glass and window industries interesting. Standard products developed for general construction most often just don’t do the job for glass and window projects. Glass and window on-site projects are unique and are another aspect of the glass and window industries which makes it an interesting place to work.
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5 September 2011
What makes the glass and window industries special?
The unique challenges we face in factories
Glass is a unique product in so many ways. From a factory handling perspective it has some unique characteristics which impact the way we handle the product within our factories.
Glass is a heavy, fragile, expensive, and awkward flat panel product which becomes very dangerous when broken. Additionally it becomes worthless when its marked or scratched. These characteristics lead to the following unique challenges :
1. We need to minimise the time spent by staff taking the weight of the product. This is best done with the right trolleys and carts for the right jobs within the factory. This includes harps, A-frames, and tooth based trolleys plus specialist trolleys such as pin racks and tree trolleys. Staff should rarely have to carry glass.
2. When staff do take the weight of the glass load they need the right tools to do this. Lifting grips and handles (like the CarryMate) assist, and there is a range of both manual and automated lifting equipment available which is purpose built for the glass industry.
3. Most factories have cranes. Use them. Install cranes over and around specific machinery where lifting and positioning is challenging.
4. We need to ensure that no hard surface touches the product. This can be done with transit dots between items, polymer bearing surfaces on all trolleys and storage systems, and careful choice and use of all systems to store and move product. Storing glass items like a toaster rather than stacking them like a sandwich also helps.
5. We need to track all damaged or broken items to identify where the incident occurred so that we can make changes to reduce its occurrence.
6. We need lifting equipment for getting glass on and off processing machines and transportation. This could be an overhead crane system or a floor based device such as a driven lifter or manual lifter. As the size of the units continues to increase this becomes more of a necessity.
7. Quality industry specific safety equipment for all staff is available and mandatory.
8. Training is available and essential for all new staff.
9. We need to keep our experienced factory staff in the industry and preferably in the factories which they know and understand. With the right encouragement they provide the best training and factory improvement resource.
Window factories have many of the same challenges. Window companies are dealing with a higher value finished product than the glass shops, so the implication of damage or breakage to glass and windows within their factories is higher, with added delays and inconvenience. In some markets window companies have traditionally been gifted older equipment from the glass companies to assist with glass handling. In my opinion it’s the window companies who should be leading the industry in factory handling as the rework costs and implications are highest for them.
All this of course is what makes our industries great places to work. The best glass and window factories are not just about efficient processes, but also about reducing rework and addressing health and safety needs. We are fortunate at The Glass Racking Company in that we’ve spent 20 years creating innovative solutions to address these challenges, and best of all, we enjoy developing products and processes for the industry.
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29 August 2011
What makes the glass and window industries special?
Positioning within the construction industry
This is the third in a series of blogs on what makes the glass and window industries special – what makes these two industries an interesting place to work. This week we focus on where we fit in the construction industry.
The positioning of the glass and window suppliers within the construction industry has changed in the last decade. Windows and doors have transformed from being gap fillers in a building, to being a structural component, and a key architectural item for a building. This has elevated our status. Glass and windows are now top of mind for quality architects and designers and we are now involved far more at the project inception stages of large projects. This is very good for the industry, and helps make the fenestration industries a good place to work.
In terms of the build we tend to sit near the completion of the building. This creates some challenges. Firstly by the time the building is 80% complete the project funders are often over budget and looking to reduce their overall costs, which can lead to some changes to the scope of the glass and window work. Additionally by the time we get on site to complete our installations the pressure on timeframes is often at its peak, and we have additional installation challenges bought about not only by the timeframes placed on us, but also by the timeframes placed on other tradespeople who are working around us. Although some would find these issues just a pain, others see them as characteristics which make our industry interesting, and provide an opportunity for those companies who can best deal with these challenges to set themselves apart and be successful.
Looking forward I believe that glass and window suppliers will continue to become more important in the overall construction industry. This will be due to the pace of change in our products, and the end customer trend to desire buildings with more natural light, more solar and green capability, and improved asthetics. Our products are trendy!
The Glass Racking Company is a supplier of factory handling and transportation solutions to the glass and window industries. We work hard to understand the industries in which we work so that we can identify opportunities for improvements. We enjoy the industry and work hard to be the industries best partner.
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22 August 2011
What makes the glass and window industries special?
The product – Windows
This is the second in a series of blogs on what makes the glass and window industries special – what makes these two industries an interesting place to work. This week we focus on the Window Industry, sometimes referred to as the Fenestration Industry, and why the core product of a window is interesting.
Windows have been manufactured for centuries. In basic terms they are an opening which allows light in and the home owners to look out. Have they really changed over time? You bet they have!
The speed of evolution of window technologies has been fast and continuous for at least a decade, and would seem to be continuing at the same pace with many new innovations just starting to be developed and released. This makes for change in all aspects of the window industry and keeps things very interesting. So what are some of those changes which the customers see :
1. A movement away from wooden window frames to predominantly PVC and aluminium
2. Larger window and door sizes
3. Increased options for door and window opening designs
4. Increasing colour options including different colours on the outside and inside
5. More glass options, including triple glazed
6. Increasingly strong designs to support heavier double and triple glass units
7. Changes to joint techniques bought about through improved processing equipment (multi-drop saws, CNC, robotics etc)
Additionally there are more changes that we as industry participants see :
1. Increased automation of the design, quotation, and manufacturing processes
2. Changes within factories to handle the heavier weight of parts within the manufacturing process, and finished goods
3. Changes to transportation and onsite installation processes and equipment to handle the heavier weights and sizes of finished goods
4. Increasing numbers of raw materials suppliers with dies and extrusions
5. The risk of standardisation and international trade policies leading to competition from offshore low cost manufacturers
6. Increased competition and lower margins
The Glass Racking Company is a supplier of factory handling and transportation equipment to the window fabrication industry. We have a fast pace of change to our product line-up and are continually releasing new offerings to the market to keep up with the demands of a changing industry. Not easy, but fun!
We are very fortunate to work with an industry which adopts and drives change so rapidly. In my opinion, it’s the pace of change in the core product, the window, which makes the fenestration industry so enjoyable to be a part of.
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15 August 2011
What makes the glass and window industries special?
The product – Glass
I awoke this morning to see my city shrouded in snow as another polar blast layers snow and blizzard like conditions across New Zealand, and specifically in my home city of Christchurch.
This is the first in a series of blogs on what makes the glass and window industries special – what makes these two industries an interesting place to work. This week we focus on Glass, the main product within the industry.
You could say that glass is a simple product. It’s a transparent building material. It predominantly gets fitted into frames and gets installed in building walls. Its manufactured from basic and common raw materials, and produced in most major countries. But we all know glass is much more complex and interesting than this.
Glass is a fragile, expensive, awkward shaped product which scratches easily and is very dangerous when it breaks. Glass is unique – no other common product is similar, and I can’t think of any product which will ever replace it. Not many products in the building trade can claim that!
The characteristics of glass have spawned industry factory handling, site handling, and transportation equipment, processes and skills which are unique to our industry. The fact that copying the equipment, processes and skills used in other industries would result in glass scratches, breakages, unacceptable time delays and possible injuries has meant that our industries have created their own solutions. The industry is full of innovative, creative, and passionate individuals who want to do things better, often in a new way. That’s what makes the industry interesting.
The Glass Racking Company has a 36 page catalogue of factory handling and transportation solutions for glass and window companies. Almost all of these products are specific to the glass and window industries, and almost all relate back to addressing the unique characteristics of the core product – glass. We’ve just released the mid-year version with some additional products and photos to enhance the document – we need to be continually releasing new products as that’s what the industry wants and expects. The catalogue is available online at www.theglassrackingcompany.com click on your country of residence, and choose Company Information. The catalogue, website and videos on Youtube are very popular because staff in the glass and window industries are always looking for solutions would will provide them with an edge, by addressing the core challenges posed by the industries core product - glass.
I’m proud to be associated with the glass and window industries, I enjoy the work and I enjoy the industries peculiarities – most stemming from the uniqueness of the core product – glass.
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8 August 2011
What makes the glass and window industries special?
This is the introduction in a series of blogs on what makes the glass and window industries so special to be a part of. I like being involved with the glass and window industries. In the past I’ve worked with the IT and telecommunications industries and also a short stint in fresh produce – they were good fun and I enjoyed my time there, but glass and window is where I intend to spend the rest of my career. There’s no shortage of aspects to this industry to keep it interesting. Furthermore I’m sure there’s plenty of change ahead which means we’ll all need to learn, adapt and change the way we think and work, with some capitalising on the opportunities that the changes bring. The industry will have an interesting future that I look forward to and want to be part of.
The titles for this series are :
1. The product – Glass
2. The product – Windows
3. Where we fit in the construction market
4. The unique challenges we face in factories
5. The unique challenges we face on-site
6. The unique challenges of transportation of glass
7. The unique challenges of transportation of windows
8. The vital role of the large glass manufacturers and the aluminium die holders
9. The risk of low cost imported commodity products
10. Many senior managers and owners are young and innovative, new blood
11. Glass is an international industry with local manufacturing
12. Health and Safety
13. The people
If there’s anything else that you think makes our industry special to be part of please email me at the link below and I’ll include a weekly blog on that topic – or you can be a guest blogger if you like – email me the words and you may get lucky!
Go on, flick me a note with your thoughts .....
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1 August 2011
Trends – Zero tolerance for poor service and product
This is the last blog in a series of trends in the glass and window industries, and is a business trend rather than a technology trend.
There used to be an advert on the telly for LV Martin and Son whose catch phrase was “… and if its not right, we’ll put it right, because it’s the putting right that counts!”. They were very successful, 25 years ago. Today I believe that a company with this ethos would fail. Buyers in the glass and window industries don’t want a company to fix errors they make. They expect the supply of services and products to be done right the first time. A simple and understandable expectation.
At The Glass Racking Company one of the common business problems we reduce is damage to stock resulting in less rework. Previous blogs have calculated the cost of a damaged DGU which is identified at site as being around $260. Others have estimated twice this cost for a single small scratch. The additional costs are in the time and hassle of sorting out the issue, all of which is non-productive and will only ever have negative consequences.
The issue of suppliers not getting it right first time is similar. It creates hassles and time wasting for the customer all of which costs the customer. Modern IT and management systems calculate time allocations and costs, and are often focused on “lean manufacturing” – see a recent blog. Understanding what the actual costs of events are has driven this trend to zero tolerance for poor service and product.
This trend is also driving the success of some of the traditional industry suppliers – those with the credibility, reputation, and track record for getting things right the first time. By working with these suppliers the additional costs of fixing errors is reduced for an overall lower cost solution.
Being good at fixing your errors is no longer good enough. This trend is good for businesses, and its good for the industry.
And so ends this series of trends in the glass and window industries. If there’s anything you’ve seen in the glass and window industries that you’d like investigated or commented on please email me at the link below and I’ll do my best. More feedback is a good thing!
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25 July 2011
Trends – Electronic Communication
Today I bought my 4WD to work. Our house is surrounded in a layer of around 150mm (6 inches) of fresh powdery snow, and as I write this blog large flakes of snow continue to fall all around my office and our factory. It's very picturesque, and cold!
This is the second to last blog in a series of trends in the glass and window industries.
Electronic Communication. The trend I’m referring to here is a way of customers and suppliers and business partners in the glass and window industries communicating with each other in a way other than meeting face to face or talking on the telephone. Communication being the sharing of information.
In my time at The Glass Racking Company I’ve seen a dramatic increase in email traffic, emailed newsletters, web based sharing of information, you-tubing, web enquiries from customers and prospects wanting further product information or pricing, Skype videoconferencing, and social media such as Facebook and LinkedIn. This growth has been matched by the decrease in our suppliers calling in to meet with us face to face. This is all good for us.
So why this trend, and is it good for the glass and window industries?
Just for a change, lets look at this from the perspective of The Glass Racking Company being a supplier to the glass and window industries.
The Glass Racking Company supplies predominantly capital items such as van and pickup racks, trucks, glass and window storage systems, trolleys and carts, etc. Each item has a technical specification and a list of common issues or problems which the features and componentry of our solutions addresses. This information lends itself to being published on the web as text, photos, and videos. This communication works very well and is popular with our clients.
The Glass Racking Company is a rapidly changing and growing entity. We frequently open new branches, release new products, and secure significant sales which are of interest to glass and window manufacturers. This kind of information lends itself to communication via emailed newsletters and via social media. This communication works very well and is popular with our clients.
One of our company strengths is our ability to understand exactly what a customer wants and is trying to achieve, and tailor a solution specifically for them. In some markets we know our customers well due to 20 years of doing business. In others we are new to the market and strive to gain more contact of this type with our customers. Increasingly the first point of contact is an electronic one, which leads to a face to face meeting, usually at the customer site, which leads to the understanding and product design. In this instance the benefit doesn’t come from electronic communication, but electronic media is where the communication and relationship started.
Yep, as I write this its all becoming very clear – electronic communication is a trend which is driven by people within the glass and window industries wanting to communicate in this way. If we see (and maybe even drive) the trend at The Glass Racking Company I’m sure all other suppliers and partners to the industry do as well.
Looking forward it will be interesting to see how all the existing media – newsletters, emails, websites, Youtube, Skype, and social media come together to form one means of electronic communication. Taking disparate systems and incorporating them into one has been a key to the growth of Google and other large on-line companies, so I predict they will lead the drive and be linked to better desktop, mobile and handheld hardware.
It’s interesting times ahead for the glass and window industries in this area with these trends. Be slow to endorse this trend and you will become alienated from your customers through a dependency on outdated communication.
Ah, I can’t believe I forgot to talk up the importance of blogging as a means of electronic business communication. I'll blame the cold weather.
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18 July 2011
Trends – Lean Manufacturing
Lean manufacturing, lean enterprise, or lean production, or often abbreviated to just "Lean," is a trend in glass and window production globally. The term stems from the practises of Japanese car manufacturing giant Toyota. Lean implements a company culture and production practice that considers the expenditure of resources on anything other than the creation of value for the end customer to be wasteful, and hence should be eliminated. “Value” is any product or service which a customer would be prepared to pay for. So, in short, Lean calls on the company to eliminate waste – anything which does not directly contribute to something a customer will pay for.
This seems obvious. Simple. A no-brainer. So why is this a trend?
I believe that the reasons are twofold :
1. The benefits derived from a lean manufacturing environment are exactly what every Board, CEO and Production Manager want – a reduced cost to produce the companies core products with no-one wasting time and resources on any distractions.
2. There is a snowball effect. Lean has sparked conference speakers, courses, books, videos and other media. Like all good trends, it becomes a “must have” for successful companies, and it’s relatively easy to get underway.
Cynics would say that Lean doesn’t introduce much that is new, and is just basic common business sense and manufacturing principles. This may be the case, but the key is that a decision to implement Lean typically creates changes for the better of the company. If giving the processes a name (Lean) and creating a project is what’s required then so be it. How can this be a bad thing?
The goal of reducing waste is far reaching. Waste can include raw materials, consumables, staff time and more. At The Glass Racking Company our factory handling and transportation systems assist with reducing damage to product as a raw material, during production, and as finished goods. When windows and glass are scratched they become worthless, leading to rework and waste, and are an ideal target for Lean thinking. Glass and Window businesses implementing Lean typically understand their business costs, and can quantify the benefits of our polymer bearing surfaces, protection products, retention systems, safety arms, and the like. The cost justification of these products becomes a no-brainer.
Interestingly, most companies implementing Lean are more focussed on the cost benefit than the cost. They tend to buy better and perhaps more expensive factory handling and transportation systems. Those not implementing Lean are more likely to choose the cheapest supplier to save on capital expenditure while missing the opportunity to reduce operational costs, reduce wastage, and be Lean.
Many large glass and window companies already claim to be “Lean” and most are somewhere down the track of implementing Lean. Certainly to say publicly that “Lean manufacturing is not for our business” is rare and potentially detrimental to a glass or window companies reputation.
This Lean trend may be in its latter stages. Many years ago the manufacturing trend was to “Materials Requirements Planning” or MRP. Once that became old school the newer and better MRP2 came in to vogue. So maybe the industry is poised for Lean2 – whatever that may be!
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11 July 2011
Trends – Right sizing vehicles
Around the world different markets tend to use different styles of glass transportation vehicles. For glaziers in California pickups are common (as they are in WA in Australia) while in parts of Canada vans are more popular (as they are in the UK). Delivery vehicle styles vary also. More interesting though is the trend – the change to the styles and types of vehicles being purchased.
Historically a fleet of glazier vehicles would usually all be very similar – often the vehicle, racks and fit-out were all standardised. All glaziers had the same tools available to them.
Linking to one of the trends previously discussed in this series, the size of the glass and window units is getting bigger and heavier. Rather than make all vehicles in the fleet bigger to handle these larger units many glass companies are mixing up their fleet – having some very small glazier vehicles (for small replacement jobs), some medium sized vans and pickups (for more common work), and a few larger site trucks (to allow for larger projects and larger unit sizes). This gives the operations manager the ability to schedule the right vehicle, the right team, and the right equipment for each job. In some cases specialist lifting equipment might be incorporated into one vehicle making it even more specialised – not that it can’t be used for more common jobs, but when a project calls for lifting equipment its always scheduled in. And for good advantage.
Linked to this trend in the glass and window industry is delivery vehicles getting larger. Double glaze and triple glaze units require more capacity on a glass transporters (delivery vehicle) and hence the vehicles need to have larger racks and the trucks need to be larger. We also see the size of glass companies growing, often servicing a greater geographical area, and requiring larger vehicles to gain efficiencies on longer delivery runs. Overall as one glass customer once said to me “What we used to call a truck suitable for a large glass company is now common in a medium sized glass company”.
Add to this that many companies are buying vehicles based on what they predict they will need in the future rather than what they need today. Reading the trends is key to reducing obsolescence costs in the future.
So the key to running a successful glass vehicle fleet can be as much about right-sizing the vehicles as it is about choosing the right vehicle. Or maybe it’s about right sizing the fleet. Does this mean that standardisation of fleet vehicles is a thing of the past?
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4 July 2011
Trends – Retrofit Double Glazing and Warm Edge technology
Happy Independence day!
Warm homes. The expression invokes a feeling of happiness, wellbeing, contentment and success, especially if you live in a cold climate. Warm homes – aided by double glazed windows, in-wall and in-ceiling insulations, better use of the suns natural warmth. If you live in a cold climate why would you not want this? Unfortunately for many home owners and in many markets with cold climates the ability to have a warm home is dictated by financial constraints, and many are limited by the original design and build of their homes.
This is where the retrofit double glaze industry comes to the rescue. There are various techniques and products which offer retrofitting modern double glaze technologies to houses and buildings with older style windows and designs. Historically this has been about replacing a single glaze window pane with a double glaze one, or adding an additional cavity and glass/perspex barrier. More recently there has also been a focus on the edge technology – the amount of warmth lost through the window frame and around the edges of the double glaze unit.
The trend in many markets is for an increased uptake of retrofit double glazing, allowing specialist providers of this service to both make a dollar and also create efficiencies to bring their prices down, creating a nice snowball effect. Hence the trend.
There’s a lot of opinions about edge technology and how much it affects heat loss.
I’ve designed and offered to build a demonstration kit for a couple of customers and am still waiting for someone to take up the offer and the challenge. The design is a fridge like box with a range of window frames and glass types set into the top. The temperature in the fridge unit can be controlled up and down to simulate the outside temperatures. Temperature readers on the frames, edges and centres of the window units would track the temperatures and record/graph the results. With this system we could simulate a real day – cold in the morning, warming up during the afternoon, then cool again in the evening, and track the efficiency of the window systems to keep the house “warm”. The comparisons would allow customers to make informed decisions. Having this demonstration fridge environment in a window companies showroom would be a great selling feature and I’m sure all potential buyers would want to spend time studying it before making a purchasing decision.
So, the trend for retrofit double glazing and a focus on edge technology is likely to continue for some time. I believe that a tactile demonstration facility with accurate comparative data on the various options would speed this trend.
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28 June 2011
Trends – Health and Safety
How can health and safety be a trend? Owners and managers of businesses in the western world have been focussed on the wellbeing of their staff since the industrial revolution. Globally a few emerging economic powers have dubious and often controversial health and safety records and poorly defined health and safety standards. However, all businesses know that workplace injuries are expensive.
So is health and safety all about cost benefit rather than staff wellbeing? In the western world, health and safety is far more than this. Health and safety is about the companies brand, about how it is perceived as a employer, and whether or not it leads the industry in this measurement. I liken this to the ISO9001 accreditation which got so much business media attention 15 years ago – in laymans terms to be ISO accredited meant that you had to have all your processes documented, not working well, just documented. ISO accreditation meant you could promote your accreditation for the benefit of your business in much the same way as many large companies tout their health and safety records and policies.
Having a health and safety policy is good for staff, good for your business, and good for your brand and marketing.
In the glass and window industries we work with a very fragile, heavy, expensive and dangerous raw material. Injuries in the glass and window industries usually affect the victims long term health. The industry is well supplied with items for operational staff to wear and use to assist with their health and safety – glasses, helmets, wrist protectors etc. and these are typically enforced as part of the health and safety policy. Likewise the larger machinery items in a glass factory (DGU lines, edging equipment, furnaces etc) are generally very safe items.
The area which I believe provides an opportunity for improvement is the factory handling equipment which links the machinery together. The lifting equipment, trolleys and carts, and storage systems. It’s here that staff are actually touching the glass and the greatest risk of injury occurs. It’s here that the greatest opportunity for reductions in potential injury exist. Good solutions exist (the Glass Racking Company sells solutions with safety arms and protectors on them) and over the next few years many factories will migrate to safer factory handling equipment.
As this happens you’ll be able to read all about the glass company health and safety successes in their marketing material!
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21 June 2011
Trends – Solar Panels
This is my second entry in a blog series on trends in the glass and window industries. This weeks trend is solar panels, and what this means for the glass and window manufacturers and industry.
We have a solar panel at home for heating our hot water cylinder, and also a solar system for heating our swimming pool. We installed both about 5 years ago. At the time the hot water cylinder heater was very high tech and claimed to be able to heat water even when under 3 feet of snow, but had a financial payback of 8 years. By comparison the swimming pool heater is very low tech, and simply uses lengths of black pipe on our roof to warm water and cycle it from the pool on warm days. This paid for itself the first year.
In the solar market today the primary glass industry emphasis is on photovoltaic cells and their inclusion in glass panels to generate electricity. These panels can be used to clad buildings to reduce the operating costs of the building in a way which is green. The secondary focus is on farms of convex mirrors used to heat water and hence produce electricity. In both cases the likely impact for the glass industry is being talked up, and most large glass companies have chosen to have some involvement in development of photovoltaic solar technologies.
I liken this to the router market when the internet first boomed. All IT companies needed to own a router company, and all thought they could make an easy dollar. In the router market a few companies (such as Cisco) eventually won the technology race and were able to mass produce to reduce production costs. The others all faded away. The end result was Cisco and a couple of others making moderate profits from mass produced commodities.
Will the same happen with the photovoltaic solar market and the glass industry? It’s hard to say. What is clear is that an increasing number of buildings (both residential and commercial) will have a solar component in their design. Where there is change in design there is always a dollar to be made by someone. Whichever company can position themselves as the “standard” and produce sufficient volumes at manufacture, transportation and installation to reduce their costs (and hence their sale price) will surely make that dollar.
There will be other consequences for handling and installation. These solar glass units will no doubt be large and heavy with installation complexities not found with traditional windows. And will it be glaziers who install these units?
Perhaps the bigger question is which country the winner will come from. Will it be from the traditional innovators in the glass and window industries, or from the emerging low cost of manufacture countries?
I think we’ll know in five years time.
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14 June 2011
Trends in the glass and window industry
It’s time for another series of blogs. This time the subject is “Trends in the glass and window industry”, and will cover the following topics :
1. Larger glass and window units
2. Solar panels
3. Health and Safety
4. Retrofit double glazing and warm edges
5. Right-sizing vehicles
6. Lean manufacturing
7. Electronic communication
8. Zero tolerance for poor service and product failure
The trend to larger glass and window units is spearheaded by architects and designers wanting to use flat glass for its primary purpose – as a transparent wall panel. Larger units with less transoms and vision rails provide a modern look to a building or dwelling and are aesthetically pleasing.
This trend is driving a movement towards more lifting and weight handling equipment within the factories, on vehicles, and specifically for site installation work. This equipment is expensive and there are companies who are committed to processing and installing bigger heavier items. There are also companies who are resisting the need for this investment and commitment who will ultimately position themselves out of this opportunity.
These trends are more prevalent in markets where standardisation of units is uncommon, such as in the south pacific. Where standardisation is more common and importation laws allow it, standardised smaller glass and window items are imported from low cost of manufacture countries to the detriment of the local industry.
In my opinion the trend to larger glass and window units is essential for the local industries. The more unusual the glass item, the better for the local industry. Accept and promote the trend to larger items and work out how to make a dollar from it. Resist this trend at your peril.
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7 June 2011
Woody Allen
I sold some equipment last week to the CEO of a window company who thinks our products are just great. They also work with glass and will continue to buy our products to upgrade their glass and window transportation vehicles and glass and window factory handling equipment as cash flow allows. What we have fits what they need. It’s a good relationship.
So what.
For the last 3 years I've been trying to meet with the decision makers of this company. I've phoned. I've dropped off brochures and catalogues. I've called past and waited in reception. I've even tried to push my way past reception (The "wall of reception" created by the receptionist was impenetrable!). For some reason I just couldn't click with this company. Rather than question why they didn't want to meet with me, my view was always that I had failed to get in front of the right people. It was my job to make that happen, not theirs. When I did, things happened that were good for both companies, and that's the reward I get for not giving up.
Given the same challenge again I don't think I'd do anything differently.
Persistence was all that won on the day. Eventually I turned up when the CEO was prepared to meet with me. Woody Allen once said "80% of success is just turning up" and I believe he was right.
My relationship with the CEO and his company could be very beneficial for my company on many levels. Certainly it’s a relationship I'll treasure!
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30 May 2011
Resistance to change
I had a funny experience recently. We had sold a pair of Carrymate lifters to a glass company. CarryMates are a lifting device which allows glass and windows to be lifted in a way which is more ergonomic to reduce fatigue and the likelihood of injury.
Feedback from the buyer was that one of the older staff members was not using the CarryMate lifters as he didn’t need them, or they were “useless” or some such comment. It was all a bit vague, and I wanted to meet the user.
At the factory I saw the older staff member using the lifters to carry a plate of glass. He saw me and appeared to try and hide. It was as if he was embarrassed to be seen using equipment to assist with a job he and others had been doing without tools all their careers.
Is this resistance to change, or is it pride? Either way it almost put the skids on a product which has clear advantages. Furthermore this was a solution which the management of the glass company had already funded. How could I or the management have handled the purchase better to ensure the staff used the CarryMate lifters? Your thoughts please.
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23 May 2011
Creeping Elegance
Many years ago when I worked in the IT industry we used to describe some projects as having “creeping elegance”. This meant that the customer initially defined what they wanted their system to do. A solution was designed, priced, and the process of implementation would begin. During the project the customer’s specification would change – always making it more complex, and often addressing new needs which weren’t part of the original spec or users requirements. Sure the new solution was better as it addressed more needs, but it often became overly complex.
Creeping elegance also occurred post implementation. Parts of the system which weren’t quite right were rectified. Usually the rectification was through a “patch” rather than going back to the core system and making the changes properly.
The same applies in glass and window factories. Often processes designed by the management, factory staff, or office staff have creeping elegance. An example could be the process for quoting where the need for getting an accurate price to the customer is overly complicated by the need to have better reporting or including details of new products (whether they are needed or not).
We often see storage and retention systems having creeping elegance. A well designed storage system (such as Concertina racks or Swing racks) not only stores the product but also retains it. Other systems just built for storage that have retention added at a later date are often over-engineered and clumsy to use.
In the worst cases of creeping elegance additional engineering is added to accommodate larger items, or earthquake proof a system, or make a system which was never designed for transportation useable for transportation.
The test for any system is the sales test. If it was your job to sell that solution to a new start-up company, could you do it? If the answer is no, then creeping elegance has probably got the better of your company!
Fortunately at The Glass Racking Company we have a particularly good and experienced product development team. When we look to improve our product designs we always go back to stage one. This helps ensure our solutions are comprehensive without being complex.
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16 May 2011
Speeding up processing in a glass factory
During the last week I had two similar discussions with managers of double glaze glass factories. Both were experiencing difficulties unloading their lines fast enough. The difficulty comes from lifting, carrying, and placing a unit onto storage (or onto a vehicle), then getting back to the line in time to pick the next item before the line has overloaded. The challenge comes with larger units where the lifting and process cannot be managed by a single person, and is more time consuming. Modern automated lines will stop production if not unloaded, hence the benefit of the fast line cannot be realised unless the manual part of load and unload are also fast.
I know of two solutions to the unload dilemma. The first, and in my opinion the best solution, is for a small overhead crane system with a sucker bank. The overhead cranes typically have weight loading of around 1000kg and operate underneath the factory gantry crane. The overhead system has tracks and rollers so that a hanging sucker bank will “follow” the operator as he/she moves around a specific area, such as between the end of the double glaze line and the storage area. Quality technology in the overhead system is essential. A range of sucker options such as the Bystronics Armatec provide the sucker system. A video showing such a system can be found HERE
Another alternative is an electric powered site lifter which is driven around the factory. The arm at the front which supports the sucker bank have a range of swivelling and tilting options for picking and placing off the production line. These units are typically designed and manufactured for site glazing where the positioning requirements will be more complex and precise than most factory needs. Good examples of devices like this are the KS Schulten KS Robot 280 and the Winlet 350. Although not as fast as an overhead crane system at unloading, this equipment is more multi-purpose around a factory and can also be used for site work by staff or key customers.
As architects specify every increasing sizes for glass panels into new homes and buildings the need for lifting equipment such as this within glass factories will become more common. Additionally the equipment which was once only used by large companies will become more needed and more common in smaller companies. Fortunately the price for these items continues to reduce as production volumes increase.
If any readers know of other solutions for speeding the process of unloading heavy items from a double glaze production line please let me know.
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9 May 2011
Handling objections
Customers and buyers in all industries, including the buyers of glass and windows, will always place objections with the salesman. It isn’t the customer being negative or challenging you, its just part of the process of the buyers satisfying themselves that they want to proceed with the order.
In many cases the buyer wants you to successfully address the objection so that they can get on with buying the solution. If you think of objections like this you’re more likely to succeed.
A well proven process for handling objection is :
Customer “The concern I have with your solution is ….”
Salesperson “If I can address this issue will you buy?”
Customer “Yes”
Salesperson “So what I understand your asking is …….”
Customer “Yes”
Salesperson “(Pause). Our solution addresses this by …. Are you happy that this answers your question?”
Customer “Yes”
Salesperson “Great, then lets proceed with processing the order”
Note the trial close at the start of this process. It’s all about setting an expectation that at the end of the objection the order will be processed.
Note the attention to detail in restating the objection. This is to show the customer that you want to fully understand their issue and that you’re taking it, and them, seriously. It also gives you time to think about how you’ll address it. Banging out an answer, even a very good one which addresses the objection, will unlikely satisfy the needs of the customer and you’ll get another objection. The goal with this process is to get the objection phase over and done with.
The (pause) is simply for effect. Many buyers like to feel that they’ve asked the salesperson a curly question that almost tripped them. It’s human nature. Do the pause and make it look like you’re having to dig deep to sort out their objection – it works. (Many salespeople think its their job to know all the answers to all the customers questions, and show the customer how knowledgeable they are. It’s not. Making sales is the job!)
The “Are you happy that this answers your question?” is another trial close and leads nicely into confirming the order.
And so ends this series of blogs on the sales process. I hope you’ve enjoyed it. I’ve enjoyed writing it. Many years ago I ran a sales night class at the local Polytechnic so it’s been enjoyable to review and update that material for salespeople in the glass and window industries, and also with content and things I’ve learned since then. Refreshers are always useful. You’re never so clever that you can’t learn!
This series started from a request from a customer, so please let me know topics which interest you.
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2 May 2011
The Close
This is either the last stage, or close to the last stage of the sales process. It’s where we ask for the order. Much has been written about the best way to ask for an order – the way which maximizes the likelihood of a positive income. I’ve researched this and found nothing specific to the glass and window industries or glass and window buyers.
First some history. The first ever sales course was help in Dayton Ohio in the late 1890’s by John H Paterson, the founder of National Cash Register (now known as NCR). The NCR sales course trained the NCR salespeople in a process for closing more orders. The process was all about closing. The salespeople role played the close in rows of desks, each taking turns to be the salesman or the customer. When the time was right in the conversation the salesman threw his pen at the customer so that it bounced off the customer’s chest onto the ground. The salesperson then stared straight at the customers eyes. After a delay most customers (probably a little confused) reached down and picked up the pen. As they did this the salesperson very cleverly pulled out a contract and placed it in front of the customer. As the customer sat up, with the pen now in their hand, the salesperson said “Push hard, three copies”. And that is how NCR increased its sales to become the world leader in cash register sales. Ah, the good ole’ days!
During the century which followed the “art” of selling was further developed, the role of the salesperson became far more professional and comprehensive, and the sales process as I’ve documented over the last few weeks became better understood and used. In the modern world sales is more about forming partnerships and credibility than it is about sales tricks. Thank goodness. However, it is still true that some closes work better for some customers than for others, and if a customer is for some reason reluctant to confirm an order some of the techniques developed during last century may be helpful.
In my opinion the keys to any close in the glass and window industries are :
1. Ask for the order confidently. If you struggle with this then rehearse it.
2. Look the customer in the eye as you speak. Be confident and expect the order.
3. Once you’ve asked say nothing more. Just wait.
4. Once you get the order leave. Don’t delay.
When faced with a closing question the customer has only two options. They can either say “Yes”, or “No, because ….”. Either way you have just got closer to an order. Once the customer says “because” it gives you the opportunity to trial close by replying with “If that issue went away , would you place an order?”. If they say “Yes”, then you know what you need to do to get the order. You then need to use your creative problem solving skills to come up with a solution which is acceptable to you and your company, and addresses the “because” issue. Once done ask for the order. Again you will either get a “Yes” or a “No because …” which can cycle several times before the customer says “Yes”. Job done.
Next week more on handling objections.
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25 April 2011
Proposing Solutions
Ah, the stage of the sales process which most failing salespeople in the glass and window industries focus on. If you’ve done your work right up to this stage the customer is already sold on the idea of buying off you as you have shown more interest in their business and needs than any other salesperson. Best of all you haven’t come across like a product pusher, and no doubt there are a few of those if your window or glass community!
Proposing solutions should come simply and naturally to both you and the customer.
Before presenting your solution it’s a good idea to recap and trial close the customer. Some good phrases to use with glass and window buyers are “My understanding of your needs is ….” and “If my solution can meet these needs is there any reason that you wouldn't’t do business with me?”. This confirms your professionalism and again emphasises your focus on assisting this customer to find a solution which addresses their needs. This sets the tone. Then tell the customer that you’re now going to show him/her how your solution meets these needs, and get on with it.
Proposing solutions is really easy. It simply a matter of relating the features and benefits of your product or service to the known needs of the customer. Make sure you use the phrase “which means that…” lots of times. This phrase forces you to talk about the benefits of the feature.
For many glass and window sales props or demonstration systems assist with showing the features of the offering. Glass and window products rarely sell themselves – if they did then all salespeople would have been replaced by websites and showrooms years ago! It’s the salesperson who ties the products features to the customer needs and makes the sale.
In any competitive market each player will have product features which are unique. Each competitor will most likely have some aspect of their solution which could be seen as weak. These are often known by all salespeople in the industry, and are usually far more important to the salesperson than they are to the customer. Relating features to the customer needs and articulating the actual tangible benefit for the customer is the best use your words.
For some customers it’s a good idea to check off each need as you go by asking “Can you see how this need will be addressed with this solution?”. When done right this comes across as being highly professional. Done poorly it can be offensive. Be careful.
At the end of this stage of the sales process you should have shown the customer that your solution meets all of their needs. The job is all but done.
Like all stages of the sales process there are things to avoid :
1. Make sure you have finished all the previous stages of the sales process before you start proposing your solution
2. Avoid any feature of your product which does not address an identified need of this particular customer
3. Make sure you address each and every agreed need. If your solution is weak in a particular area then tackle that head on. Be honest.
Next week we look at the “Close”, which is the fun bit.
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18 April 2011
Understanding implications
This week we look at understanding implications – the third stage in the selling process for a new customer. This series focuses on selling in the glass and window industries – a topic I have been asked to feature.
The Understanding Implications stage is all about reconfirming for yourself and also for the buyer that this is a project that is worth pursuing and that they will eventually make a decision on. Some prospects are “Eager Seekers After Knowledge”, or ESAKs, or often referred to as “time wasters”. These are the buyers who are all enthusiastic about a pet project of theirs, make you run in circles and jump through hoops designing and pricing solutions, but never actually get around to making any decisions. The reason is simple – there aren’t strong enough implications of them not proceeding.
Understanding implications is as simple as asking “What are the implications for you if this project doesn’t got ahead?”, and should only be asked once the needs are fully understood. Often customers will be surprised that you asked, and most will give you a straight answer. The answer will assist you in deciding how much time to commit to this project. If you believe that this is a time waster you may decide to provide an estimate rather than a fully spec’d quote, or you may choose to withdraw from the opportunity by saying something like “This is not really core business for us and I don’t want to let you down”. You may even choose to divert this time waster to your opposition with “For what you want XYZ may be a good option…”.
A strong implication has a compelling event. A compelling event is a date or thing which must happen, and if it doesn’t, there will be dire consequences. The consequences need to be well known to everyone involved, and ideally the buyer will be scared by them. An example could be a penalty clause in a housing contract which the buyer cannot sustain, window installation equipment which is essential for a specific installation on a specific day on a specific project, or a new government regulation for health and safety around glass handling which needs to be in place by a certain date. The beauty of compelling events is that they have a time frame that you can work back from to push your order through, and there are well understood implications or consequences for non-delivery.
Don’t be afraid to withdraw from an opportunity if the implications aren’t strong enough. If you commit enough time to looking for them, once in a lifetime opportunities arise about once a week in the glass and window industries.
Things to avoid :
1. If you want to withdraw from an opportunity don’t just stop responding. That’s rude. At least be upfront and tell the customer.
2. Don’t get fooled into thinking that because the customer is excited that a project will proceed. Everyone has to justify their buying decisions to someone.
Next week we look at “Proposing Solutions”.
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11 April 2011
Understanding needs
Thanks to those who provided feedback on last weeks blog about building rapport. This week we look at understanding needs – the second stage in the selling process for a new customer.
By the time we start understanding needs the customer will think that we may be alright to do business with. All purchasing decisions include some element of emotion and are never 100% logic, so the understanding needs phase is an opportunity to step yourself above the competitions rep by doing it better.
So what’s the best way to understand the needs of a buyer or business owner in the glass and window industries? Here’s some thoughts :
1. Remember that this phase is as much about selling yourself as a professional as it is about understanding what the customer wants. The more thorough you are, the more questions you ask, the more detail you want to clarify, and the more ideas you can put to the customer the better.
2. Most customers will have a standard list of needs which they will share with all prospective suppliers. This is their minimal list so that each supplier can quote so that they can choose the cheapest. If you only get this list (which may be written down, may be a set of building plans or a tender document, maybe told to you) then you are simply in the pool with everyone else. Behind these needs is another layer that you’ll have to dig to uncover. They are needs that relate to things like status, image, reduced stress during the build, resale value, use of “green” supplies and services, time they need to commit to the project, and the like. Asking questions like “Who is the best supplier you’ve ever used on your projects, and why were they the best?” and “What are the key attributes you look for in a business partner?” often uncover these needs. Once you truly understand this level of needs you are positioned to create an offer with differentiation over the competition.
3. If the customer doesn’t have a defined project for you to bid on, then try asking open questions to identify the opportunities. Try questions like “What’s the biggest cause of rework in your factory”, or “What were the biggest issues resulting in unforeseen costs with your last project?”, or “What do you think is the biggest opportunity for increasing you profits on jobs like this?”. These type of questions will uncover opportunities which the customer will want to pursue, and maybe only with you.
4. If the customer contact is particularly businesslike try opening questions like “Where do you want your business to be in 5 years?” then after he/she answers ask “Do you have the right business partners to get you there?” followed by “What characteristics do you need in your business partners to help you?”. To the right buyer these questions will set you apart forever.
5. Once the customer has finished with their list of needs, ask a few questions which draw the customer towards the unique selling benefits of your solution. Questions like “Will you insist on XY spacer bar due to the benefits of ..?”, or “Have you considered the new satin finish aluminium window frame finishes which provide ….?” are a subtle way to set yourself up to win.
6. Use your industry knowledge to help define any area of the customers needs which you think needs more thinking.
7. Qualification of sales opportunities is a much talked about and documented part of the sales process which I have chosen to exclude from this series. My reasoning is that with the depressed global economy few if any supplies can afford to qualify out sales opportunities on the same basis as we did a few years ago.
8. Follow-up to understanding the needs. Try sending an email back to the customer after the meeting thanking them for the opportunity, and documenting what you understand their needs to be. This further confirms that you are professional and focused on the project and the agreed customer needs, and also provides the customer with the opportunity to add to your list or clarify points for you. Additionally it provides a level qualification if you get no response!
Some things to avoid
1. Don’t accept the need of “I will buy the cheapest”. Always clarify with searching questions like “Cheapest purchase price, or lowest cost of ownership over the life of the product?”, or “How will you factor in you own time to the overall costs?”. Make them think.
2. Don’t tell the customers how well your solutions meets these needs as you uncover them. This comes later on. Talk of those benefits now will distract from what you’re trying to achieve.
3. Don’t try to remember all the needs. Take the time to write them in a notebook.
4. Don’t finish discussion on any individual need until you fully understand it. Even if the customer appears frustrated, they will appreciate your attention to detail. These discussions sometimes uncover errors in the customers thinking, or lack of thinking the issue right through. Again, this leads to credibility for you, and qualification of how much time you want to commit to this project.
Next week we look at “Understanding Implications”.
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4 April 2011
Building rapport
This is my first blog of series on how to get more sales.
When trying to establish sales to a new prospect establishing rapport is the first step and its essential to get this right before you move on. In laymans terms, rapport means getting the prospect to think that you might be the kind of person that he or she wants to do business with. We’ve all met people that we just didn’t “click” with – the memories of bad rapport are often clearer than those of good rapport.
Establishing rapport doesn’t mean “blowing them way”, that comes later on …..
So what’s the best way to build rapport with a buyer or business owner in the glass and window industries? Here’s some thoughts :
1. Introduce yourself and shake hands. Make sure you are dressed appropriately for the person you are meeting. Groom yourself tidily and don’t go out of your way to appear as an individual. Most buyers and business owners of building companies, and the glass and window industries dress conservatively. This is the very first impression, and although much has been written about the importance of making a good first impression, in my opinion the goal is to not make a bad impression. Prove your uniqueness and abilities later in the meeting.
2. Pronounce the persons name right. This is becoming more important as all countries become more multinational and multi-cultural. If the name is challenging for you check the pronunciation with the receptionist (or telephonist if you are phone calling) and practise it till you get it right.
3. Use the persons name in the conversation. You have to say someone’s name a lot of times before it comes across as being said too often!
4. Research the company and the person so you have something interesting and topical to include in the conversation. Challenge yourself to somehow introduce that knowledge in the first 5 minutes of the meeting. Lines like “Oh I see, have you used that at the supermarket project at the XY mall?” show that you know more about their business than the last rep.
5. Make sure you ask questions to get him/her talking, and leverage off the answers you get to develop the conversation.
6. Use open ended questions which start with “What” or “How” or “Which” and can’t be answered with a “yes” or “no” answer. Your first question should immediately engage the prospect into the conversation.
7. Be an active listener. Active listeners says things like “Yes” and “Really” and “Wow” and “Mmmm” at just the right times to keep the person talking.
8. Always have a question to ask the CEO that will make them think you understand their business. Even if your meeting is with someone else have a CEO question. If you bump into the CEO in a lift don’t ask” How’s things going” but instead ask “Have you seen good reductions in product damage since you put that new 6 wheeler truck on the road”. They like to talk business issues.
9. Only talk about positive things. If there’s been an issue talk about the opportunities arising from it. Avoid discussions about your problems.
10. Be honest. It’s a rare skill and will gain respect from most prospects.
11. Know when to stop the initial chat and move onto a business topic. This comes with experience and again the most memorable examples of timing are often when someone gets this wrong. Too quick and you come across as aggressive, too slow and you’re a time waster. Just right and you have rapport and are good to do business with.
12. Once the rapport is sorted out open the meeting with a bold statement of why you are there. Rehearse it. Say a phrase like “I represent The Glass Racking Company. We specialise in transportation solutions for glass and window companies which reduce rework and save time. There may be some areas of your business that we can help with”. Don’t rush it, and use intonation in your voice – it’s the first time the prospect is hearing what you do, and they should be interested as they have already agreed to meet with you.
13. Most senior managers in glass and window companies are tactile people. They often come from a manufacturing background and have often spent much of their careers using their hands at work. Bring one of your products to the meeting and place it on the desk between you. If the buyer is tactile he/she won’t be able to resist picking it up. I like to ask “What do you think this is” which usually leads to good rapport building conversations.
Some things to avoid
1. Often customers will have family photos or trophies in their offices. If you see a photo of a guy trout fishing don’t say “Do you go trout fishing?” as that’s what all the previous reps have said. Try “That looks like the Tongariro River” or “Have you fished Montana?” as at least you show some knowledge of the sport. If you have no knowledge avoid it altogether.
2. If you’re meeting a new CEO for the first time don’t ask why they left their last job. Most are fired, that’s just the nature of the CEO role.
3. When you ask a question and get an answer avoid the temptation to bore the customer with your thoughts on the topic. Its far better to appear interested in their thoughts. The time for your thoughts and knowledge will come later in the sales process.
Next week we look at “Understanding Needs”.
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28 March 2011
Earthquakes and Sales
Firstly a quick earthquake update. Since the earthquake of 22 February (over a month ago) around 390 tons of sand and silt has been removed from Christchurch city – that’s around one ton per man women and child. We still have a cordon over much of the CBD and some areas within the city are without drinking water and on limited power. The future direction of the city is very uncertain and those responsible for the big decisions for the city and its people have not yet been forthcoming. Emotionally it’s a very challenging environment to live and work in, and many Christchurch residents are “frayed at the edges”.
Most glass and window companies are now fully operational, and many have seen an increase in volumes and workload, especially in repairs, as residents and businesses start the rebuild. The long range forecast is very positive for glass and window businesses and many are planning to expand their use of technology to capitalise on this.
Our business The Glass Racking Company continues to serve our customer base and through all the turmoil of the last few months few if any of our customers have had their service from our company impacted. For that we are very proud. Our customer base has been very loyal and supported us through this time with communication and orders so that our factory is working full weeks and our staff have had surety of being paid 40 hours a week. For that we are very grateful.
That’s all about the earthquakes. I’m sure many of you have heard enough about it already and are suggesting that I get over it and move. I’ll do my best!
In these blogs I’ve recently completed a series on safety and a series on reducing rework.
When I ask customers how I can help them many answer “get me some more sales”, so I’m starting a series on sales skills tailored to the glass and window industries. Many readers of this blog are involved with customer interaction and sales so hopefully each of the next few weeks blogs with give you at least one little gem to use so that I may somehow “get you some more sales”.
A typical sales process with a new prospect has these steps :
Build rapport
Understand needs
Understand implications
Propose solution
Trial close
Close
Handle objections
Close
In this series over the next few weeks I’ll cover one step per week and hope you enjoy.
All feedback always welcome.
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21 March 2011
Safety Arm Video
This weeks blog is very short and sweet. Click HERE to checkout a video of our safety arms retaining stock sheets of glass. This retention system meets the requirements we've identified for this role, as follows :
1. Stops the glass from gaining momentum
2. Easy to use
3. Doesn’t wear out
4. Cost effective (If more money was available then Concertina racks and Swing racks would be used)
5. Uses vertical supports, so that broken glass “falls” rather than “flies”
6. Able to be retrofitted to existing storage systems
7. Able to be managed as part of the companies health and safety policy
This system has been proven during multiple (or should I say thousands!) of earthquakes in the Christchurch region since September 2010. The glass is protected, losses due to breakage are minimised, and the work area is kept safe for employees.
If you want more information, want a quote, or just want to email me something please click HERE.
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14 March 2011
Happy Birthday to Me!!
Yes today is my 45th birthday, and as I look back over the years with The Glass Racking Company, I have many fond memories. Happy Birthday to me!!
Last week I listed some learnings from the recent earthquake, specifically about stored packs of glass. For those that want to see more about the Christchurch earthquake of February 22 checkout these pics at the NZ Herald HERE. Amongst all the death and destruction there are geological facts which are mind blowing. We experienced liquefaction which pushed half a ton of sand to the surface for every man women and child in the city, most of it in a quarter of the cities footprint. Quite remarkable, and a hell of a mess!
As I write this Blog Japan is struggling in the aftermath of their massive quakes and tsunami. Our thoughts all move to that country and its people.
Attached to this blog is a photograph of bulk glass storage which was retained using a single vertical straps. The vertical strap retained the glass until that point where the pressure on the glass was too great and the glass cracked around the strap, and fell to a heap directly below the storage system. In this particular factory this allowed the staff to safely exit the factory on clear floor and without a risk of being cut by broken glass.
Another factory I visited had used horizontal straps. The top of the glass sheets broke off, and “flew” away from the storage system landing and smashing well out onto the floor of the factory. If this had of been in the pathway of the staff exiting the factor it’s highly likely that they would have been injured.
So, several solutions exist. The first is more straps, including vertical straps. This will help retain the glass better, reduce the breakages, and encourage the glass to fall vertically rather than out from the storage system. This works but is very time consuming. Additionally one glass worker told me that they had noticed that the straps were getting frayed on the edges, but hadn’t ensured that they were replaced. In short there is room for human error with any system which uses straps.
So what I’ve learned is that the requirements for safe storage of bulk glass in open areas of factories (assuming that Concertina racks or Swing racks are not used) are :
1. Stops the glass from gaining momentum
2. Easy to use
3. Doesn’t wear out
4. Cost effective (If more money was available then Concertina racks and Swing racks would be used)
5. Uses vertical supports, so that broken glass “falls” rather than “flies”
6. Able to be retrofitted to existing storage systems
7. Able to be managed as part of the companies health and safety policy
Next week I plan to post photos of a safety arm system for bulk glass storage which I believe to be a very clever solution.
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7 March 2011
Earthquake 13 days on
The massive earthquake which has devastated my city continues to be a focus for everyone who lives here. Most of the city's CBD is still in total lockdown from the general public, with some sections being opened on the weekend for home and business owners in the area. For more details on the earthquake click HERE.
During my site visits to glass and window companies over the last week it has become clear that most companies were more prepared for this event, and had it not been for the extensive retention of the glass, there would have been greater losses and potentially casualties in our industry. Most of the preparedness came from learnings from the September 4 quake last year, which occurred outside operating hours. The aftermath of September showed what the losses could have been. So what are these learnings about bulk glass retention during a major earthquake :
1. Unsecured bulk glass on A-frames or leaners will fall off and spill out across the floor. This is very dangerous.
2. Bulk glass stored in Concertina or Swing racks with either stay secured, or if it does break it will fall vertically and not spill out. This is safer
3. 2.5 ton straps used to secure packs of glass will wear and break
4. When horizontal straps are used to secure packs of glass the top of the sheets can snap off and fall away from the storage, and is just as dangerous as non-secured glass
5. When vertical straps are used to secure packs of glass, if the glass does break, it tends to fall vertically and not out across the floor (a good thing)
6. The Glass Racking Company safety arms were installed on bulk glass storage at one Christchurch glass company for both major quakes, and in both instances their losses were minimal. This is cheap and easy to use protection for the glass and people. More detail in future blogs.
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28 February 2011
Earthquake 6 days on
Today is Monday, 6 days after the big quake. During the weekend I assisted a number of friends to evacuate their homes, fleeing to safe havens around the city. Fortunately I was able to assemble my own army of 5 university students which enabled us to get some jobs done for people who needed help.
It appears that the large glass companies are less affected than in the September quake, with all now back into production. Some of the smaller glass companies have been hit hard, and during today I'll be getting around those that were unavailable last week. Also many of the window fabrication businesses have been severely impacted as they are scattered through all parts of the city including the suburbs flooded by the liquefaction (silt up to waste deep). Our business is fully operational (subject to availability of parts, componentry and services from our suppliers) so we are in a position to help those that need it.
Emotionally this is a difficult time. Our city has suffered 147 confirmed deaths with 200 still missing. Just the thought of this loss on top of the constant visual reminders of the devastation do take a toll on everyones emotional state. Its not good.
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24 February 2011
Earthquake
Its now 2 days since the massive earthquake and subsequent shocks wreaked havoc in my home city of Christchurch. At the time of writing 75 are confirmed dead and over 300 are missing. The devastation of this earthquake, on top of the 7.1 magnitude quake in September and the 4800 aftershocks, has been colossal. Many many friends homes are no longer liveable and parts of the city are truly like bomb sites. Horrific.
Fortunately my family, closest friends and all staff are all accounted for and no injuries. We have power and water on at our house so are one of the lucky few. Our house has been a stop-in haven for neighbours, friends and relatives so we've been very busy comforting and looking after them. My wife is responsible for over 80 foreign students who are at home stays, so Caro has been busy sorting them and their home stay parents, and getting them out of the country - no mean feat with limited telecommunications operating plus language issues.
I visited some glass companies yesterday and will spend all day today visiting others and arranging our staff to do what we can for them - its vital to the rebuild of our city that the glass and window businesses get back to operation. Driving around the city is a major challenge as the roads are congested, blocked, and damaged, and we all live in fear of another big shake.
Throughout this experience the resilience of the Christchurch people and the good side of humanity shines through as we work together to fix problems and get jobs done.
Our thoughts go out to all those who have lost friends and family, or have them unaccounted for.
Ian
Barx
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21 February 2011
Rework – Storage
Aside from transportation, storage of finished goods in a window fabrication business creates the most expensive rework. Window frames are often stored on a concrete floor and leaned against each other. Areas for damage include the hard surface of the floor, any factory debris on the floor (shavings, swarf, shelled glass, etc), and the hard surfaces of each item sitting against the next. Where the damage most often occurs is when units are shifted into and out of position. The best example is when the unit at the back of the pile of windows is needed before those at the front.
This is finished goods so the cost per damaged item is at its maximum. Most often the damage is not seen at the time of the damage and only realised and addressed either when loading the vehicle or at site. Maximum cost. Not good.
There are some simple solutions to address this rework. The first is creating raised blocks to sit the finished goods on. Use a soft bearing surface such as polymer rather than a surface like carpet which will hold swarf and other debris. The swarf and debris will fall between the raised blocks and the finished goods should have a nice clean bearing surface. See details of our Trestle Topper product HERE which uses a polymer bearer and can be adapted to finished goods storage.
The second solution is to separate the window frames with a soft bearer such as our Reveal Foams. See them HERE.
The third is to change your transportation system to demountable frames so that there is no storage system. Units are loaded from the manufacturing process directly onto the transportation demountable frame and then the frame is stored for forklifting onto a vehicle at a later date. The reduction in double handling and movement leads to less damage. See them HERE.
The fourth is to change your business operation to use “lean” manufacturing or what used to be known as “just in time” manufacturing. One of the benefits of this is that you have less finished goods in storage, hence reducing the problem. To learn more about “Lean Manufacturing” click HERE.
The fifth is training. If all staff know the implications of damaging a finished goods unit, and understand the actual costs of reworking that unit and what that additional cost means to the business (their employer), then goods may be handled more considerately leading to less damage.
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14 February 2011
Rework – Transportation
I met with a customer last week who said “These things are great. They’ve paid for themselves many times over by stopping the damage that we used to get to our window frames while we transported them to customer sites….(pause)….. although I’m not sure how much we’ve saved”.
As some of you will know this is a hobby-horse of mine. Rework is one of those blind expenses that eats away at profitability but is never shown on the financial statements, and in most cases, is never calculated or truly understood. It’s an interesting exercise to calculate what the cost is of damaging a small window frame or DGU while it is being transported to the customer site. I challenge you to go through the process of working out what the actual cost is. It’s a great exercise to do with your staff so that they realise the implications and downstream impact of damage to finished goods. Make sure you factor in an allowance for your reputation with the builder and the end customer. If you believe your calculation is complete and accurate please email it to me, and I’ll print the best one.
The product this customer was referring to was The Glass Racking Company Reveal Foams. See them HERE. I sometimes get told by customers that they are expensive for what they are. I have never yet been told that they don’t do what they are supposed to do, or that they are not cost justified.
This weeks tip to reduce rework is for window fabrication shops to create an environment where your cutting saw operator can operate without distraction or disturbance. Most saw operators will make few if any cutting errors if allowed to just get on with the job. Systems such as Darlicts (email me if your interested) allow the factory to be organised so that the cutter only cuts, and is fed the raw lengths of extrusion. This provides operational efficiency for the saw function as well as reducing errors and rework. Factory layout and design which keeps the saw and operator facing a wall in a separated section of the factory also help by reducing distractions.
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7 February 2011
Rework – Clear demarcations of responsibility
This is the fourth in my series on tips to reduce rework in glass and window fabrication businesses.
Earlier this week I spent most of one morning in our factory pulling apart a rack which our factory had made for a client. It was subsequently rebuilt 200mm longer. Our factory had built the rack exactly as I had specified it. Where the error had occurred was in a last minute change to the specification, and who was responsible for making sure that that change was actioned – clearly the demarcation of that responsibility was with me, the person processing the sale and advising the factory what to build. Having others with me at the time did not change this.
The cost of this error was significant, and far more than the profitability in the sale. Ouch, the stinging cost of rework!
Avoiding costly rework requires clearly defined demarcations of responsibility in all areas of the business. Grey areas and blurred lines cost money. Instructions written down need to be complete, and updated when specification changes are made. When focusing on reducing rework its easy to just focus on the factory errors, when in reality anyone in the company can create the need for rework.
Now four weeks into this series on reducing rework I feel I’m stating the obvious and may be teaching readers how to suck eggs. In contrast I’ve been double checking with customers along the way and they have confirmed that despite their experience and years in business these kinds of errors are still causing them to complete expensive rework. How does your business stack up? Your thoughts please.
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31 January 2011
Rework – Factory Safety Arms
This is the third in my series on tips to reduce rework in glass and window fabrication businesses.
Damage to glass, DGUs, and widow frames being moved around the factory can only occur if a hard surface rubs against the unit. The hard surface is most likely another unit. The solution is to either put a soft bearing surface between each unit, or secure them so that they can’t move and rub, or both.
Securing units while on trolleys is typically done for health and safety reasons, to stop units falling off the trolley while being moved. The same solution also provides a rework benefit by stopping units moving and rubbing together. Solutions for this vary from very complex and expensive, to very simple and low cost. For a simple and low cost option checkout The Glass Racking Company safety arms HERE.
Rubber separators are readily available and not expensive. The key is to make sure that they are used, and most importantly that they are used when the factory is busy. This is a factory management challenge. Some of our protection products are shown HERE.
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24 January 2011
Rework – Sitting units on factory debris
This is the second in my series on tips to reduce rework in glass and window fabrication businesses.
Glass factories typically have shelled and broken glass littering the floor, and window factories typically have swarf or shavings from aluminium saws of their floors. The amount of debris varies between sites, but no site would have zero debris. Often this debris is also present on the ledges of factory handling equipment used to store and move units around the factory. Trolleys with solid plywood ledges are especially prone to this.
Sitting cut glass, DGUs, spacer bars, aluminium windows, and other items on top of this debris increases the likelihood of damage to the bottom edge of the units. The debris sits up proud of the actual bearing surface (on the trolley or floor) and the weight of the units rests on the debris.
This damage and subsequent rework can be avoided by ensuring that units are never placed on the floor of the factory, and that all factory handling equipment has raised base blocks for the product to sit on. Debris then falls down between the base blocks onto the floor leaving a nice clean surface for the units to rest on.
If you’re not sure what I mean by base blocks checkout some photos and videos of The Glass Racking Company trolleys HERE.
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17 January 2011
REWORK - Hard Surfaces
Most of our products create one or more of the following benefits for the users :
1. Save time
2. Reduce rework
3. Address health and safety
Calculating time savings and paybacks is easy. Addressing health and safety is not always about the dollars. But, rework is an interesting challenge as it’s often difficult to calculate the actual savings from a solution which reduces rework. From my experience people often underestimate what rework costs them, and as its not shown on financial statements this cost often goes un-noticed.
In previous blogs I’ve calculated the costs for reworking a window frame which was been scratched during delivery to the customer site at around $360.
For the next few weeks I’m going to provide examples of things that can be done in a glass or window fabrication business to reduce rework. So here goes with the first one:
Hard surfaces
Any hard bearing surface creates an opportunity for damage to the product. Hard surfaces touching the flat surfaces are more likely to create noticeable damage than hard surfaces touching the end or edges of the product. I challenge you to walk through your production line from delivery of the raw material to delivery of the finished product “feeling” all the places where the product is stored or processed.
In many smaller factories and with some traditional window and glass factory equipment, timber is used for many of the bearing surfaces. Timber ages and can change from a soft to a hard surface, and often the fixings (nails and screws) loosen or become proud and able to damage the product.
This is a simple problem to fix either with foam strips, or The Glass Racking Company provides a purpose built polymer bearer slotted into an aluminium extrusion which can be laid onto existing bearing surfaces. More detail can be found HERE.
Go on, go for a walk and check all of the bearing surfaces in your factory!
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10 January 2011
Today is my first day back at work from annual leave. I’ve been very fortunate to spend the last week water skiing, hunting, camping next to a beautiful lake, soaking in hot pools on the lakes edge, eating exquisite foods, enjoying kiwi beers, and partaking in a nightly ritual of singalongs at the campsite. We stayed with a large group of like minded families with kids of similar ages, which for me, is what annual holidays are all about.
This week I’ll be completing the 2011 version of our Product Catalogue. This was a very well received document last year, and will be packed with new products and information for 2011. If you’d like a copy sent to you please click HERE, include a mailing address in your email, and I’ll get a copy in the post to you.
Next week I’ll start a new series of blogs with information relevant to the glass and fenestration industries. If there’s any specific topic you’d like discussed please let me know and I’ll do my best to research and report on it.
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3 January 2011
Speeches
Happy new year. I trust your enjoying the festive season and taking this time to reflect on the year passed, and plan for the year ahead.
I collect notes from great speeches. They are a passion of mine and I have a draw full of them. This year I’m starting my first blog with a favourite from Theodore Roosevelt which for me summarises the passion of a man who was dedicated to change through superior leadership.
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, and comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.”
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27 December 2010
Merry Christmas! We've had some wonderful family time over the last week, caught up with lots of friends, and just plain chilled out. I hope you've had a good time also.
This week I look at on-site safety. This is perhaps the last blog for a while on the safety topic, and I thank one of my readers for asking me to complete this as they felt I had omitted an important safety area in this series. So here are some thoughts.
Positioning the vehicle
Most truck, van and pickup racks for glass and window transportation are set at 5 degrees of lean, as opposed to 7 degrees of lean for most factory handling trolleys. The reduced lean is so that the footprint required for the rack is minimised while still providing a safe leaning angle for when loading and unloading with the securing system (such as poles) removed.
A key for the safe unloading at sites is to have the rack at a safe lean for the conditions. Ideally this is perfectly flat ground, which is rare. We install an inclinometer on all our vehicles to give staff a factual visual representation of the lean of the vehicle and hence the rack. This needs to be linked to a safety policy which dictates if the vehicle can be unloaded or not. In most cases safe positioning can be achieved through unloading one side of the vehicle then turning the vehicle around and unloading the other side. Given the right tools this is not rocket science and should never be the cause for an injury.
Remote workers
From time to time I have a few beers with window and glass installers. Most will break into stories about risks they’ve taken to get the job done. There is a certain pride that installation staff take in getting things done on their own, or quickly, or where others would have failed. From a business owners perspective this can be good and bad – the bad being the consequences if and when things go wrong, as they will eventually. One of the problems with health and safety policy for site staff is that they are “out of site” and often “out of mind” for the management. “What happens on site stays on site”. Maybe the new year is a good time to review your health and safety policies for site work, with a focus on ensuring that they are implemented and managed.
Site challenges
My old boating friend used to say that boating accidents happen when two things go wrong at once. For site work this is very much the case An injury is more likely to happen when for example a staff member is struggling with carrying a unit and someone else on site is doing similar work or creating an additional hazard. Some simple rules apply :
1. Have a health and safety policy. Encourage staff input so that they have some ownership. Document it. Print and bind it, and put it in all vehicles. Revisit it regularly at staff meetings. Enforce it
2. Log and review all safety incidents. Use these to teach staff of problems to avoid. Create a culture where safety risks are discussed openly
4. Create a culture where staff want to be safe
5. Create a culture where staff ask for help
6. Ensure management are role models for safe practise
A quote I hear regularly which burns my ears is “Those guys that set this policy just don’t understand what its like on site. Sometimes you just have to break the rules to get the job done”. That may be the case, and its vital that each and every case of rules being broken is fed back into the system to ensure that changes are made to avoid these situations in the future. In most cases its about providing staff with the tools they need to do the job, or coordination of the project, or availability of the right staff at the right time. None of this is hard.
Lets rid the industry of injury, fatigue, and unnecessary risk taking.
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20 December 2010
Safety – Training
As my old boating friend used to say “Fishing is like life. You don’t have enough time to learn all the mistakes yourself, so you may as well learn from others”. Most safety training stems from showing workers a way to use equipment which will avoid an injury or potential safety situation which was experienced by someone else.
Why is it that all large items of factory handling equipment (like DGU lines, edging equipment, and toughening plants) come with full instructions and training and have a focus on worker safety, yet other factory handling equipment does not?
A press release following a death in the glass industry stated “The Labour Department says this was an horrific (accident) but entirely avoidable had proper steps been taken to manage heavy loads.” I assume that “proper steps” would include training by the provider of the equipment being used.
Another press release for a different death in the glass industry read “The man who died had only been working for the company for two weeks and had received no formal training, instruction on how to unload the glass, nor any supervision while he was unloading.” If this is a fair representation of what happened then it’s simply not good enough!
From my experience, there are more injuries created while loading, moving and unloading trolleys and other basic items of factory handling equipment than the more complex or expensive factory equipment as this is a time when staff are actually touching the glass products. Anecdotally I’d suggest that many of these injuries could be avoided by using a better choice of trolley (see previous weeks Blogs) or by better staff safety training.
At the Glass Racking Company we’ve taken responsibility, and done something about it. We’ve loaded a series of videos into the “On-line training” section of our website. You can view them HERE, and they are ideal for showing at staff meetings and training sessions. This section will grow over time as we load more videos, so please let us know if there’s anything you’d specifically like to see in this section.
We also supply written user guides for all our major products including vehicles and factory handling equipment. If you use our equipment and would like copies of any of these documents please email me HERE.
Let’s all take part in ridding our industry of unnecessary injuries. Life’s too short to make all the mistakes ourselves.
Christmas is now only a few days away so I wish you, your family, your colleagues and friends all a very merry Christmas. I’ll be celebrating Christmas with my inlaws, then holidaying locally and briefly away from home with my family and some friends. We’ll be waterskiing, tramping, hunting, diving, and fishing. Bring it on!
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13 December
Safety – Transportation Part 2
Further to last weeks blog, this weeks topic is safety issues relating to loading and securing glass to a vehicle.
Loading
The process of placing the glass item onto the rack on the vehicle has inherent safety challenges. Several things are to be considered here from a safety perspective. Firstly the position where the glass is being placed needs to be clear, clean, and agreed by those involved. If the staff carrying the unit are not clear and where and how it will be placed there is greater opportunity for fatigue and injury.
The placing typically involves the unit being lowered which involves some lowering or bending action by the staff. Bending knees if good, bending backs is not. Staff very rarely get injured or fatigued when they load vehicles with their backs, shoulders and arms kept straight.
Securing
My book will have a chapter on this topic! The key elements of any securing system need to have the following characteristics from a safety perspective :
1. The system needs to be easy to use
2. The system needs to have training provided (see next weeks blog)
3. The system should be the same for all vehicles in the companies fleet, whether they are large or small
4. The system should secure the glass perpendicular to the direction of travel so that the units are safely held in place and not allowed to “settle” into position. Pole systems do this. Straps and ropes don’t.
5. The system should hold the outer layer of glass items at multiple points.
6. The system should be strong enough to support the glass load in a collision. There should be a safety system to protect the vehicle and other road users if the primary retention system frails in a collision.
7. The system should be self contained and not have protruding parts which could create safety challenges in the factory or on the road. I recently viewed a van rack with unprotected aluminium extrusions protruding past the ends of the rack, which I consider to be dangerous and should be illegal.
Some other considerations for transportation safety :
1. Buy quality vehicles from specialist providers (just as you do for your double glaze lines). Choose partners which create and innovate rather than those who copy as their product, service, and ongoing support will typically be better.
2. Maintain and update your vehicles
3. Choose the right vehicle for each job
4. Understand the vehicles abilities, and don’t overload it or use it for something other than what it was designed for
5. Don’t be afraid to scrap an old vehicle and start again
6. Train your staff
7. Retrain your staff
8. Treat glass transportation as an opportunity to create a competitive advantage to you as an employer and to you as a supplier
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6 December 2010
Safety – Transportation
As my old boating friend used to say “Most boating accidents happen on the boat ramp, not at sea”. The same is true for glass. The process of loading and unloading provides more safety challenges than the actual transportation itself.
This section is particularly relevant to me. I have a damaged vertebrae in my back caused by a completely avoidable boating accident, which impacts on my ability to do physical work in my job. Sadly this will be the case for the rest of my life, and this is all too common amongst my friends and family, and those in the glass and window industries.
So what are the safety challenges when loading vehicles? For the purposes of this article I have assumed that the vehicle being loaded is a traditional flat glass transporter (such as a van, pickup, or truck) rather than a transport trolley style vehicle which crates of glass are loaded onto.
In this blog I’ve covered lifting. Next week I’ll cover loading and securing with some other stuff at the end that didn’t fit into any of the other sections. Finally the week after I’ll cover training, and that will end this epic on safety.
Lifting.
The three most common options for lifting glass units re sucker banks, manual grips (such as the Carrymate), or hands. The Glass Racking Company supplies a freestanding crane system with capacity from 500kg to 1000kg of lift. These crane systems operate underneath the main gantry crane and are positioned around the factory at places like truck loading. They provide a simple and low effort means of lifting, moving, and placing units and are ideally suited to vehicle loading. Provided a quality sucker system with warning system is used, most of the safety issues relating to vehicle loading are addressed. See HERE for a video of such a system.
Manual grips are a mechanical tool which grips onto the unit and provides a simple handle for the user to lift with. When used properly they allow the operator to keep their back, shoulders and arms straight and in a position less likely to fatigue and injure. Training is the key here, more on that in a later blog. See HERE for a video of our CarryMate product.
Both the sucker banks and manual grips lifting options can be impacted by water or other liquids or contaminants on the units.
Lastly is the most common form of lifting for vans, pickups and sometimes for trucks. This is one or more men picking up glass units, moving them, and loading them onto the vehicle. This is fraught with error, and is the reason so many staff in the glass and window industries suffer from fatigue and injury later in life. Safety for lifting needs to be viewed from both a short term (avoiding an injury on this particular lift) and equally importantly long term (how repeated lifting with affect that operator during their career and life). Health and safety policies, providing the right tools, and making sure staff use them is key.
Lifting needs to be done with the legs bent, and the back, shoulders and arms all straight. Furthermore there are limits that we should all work to, and we should ask for help when we need it – something that many males are poor at!
We recently supplied a set of CarryMate lifters to a window fabricator. On a return visit to the site some weeks later the owner told me that the units had failed as the staff refused to use them. Later in the meeting we toured the factory and found an older staff member using the Carrymate lifter. When he saw us he tried to avoid us – he was embarrassed to be seen “needing” a mechanical device to help him lift and carry units. That’s a culture that needs to change!
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29 November 2010
Safety – Trolleys part 2
Following on from last weeks blog about trolleys and carts wearing out, this week I look at securing of glass onto trolleys and carts. Also following on the theme of my old boating friend, another of his quotes is “You can lead a fisherman to water, but you can’t make him catch fish”.
Glass falling off a moving trolley is clearly a health and safety issue and there are plenty of industry examples of operators being injured from this type of accident. Retention systems for trolleys fall into several groups :
1. No retention system. The glass leans against an A-frame or L-frame structure and the weight of the glass plus the lean of the frame provide the only security for the glass. This is very common and also the most dangerous.
2. Gladwrap. Stretchy plastic film is used to wrap the glass load while it’s transported around the factory. The film takes time to wrap and unwrap but it does do the job. In these green times the wastage can be an issue. In some countries this product is only legally allowed up to a maximum weight of glass when used for transportation.
3. Poles. Some systems use glass retaining poles such as those used for transportation. These are typically engineered for transportation and hence a little overengineered for factory movement, but they do the job, albeit at a cost.
4. Safety Arms. These are simple low cost arms which retain the glass onto the trolley or cart. They are simple to load and unload and have no moving parts to wear. They stop the load from starting to fall. Tests we’ve done with loaded carts where the load is retained with The Glass Racking Company safety arms have shown that they retain the glass load very effectively. See a video of this product HERE.
In most cases retention systems implemented into factories are a new initiative for a company which has traditionally used point one above, no retention system. As with all change there will be resistance from staff. Policy and procedure which can be effectively managed is key. For this reason when The Glass Racking Company supplies our safety arms they are provided with a user guide for management to use in teaching the operators how to use the arms, and also to document the new process and procedure. To aid with adherence we colour the safety arms orange so that they can easily be seen retaining the glass loads, or not as the case may be. Its then up to management to make sure that the new process and procedure is used.
“You can lead a fisherman to water but you can’t make him catch fish”, but you can provide him with all the right equipment and show him how!
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22 November 2010
Safety – Trolleys
Thanks for some of the supportive feedback on last weeks blog which suggested that safety isn’t a dry topic, and that thoughts and ideas on how to create safer work environments are always worth a read.
This week the target is trolleys (or carts as they are sometimes called). This section follows last weeks blog on unloading glass, so we are working our way through the factory. I’ve divided this section into “Poor designs” and “Wear”.
Poor designs
Safety issues can arise from poor designs of trolleys. Some examples I’ve seen are :
1. Poor choice of castors. For the castor to allow the operator to roll the loaded trolley across a factory floor the castor needs to be of the correct diameter and design. Also see the section below on wear.
2. Poor mounting of castors. Many castors require a castor plat to be fixed to the trolley which the castor bolts too. If the castor plate is poorly mounted then this becomes and weakest link and can fail under load, creating a tipping safety hazard.
3. Wrong use of fixed castors, turning castors, turning braked castors, and foot brakes.
4. No provision for securing the load when being moved. See details on The Glass Racking Company safety arms including a video of the arms being used click HERE.
5. Using the wrong sized trolley for the job. The most common error here is having glass items sticking out the ends of the trolley which staff can walk into.
6. Using the wrong trolley for the job. Harp trolleys for example are designed for either single glaze or double glaze. For this reason all factories need surplus trolleys to ensure sufficient trolleys of the right design are available at all times.
7. No easy to use handle for pushing the trolley, which encourages staff to push on the load rather than on the trolley.
8. Using transportation trolleys (which typically have a product lean of 5 degrees) for factory work (where trolley should have a lean of 7 degrees). Some form of retention should be used.
9. Using trolleys which have removable castors. Pinned castors allow a trolleys castors to be easily removed for transportation on a flat bed truck. The safety of the operators is reliant on pins not failing, and being used correctly. I believe this to be an unsafe practise and poor design.
10. Lastly is unsafe factory flooring. This includes broken concrete, too much debris left on the factory floor, and sloping floors (often where two buildings with different level floors have been joined). We need to make it easy to roll trolleys loaded with glass around our factories.
Wear
An old boating friend of mine once said “Everything on this boat will eventually wear out. They key to safe boating is to know the items life expectancy and replace it before it fails”. Factory handling equipment such as trolleys is a great example of this. These key items in a glass factory are subject to wear and parts will need replacing.
The most common points of failure for trolleys are the bearing surface for the glass, and the castors. The bearing surface commonly used is stick on foam rubber tape. General factory use will cause this to wear and peel off over time. It’s easy to replace and is more a management issue to make sure that it is replaced. Likewise for trolleys which use timber bearing surfaces.
An alternative product that we use on the bearing surfaces for The Glass Racking Company trolleys is our purpose designed polymer insert which slides into our role formed steel sections and aluminium sections. This is a very long life product designed for supporting glass and has many benefits. If it wears out, and from our experience in the last 10+ years it rarely needs replacing, it can be replaced by sliding out of the old polymer and sliding in the new polymer. Easy.
Castors are more of a safety issue. Trolleys used for movement of glass need to have castors rated for the weight of the load. For a standard 2 metre trolley this load carrying could be as high as 2 tons. Cheap castors which are not rated for this level of load will eventually fail in either the bearings, or worse still in the arms which support the wheel. Both types of castor failure can cause the trolley to tip over which is a very real safety issue for the operators.
As with the advise of my old boating friend, understanding the life expectancy is key. By using a castor which is rated for the load, predicting the life expectancy is far simpler. Each castor should be checked annually and replaced if showing any signs of wear. The Glass Racking Company uses a range of 6 inch 150mm diameter castors which are rated for 460kgs each. At times we supply these as retrofit items for customers trolleys which have been built with castors which were either unfit for purpose, or have failed.
For trolleys which have a lower quality rated castor predicting the life expectancy is far more difficult and that in itself creates a safety risk.
“Everything on this boat will eventually wear out. They key to safe boating is to know the items life expectancy and replace it before it fails.”
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15 November 2010
Safety
An old boating friend of mine once said “When at sea you can survive any one thing going wrong, but not two”. What he meant was if your engine fails you’ll survive. If you’re anchor fails you’ll survive. If you’re engine fails and you’re anchor also fails then you have a real problem on your hands. Factory safety issues are very similar to this. It’s multiple simultaneous issues which will most likely cause safety risks, and is why we need to plan to prevent them.
This week I’m starting a blog series on safety – I know it’s a dry topic, but its also one that most glass and window companies tell me that they should be devoting more time to. Customers also tell me that they need to have health and safety initiatives underway to keep their board members and their government officials at bay, and also to ensure they have an audit trail. So the need for health and safety projects and solutions is often three fold. This is not a bad thing! This series will focus on safety issues and solutions that our customers have implemented and will hopefully be thought provoking and lead to improvements.
Firstly glass arrival at the factory. For glass companies this usually means bulk or stoche glass arriving in a Floatliner truck or container, packed as either crates or packs. The process of getting the glass from this vessel into fixed storage is a huge health and safety issue and in my home country there was a death during this process within the last six months, and a near miss during the aftershocks of the recent Christchurch earthquakes. The safety risk is very real.
The first step of unloading an open top container is removal of the canvas or tarp top cover. A useful item of factory handling equipment is a work platform on castors to allow easy access to the top of the container for removing canvas and tarp covers. Many factories use ladders and existing off-the-shelf equipment rather than purpose built access systems.
Once the unloading of the container has begun, the biggest safety risk is avoided if staff are not under the glass while its being lifted, or positioned so that broken glass can fall out and onto them. This may seem obvious and simple but is not always easily practical, especially if using older lifting equipment and techniques. The Glass Racking Company Packlifters are designed for lifting packs of glass out of containers and storage systems. The operator is always either behind the Packlifter or at the end of the pack of glass – never underneath and never in front of the glass. Their design means that the glass is fully supported using a steel frame, and the rear of the Packlifter is engineered to minimise the likelihood of broken glass falling out the back of the pack onto the operators. These simple design features, when compared to using traditional straps, is a no-brainer once you see it used. Our Packlifters are supplied with a full set of user instructions to ensure that the product is used in a safe way, and also to provide management with a training document and audit trail. Checkout www.theglassrackingcompany.com to see videos of The Glass Racking Company Packlifters being used.
Most companies have health and safety procedures for working around glass lifting equipment. Two good rules which I like are “No walking backwards” and “Clear all packaging and broken glass immediately, before proceeding with the lifting”. These avoid most tripping hazards.
And finally if you’re wondering what the earthquake aftershock safety risk was, imagine a pack of glass swinging in an earthquake while being unloaded from a container. The safety issues for the staff were of being crushed between the swinging glass pack and a stationary object (such as the container), and also of the glass swinging into a fixed object, breaking and falling in a position or angle that wouldn't’t normally occur. Thinking about my old boating friends story, imagine a scenario where two things went wrong. If an operator had of tripped on some packaging debris at the same time as the pack swung in the earthquake he could have had been killed. He didn’t and he wasn’t, which is good.
If anyone ever suggests you’re taking your health and safety precautions too seriously try telling them that story!
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8 November 2010
Weird
A weird thing happened last week. An announcement was made that a high profile prisoner was going to be released after 20 years in prison. One of the conditions of his release was that he had to admit that he is an alcoholic, and agree to alcohol counselling. What I find weird about this is that someone who’s been behind bars for 20 years can be an alcoholic. What do they do in prisons nowerdays? Clearly I’m out of touch.
More importantly from a work perspective it reminded me of the importance of getting out of the office to see customers in their facilities, and understanding their businesses. Customers businesses change, and the best way to understand the changes and the resulting opportunities is to go there. On Wednesday last week I visited 5 glass and window customers, met 2 business owners, and made 2 sales. Interestingly the history of making sales to those 2 customers has always been when I meet them on their sites. The follow-ups, emailed quotes, faxes and phone calls have never resulted in signed purchase orders.
A few years ago when I worked for a large corporation we calculated that the cost for a salesperson to visit a customer site was $250. At first glance the benefit of the customer visit might be to make sales with greater than $250 profit, but the real benefits are much more significant for the company. Visits to customer sites allow the salesperson, and hence the company, to understand what’s happening in the market, what changes are taking place, and where opportunities and threats lie. It’s this information which drives innovation, product development, change, and improvement in our business.
There’s nothing weird about that.
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1 Movember 2010
It’s that time of year again. Time to grow a moustache in support of Movember. Last year I went for a full head shave and grew a new head of hair (make that “part” of a head of hair) plus a beard and moustache. The result was a very grey growth that made me look like a cross between a biblical figure and someone more akin to shovelling coal into a steam engine. Someone meeting me for the first time estimated my age at 65, over 20 years older than my actual age. Not a good look, but it got lots of laughs, and that’s what Movember is really about.
255,000 moustaches were grown in Movember 2009, and we raised over US$40 million through sponsorship.
If you want to have a laugh and support a worthy cause checkout www. Movember.com.
Please let me know if you grow a mo, buy contacting me here.
25 October 2010
Evolutionary design
Last week I wrote about my sons rifle. Some feedback I received was that I was mad and should have bailed on the cheaper option earlier rather than persisting with a solution that would either continue to perform poorly, or would take too much time, effort and cost to perfect. My decision to not bail cost me time and money, and with the benefit of hindsight, I made poor decisions.
Very humble Barx.
I liken this scenario to a product I saw recently which astounded me. It had the same “evolutionary design” where the initial componentry was poor but the customer had done just as I had done, and persisted with enhancements until it eventually worked.
It was a system for retaining sheets of product to a frame for transportation. The retention system had started off with webbing straps. The straps were vertical and secured the product at the top but were on sliders at the bottom. The straps easily slid in and out, allowing the product to move while being transported. Clearly the straps were not doing their job of retaining the product.
The users had added another strap horizontally to assist with securing the load. When the combination of vertical and horizontal straps weren’t holding the product in place properly a third retention system was used. This was pieces of 100mph tape to secure the tops of the load.
The system now worked but had many components and many points of failure. Furthermore the ease of load and unload which the initial system would be expected to provide had been compromised, and the 100mph tape would likely mark the product.
Just like me with Charlies rifle there needs to be a point where we bail-out of evolutionary design and start again. Looking at Charlies rifle, the final product is not a logical solution to meet the initial requirements. It might do the job but better options exist.
I like to do things right.
Ebay. Rifle for sale. Hardly used. Cost $1700. Sell $500.
11 October 2010
Charlies rifle
This weekend my 12 year old son and I and a friend and his similarly aged son travelled to a high country sheep station to hunt wild game on the back section of the farm. The terrain is steep and rugged and challenging for kids of this age, which is all part of the experience.
My goal for the weekend was to get my son Charlie to shoot accurately and confidently with a high calibre rifle I bought him over 8 months ago. Until this weekend the rifle had been inaccurate with neither Charlie or I confident that Charlie could successfully hunt with it.
A bit of history. The rifle was a low cost unit which I purchased second hand. All of my equipment has been bought new, but with budget restraints and some resistance from his mother, I reluctantly agreed to the lower cost second hand rifle for Charlie. In the time between then and now we have found the suppressor to be faulty and replaced it, and the telescopic sites to be faulty, and replaced them. In sighting the rifle in at a retailer (not who we bought the rifle from) we found their sighting equipment for this calibre of rifle to be faulty. To cap it all off we had a bad experience at a rifle range where Charlie and I were humiliated in front of a group of seasoned shooters.
No wonder Charlie was not confident that he could knock over animals with this rifle!
This weekend was different. Everything came together as it should. Charlie beat the three of us at an accuracy competition shooting targets, then with his confidence up, proceeded to knock over several small game animals at 80-100 metres range. His shooting accuracy was every bit as good as mine.
For an extra $400 of expense 8 months ago we could have avoided all the hassles, bad experiences, additional costs, and time wasting. In hindsight I would have happily paid far more than the extra $400, and should have. I’ve learned a lesson, and sadly its not the first time I’ve learned that lesson.
From time to time we see our customers businesses learning similar lessons. For some of our solutions there are cheaper options available, mostly with less features and componentry, or a lower quality build. In addition our solutions are provided with user guides, training, and the benefit of the experiences that our staff have with the product. Our solutions work, they do what we say they will. In the rare occasion where a solution doesn’t work for the customer then we sort it out quickly with minimal hassle to the customer using the skills and experiences of our team.
This is why I’ve been so frustrated with the process of getting Charlie and his rifle to shoot accurately. I haven’t had a partner that I can rely on to help me. And its my fault – I took the cheap option.
Like hunting, oh how much easier and more enjoyable business can be with a quality solution and the right partner to supoport it!
11 October 2010
Curry and Rice
My mother used to make curried sausages using Greggs curry powder, a very bland western style seasoning mix, and probably the only one available at the time. Mums curries were served up on boiled rice. For my Mum, that’s what a curry was.
Today my family enjoy a range of curry’s originating from Thailand, India, Japan, Malaysia, and various pacific nations. The quality of the ingredients has dramatically improved from the options available to my Mum and the resulting curries are far nicer. We have three rice cookers, currently have 6 varieties of rice in the house, and enjoy the options and tastes that these rice bases add to our meals. A quality curry deserves properly chosen and prepared rice.
I went to dinner recently at a friends house and had an exquisitely prepared Indian curry meal served on gluggy boiled rice. A classic mix of the new and the old. All the focus was on preparing a perfect curry, with no consideration or attention to the rice.
Fascinating Barx.
Recently I’ve seen several companies buy new factory equipment for double glaze production. The time, effort, and capital which is devoted to sourcing just the right equipment for each business is a delight to see. These businesses are seeing opportunities, acting on them, and going forward.
However, the systems which surround the new equipment for lifting, cutting, pairing, moving, and transporting the glass are often boiled rice. The DGU line has polymer rollers and bearers to support the glass and not mark it. The transportation systems have old timber bearers screwed into steel frames. Great care and attention is placed on the way the glass unit moves along the DGU line. The trolleys have 20 year old castors with flat spots and small diameters which catch on any floor debry. The DGU line has an immaculate paint job which is regularly polished. Now I’m not going to suggest you polish lifting gear, but at least make sure its painted, protected, and looks professional.
An efficient factory is like a good meal. It’s a combination of all the right ingredients which come together for a taste sensation. Great factories designed by Jamie Oliver or Gordon Ramsay would have great machinery plus complimentary great factory handling. An efficient and effective meal.
4 October 2010
Safety Arms
Last week I had an interesting conversation with the manager of a mid-sized glass shop. The business is based in Christchurch, my home town, and the victim of a massive devastation at the hands of mother natures earthquakes in recent times. The conversation was about safety arms to hold pack glass onto freefalls.
Much of the damage the glass shops was caused by full packs of glass freefalling onto cutting tables and bending them. Most tables simply couldn’t sustain the momentum and force generated by a falling pack. A bent cutting table is worthless, and requires replacement which is both costly and inconvenient.
The Glass Racking Company supplies three styles of safety arms. One style is used predominantly on our bulk storage racks (such as Concertina racks), another is used predominantly on our trolleys and carts, and the third is a pole based system used for transportation.
The first two are interesting for earthquake retention of freefalls as they were responsible for massive savings of glass during the earthquake. The systems themselves and clever in their design, low cost, and quite lightweight in their componentry – the secret to retention of stored glass is to stop it from gaining momentum rather than to be strong enough to hold the entire weight of the load.
Post earthquake many glass shops began securing their glass packs used straps and ropes. This works but is cumbersome and time consuming. Many customers, such as the one I spoke with late last week, will be considering a more practical long term solution.
27 September 2010
3 weeks on ...
This week my two business partners Bryn and Warwick are in Dusseldorf at the GlassTech show. I’m in the office doing my job, serving our walk-in customers, answering phone calls, keeping an eye on the factory, and making decisions as and where they are needed.
During the weekend I took the time to reflect on the last three weeks. Despite our city having one of the worst natural disasters in the history of our country (1079 earthquakes in the last 3 weeks) as a business The Glass Racking Company has continued to push forward. We’ve helped out local glass and window businesses, we’ve showed products at GlassBuild in the USA, we’ve developed some new products, updated our website and some of our documentation, and secured some new clients. Our international clients and business partners need not know about the earthquakes. We’ve also helped out staff, family and friends who have been affected by the quakes.
The media has been full of horror reports about how the quakes have impacted on peoples lives and businesses. I hope other Christchurch businesses who have been fortunate enough to be unscathed by the earthquakes have done what we’ve done, kept their chins up and moved their businesses forward. In a time when it’s easy to put up the white flag our economy needs us to be progressive.
20 September 2010
Returning from GlassBuild 2010
Today I returned from a week at GlassBuild 2010 in Las Vegas, and a brief trip to our branch in Seattle. At GlassBuild we showed our Glazier site glass truck and some glass and window factory handling equipment. One man who visited our stand, Chris, introduced himself and quickly said that he was at the show to uncover innovations that would help his business. He said that he was proud of being the first company in the industry to implement many new products and processes, and went on to name them. Myself and others on our stand spent about 30 minutes with Chris and he left our stand excited and wide-eyed about the opportunities put before him. Chris maximised the benefits he got from our stand and our people, and the other stands at the show that he spent time at - and it was all due to his approach.
If there was an award for the GlassBuild attendee with the most refreshing attitude to the show and business, then it should go to Chris.
At the other end of the scale one individual told me outright that they had all their factory handling equipment and glass transportation sorted out and didn't need anything. Imagine thinking that your business is so good that there is no room for improvement! I wonder what value that attendee got from GlassBuild, and why they bothered investing the money in attending.
All the best for the future Chris. You deserve to succeed.
13 September 2010
Reflections
It’s Saturday afternoon as I sit in my office writing this blog. For me this is the first quiet time I’ve had in what has been a hectic and at times stressful week. Just over a week ago my city suffered a massive earthquake which was 7.1 on the Richter scale. This was followed by another 380 earthquakes in the following 7 days, including two measuring 5.4. In places the devastation on the land, buildings and people has been huge, with estimates of the financial damage ranging from NZ$4B to NZ$5.8B.
At times like this the better side of humanity shines through as people from all walks of life band together to fix problems and help each other. This has been seen in families, neighbourhoods, suburbs, across the city and region, as well as in business.
For me this involved checking on all the elderly who live near my home. For them it was knowing that someone cared enough to check on them, and provide them with a pot of boiling water to make a cuppa. (Ah the benefits of gas fired cooking when the power is out!)
From a work perspective I was fortunate the secure a cherrypicker and the services of an engineer to re-certify the cranes used by our customers. Together we got the cranes operational to clean up the mess. Everywhere we went people helped us to help them. We had a common goal without distractions. We achieved a lot. It was a good feeling.
As the clean-up continues and we begin working on rebuilding the city I suspect we’ll be surprised how much we can achieve. They key will be to work together on a common end goal.
For more details on the earthquake checkout the pics at :
http://www.crashbang.co.nz/quake040910/index.html?ref=nf
6 September 2010
Christchurch rocked by massive earthquake
The Christchurch glass and window industry is beginning the cleanup after the massive 7.1 earthquake which hit at 4.30am on Saturday morning. The glass companies have lost 20-80% of their glass stock with many crates and packs falling onto and breaking equipment. Fortunately the factories were not staffed and there have been no reported injuries in the industry. Likewise the city has no reported deaths, which is in itself a miracle. The carnage to our city is difficult to describe, and we have a massive clean-up ahead of us before the rebuild can begin.
The Glass Racking Company is totally focussed on helping get these window and glass businsses up and running so that the fixup of our city can begin.
See the comments section on our Facebook page which will be updated.
I'll also keep in touch.
Cheers
Barx (Ian)
30 August 2010
False economies – Glass storage
I guess its human nature to feel proud and think we’ve got a good deal when we pay less for something than someone else did, or less than someone else quoted us. But how often is this a false economy? My Dad always told me to “Buy quality shoes and quality fishing gear, spend the money and you’ll never regret it”. He was right, but does his logic apply to transportation and factory handling equipment for the glass and window industries?
In the last couple of blogs I’ve looked at the false economy of buying a transportation rack with no poles (low capital cost) rather than a transportation rack with poles (more expensive but a quick payback). Over the next few weeks I’m going to look at various items of transportation and factory handling equipment to better understand what the payback is, and if there is a false economy with the cheaper items.
This week the focus is bulk glass storage.
In New Zealand most of the bulk glass storage in medium and small sized glass businesses is on A-frame racks. The large companies tend to use concertina racks, but many middle sized companies store their bulk glass on A-frames, most commonly the reddy brown coloured A-frames that are shipped with many containers of pack glass.
The benefits of these A-frames are :
1. Cheap to buy (often gifted at no cost)
2. Cheap to install
3. Simple to load and unload
4. Longevity – they rarely break!
5. In laymans terms, they do the job
The design of A-frames means that as you walk along a storage system there is a space for accessing the first pack of glass, then 2 packs leaning towards each other in A design, then another space to access the glass, then two more packs leaning towards each other, and so on. This takes up a lot of floor space as the internal space of the A-frame is wasted, and there is an access space for every 2 packs of glass, where typically only one access is required at any one time.
For storing packs of glass a Concertina rack is far more efficient. Concertina racks have all the packs of glass leaning in the same direction, on separate bays. The space saving comes from not having the wasted spaces in the middle of the A’s. The second space saving comes by the Concertina rack having all bays moving on a steel structure so that the bays can be “wound” to the left or right to provide access to specific glass packs when needed. Combined, the two space savings result in a Concertina rack taking up half as much space as A-frame storage.
So what’s the payback and is the cheaper A-frame a false economy?
Typical factory space is around $2000 per square metre to buy. This varies according to location and building type, and this is a fair average to use.
An A-frame storage system which is 12 metres long and 3700mm wide will therefore have a footprint cost of around $88,000.
A 10 bay Concertina rack to replace that would be 6 metres long by 3700mm wide, being half the space. The footprint cost for this Concertina rack would therefore be around $44,000.
The Concertina rack will cost around $50,000 installed, and assuming that the total cost for sourcing and installing the A-frame racks is $10,000, then the total costs is $98,000 for the A-frames and $98,000 for the Concertina rack.
So, based on the cost of the equipment and the floor space there is no false economy either way.
However, what we often see is medium and small sized glass companies outgrowing their buildings and requiring more space. The space is usually to fit some new machinery like a double glaze line, or a furnace, or edging equipment, or wanting to stock more bulk glass. When they run out of space in their existing building the options are either to extend the building (if possible), or move to a large premise. Both these options have large capital costs, quite aside from the time required and disruption to the business. For these glass companies the cost of $50,000 for a concertina rack to free up a foot print of 6 metres by 3700mm seems like a bargain and is a logical capital expenditure.
There is also other operational benefits associated with Concertina racks, and having the glass stored in a smaller footprint which have not been factored in to this calculation.
23 August 2010
Time savings calculation for a pole based glass transportation system
Last week I wrote about the benefits of poles and blocks for glass retention on vehicles. One of the benefits over ropes and strops is the speed to load and unload, and the blog went on to summise that the additional costs for poles and blocks was more than cost justified over the life of the product.
So, how can we calculate this?
We recently timed a glazier tying a glass load onto his van rack using ropes. From start to finish it took 3 minutes and 25 seconds. By comparison the time required to secure a glass load on one of our glass van racks using our pole and polymer block system is around 10 seconds per pole. Assuming the load is along the entire length of the rack and requires all five poles, this equates to around 50 seconds (lets call it a minute), and a time saving of 2 minutes 25 second savings per load (lets call it a 2 minute saving).
Assuming that your glazier and his van have a running cost of $50 per hour, and completes 5 loads per day, then the savings in the time to load are $8.30 per day, or $41 per week, or $1992 per year (assuming a 48 week year). A standard 2.2M pole with polymer blocks costs around $150, with 5 poles per side for a standard van, for a total capital cost for the poles of around $750. The poles pay for themselves two and half times a year in the load time savings alone.
At $1992 in savings per year, how much more could a pole based rack cost to still be a better financial option than a non-pole based rack? Even allowing for some additional costs for the rack to accommodate the poles, I believe it’s a no-brainer.
Please note that this calculation is only for load times. Add into this calculation the time savings in unload times (untying the ropes), cost savings through reduced transit rub and damage (reduced rework) and the financial case is very clear. Other benefits include improved securing of the glass, longevity, simplifying training, image to your customers, and health and safety.
16 August 2010
Glass retention systems
I remember as a child asking my Dad why his signature had 3 dots after his name. He said he didn’t know why, but he thought that his Dads signature had the same thing. Over time I adopted the same style of signature with the same 3 dots. It just happened. I didn’t try to copy his signature, just as I guess he didn’t try to copy his Dads. My kids at 12 and 9 years old are now developing their signatures, and you guessed it, the 3 dots have appeared.
It’s a weird thing about humans, but unless someone questions why we do things a particular way, or shows us a better way, most of us are very much creatures of habit and natural born copiers.
In some of the markets in which we operate the most common form of retention of glass onto the rack of a vehicle is with ropes and strops. To the best of my knowledge this was the first glass retention system ever tried. I’ve watched, filmed and timed glaziers securing glass in this way and to me it’s a no-brainer that a pole base system is better.
Benefits of a pole based system include :
1. Speed of load
2. Speed on unload
3. Improved securing of the glass
4. Reduced transit damage due to less movement and rub
5. Longevity (parts rarely wear out or get lost, unlike ropes and strops)
6. Less training required (poles take away the need for experience)
7. Image to your customers
8. Health and Safety (our pole based systems come with user guides, ropes don’t)
The only downside I know of for a pole based system is that the capital cost is greater. This is more than offset by the benefits and savings listed above over the life of the product. Perhaps the other downside is that for some glaziers a pole based system is new and different and easy to turn a blind eye to.
When it comes to the retention system on the poles the best option also seems glaringly obvious. Some clamps and retention systems used on poles are quite complex, which creates greater capital cost and leads to maintenance issues. Others have hard surfaces. In all other areas of glass production and processing we try to keep hard surfaces away from the glass as we know that they create scratches and markings, so why use them for transportation? Likewise black rubber, it marks glass so why use it as a bearing surface for transportation? The use of polymer blocks for glass retention is extremely simple and effective, and in my mind, the glaringly obvious choice.
Some of the components I’ve described above are historic and being replaced with more modern solutions. One of the good things about the glass and window industry is that most business owners are open to new ideas, and keen to gain competitive advantage.
I’m going home tonight to question my kids on why they sign their names with the 3 dots. It’s out of date and a waste of time. A better signature exists and they should make the change!
9 August 2010
Glass capacities
In the last few weeks blogs I’ve been discussing vehicles and loadings. This week I want to drill down into actual capacities.
30 years ago a typical house had 20 windows, averaging about 1/2 of a square metre each, and predominantly 3mm glass. This was before the days of tall ceilings, floor to ceiling windows, common use of bi-fold doors, and architectural glass. Based on these numbers the average house had 10 square metres of glass, 0.03 of a cubic metre of glass, and a total weight of 76kgs of glass.
A typical house of today has an average of 41 glass items, averaging ¾ of a square metre each, double glazed with an average glass thickness of 5mm x 2. Based on these numbers the average house has 31 square metres of glass, 0.31of a cubic metre of glass, and a total weight of 784kgs of glass.
The total weight of glass has increased by 10 times.
More interesting is the true volume of the DGUs. The glass items have increased from 3mm to 24mm in thickness. In terms of capacity this is an 8 fold increase. Therefore the actual volume of glass items in the new house is actually 0.738 of a cubic metre. More than half of the capacity is air (or gas).
The total capacity of glass has increased by 25 times.
What this means for glass transporters is a change from focusing on the weight carrying of the vehicle to the volume carrying. The traditional small ledges on the outsides of trucks are no longer sufficient, and internal storage has become the norm.
Glass factories are finding they are running out of space. It’s not surprising. No wonder we make an increasing number of concertina and swing racks to go into existing glass factories to create more space.
(Editors note. The figures used are estimates based on discussions with glaziers and glass industry staff. If you have some factual figures on the growth for your business please let me know).
2 August 2010
Truck Loading
Following on from last weeks Blog about van weights here’s some thoughts about load weights for small trucks.
Our Glazier truck body has a 3.5M long x 2.2M drivers side frail, a 3.5M x 2.7M passenger side frail (with height extension up), and dual 2.3M x 1.2M internal frails. The racks allow for a useable ledge of 120mm on the external frails and 1.5M internal space. Combined this provides for a theoretical glass volume of around 6.2 cubic metres. At a conversion rate of 2531kg per cubic metre this glass volume has a total weight of over 15.6 tonnes.
The Fuso truck cab chassis which the Glazier bodies are most commonly installed on come with a GVM of 4.5 or 5.6 tonnes. The dry weight of a Glazier truck, including the body, is around 3.3 tonnes. This provides for between 800kgs and 2300kgs of payload, dependant upon the GVM of the truck cab chassis.
This is all very theoretical. The maximum glass loads are rarely spread to all four corners of the racks, very rarely to the maximum widths, and very rarely 100% glass with no spacers and no double glaze units.
However, sticking to the theme of last weeks Blog, it is very easy to load these small trucks with a large volume and weight of glass – perhaps a volume and weight which would be better transported on a larger truck.
With the continued trend to build residential and commercial buildings with larger window sizes, more architectural glass, and more double glazing, the vehicles which were traditionally considered only required or suited to large glass companies are now fitting smaller businesses. Not because the businesses have changed direction, but because the market has changed.
We build our trucks to have lightweight bodies to increase the payload, and design racks to suit the glass sizes to be carried. In most cases this is internal and external racks for maximum capacity and to create loading options for the customer.
We also see the market for small second hand glass transportation trucks has almost disappeared. Most customers are looking for greater capacity and load carrying than the old trucks were designed for.
If you’re business is different and you are in the market for a 20 year old truck and glass transportation body please let me know. I’ll happily point you to a couple of businesses which are trying to sell theirs so that they can replace them with vehicles more suited to their current needs.
26 July 2010
Van frail loading
We are often asked what the loading is for our racks. We are almost never asked what the loading is for the vans which will be supporting the racks.
During 2009 we redeveloped the top and bottom brackets for our van frails to suit the increasing sizes and weights of glass being loaded onto van frails. The new brackets are galvanised steel, designed with gussets for added strength. These brackets are a world first and make our van frails stronger than any others we have seen worldwide.
For our standard van frail offering of a 5 pole 2.9M long van frail, 2.2M tall with four roof rack bars, the van frail is rated to hold 1000kg of glass load. This has been certified by an independent engineer, and is a requirement for installation on COF vans. However, we know that putting 1000kg on the single side of the vans that this sized frail would typically be installed on (Toyota Hi-Ace, Mitsubishi L300, Nissan Caravan, etc) would affect the handling of the van and may overload it. For that reason we rate our van frails for 500kg of payload.
The following is the manufacturers specifications for van loading for their current models :
Toyota Hi-Ace ZL – Payload 930kg
Mitsubishi L300 LWB – Payload 1105kg
Nissan Urvan – Payload 1220kg
So, with a single side van frail installed (120kg), a ladder (5kg), a bucket of putty (20kg), general tools (20kg), an assortment of broken glass items (20kg), fuel (50kg), a glazier (80kg), and an allowance for another 20kg of “stuff” we have already loaded the van with 335kg. Add a passenger side frail to the van (100kg), another glazier (80kg), and a load of glass and the payload maximums are very quickly reached. No wonder the vans wear out!
Overtime we have seen the impacts that van frails and glass load has on vans. The most obvious is the wearing of the suspension on the side (usually drivers side) of the van due to the weight loading. For this reason most glass companies turnover their vans every few years. The day to day activities of a glazier or glass company are hard on the vehicle – it’s the nature of the industry and product.
The second is that when loaded with glass the van frail is very heavy and under pressure. Few of our frails have failed just due to load. The more common failure is that when the frail is under load, if there is an impact or collision, then the frail and the van gutters are more likely to get damaged. The gutters can be fixed by a panelbeater, and the van frails are all monobolted together allowing for the simple and cost effective replacement of parts. Although this is an inconvenience, the primary cause was the collision.
Vans were never designed for the transportation of large heavy sheets of glass. They serve the industry well, but do have their compromises. We believe that we have the design of our frails right. The use of aluminium for weight reduction. The use of steel gusseted top and bottom brackets for added load carrying. The use of monobolts for construction to allow flexing and ease of part replacement.
This all leads to some basic advise - never buy a second hand glass van!
19 July 2010
Branding
This week we commissioned a very cool coffee trailer for “Hit Coffee”. The picture of this unique bright orange trailer with its radical graphics are only part of the story. If you go to www.hitcoffee.co.nz you’ll see the rest of the Hit Coffee brand and story.
People who drink Hit Coffee rave about the flavour, and that comes down to getting the little things right. Enjoying the coffees flavour is a key part of the Hit Coffee brand but the overall experience is what will drive the loyalty.
In my opinion this little business is destined for great things. They have all the building blocks in place for customer loyalty driving rapid growth.
For your own company I challenge you to test your brand. How does your business stack up against Hit Coffee in terms of logo, image, website, differentiation against your competition, enthusiasm, ease of communicating, and being memorable?
Surely an established glass or window company should have a better brand than a start-up coffee trailer?
If you’re Christchurch based, contact Hit Coffee to have them start deliveries direct to your door on Mobile 027 727 6457, Tel: (03) 326 4155, or email info@hitcoffee.co.nz. Go on, make the call …….
12 July 2010
Football World Cup
By the time this blog is loaded the final of the football world cup will be over. It’s been an interesting tournament, marred by the all to regular theatrics by the players to gain penalties and some appalling refereeing decisions. Unfortunately FIFA, the governing body for the game, has allowed this to happen. Their resistance to change to the obvious solution of video referees is holding the sport back. As a football referee myself I would love the opportunity for input to my more challenging decisions from someone able to view video footage of the incident in question.
Relating this to the glass industry we are laissez-faire, a freemarket, where the simple process of supply and demand dictates most of our industries activities. If a glass or window company comes up with a new idea and implements it, if and when it shows benefits, others follow and over time that good idea becomes the industry norm. We have seen this with the development of glass transportation where the first companies to invest in pole based retention systems and curtainsided trucks were taking a step out of the norm, and when the benefits were realised, were followed by the masses. Unlike football where a governing body sets the policy, these glass industry developments came from the creative spirits of freeminded entrepreneurs.
From time to time the glass industry’s “referees” do have an influence on practises within the industry. These are typically around health and safety, and from my experience, are founded on common sense practises with significant industry input. A good example was when the LTSA proposed a law change to make all transported glass enclosed. This would have outlawed van frails and many other existing transportation practices. Metalcraft – The Glass Racking Company worked with GANZ to convince LTSA that the practises used by most GANZ members were safe. The proposed law change was put on hold. “Common sense” with “significant industry input” won.
Oh, how much better soccer would be if FIFA used “common sense” like using technology to give the officials a better view of incidents, and “significant industry input” like listening to the thoughts of the supporters, players and referees.
5 July 2010
Differentiate your offering
We recently released our Window Transportation System to the NZ market with four customers using this system on quite different vehicles. The vehicles range from large covered trucks, to large open trailers, and small open trucks. Each of these four vehicles provides a revolutionary step forward for the customer by providing a purpose built system for loading, securing, transporting, and unloading window frames.
What’s been interesting is the feedback from others who have seen these vehicles. One off-shore customer described the large trailer as “The most thoroughly thought through product I have ever seen”. Another stated “Don’t tell me the options. I want exactly what they’ve got”.
This shows the power of creating a point of difference for your company. Vehicles are clearly a point of difference for window fabricators. The window fabrication industry has developed some wonderful technologies for their factories and offices, but for most, transportation has remained as it was 20 years ago.
If you’re struggling to differentiate your window fabrication business in a competitive market consider transportation. Our Window Transportation System may provide you the advantage you need to succeed.
28 June 2010
"R" value challenges
One year ago the NZ government implemented changes to the building code based on “R” values, resulting in most new buildings requiring double glazing.
An average single glaze window pane of 1000mm x 600mm x 6mm has a total volume is 0.036 of a cubic metre and weighs 8.8kg. The equivalent sized double glaze unit is 24mm thick, 4 times the volume, and twice the weight.
During the last year an increasing number of consented building have been built with double glaze. This coincided with a dramatic reduction in volumes. The true impact of the move to double glazing has not yet been felt. When the market does pickup, and assuming that it reaches the same volumes as pre-recession, our industry will face challenges in processing and managing the volumes and weights of the required double glaze units.
A move to site glazing addresses some of these issues as it means that the most glass doesn’t get delivered to customers via the window fabricator. For the window fabricator this lessens the impact of the change to double glazing. The new challenge becomes a mindset change within the building industry to accept the additional costs of contracted site glazing. This seems inevitable.
Glass companies have new challenges :
1. Manufacturing the quantity double glaze units
2. Factory handling equipment including lifting and moving
3. Efficient storage of the volume of double glaze units prior to site delivery
4. Transporting the volume and weight of double glaze units to site
5. Unloading and lifting the double glaze units into position
6. Coordination of staff, contractors, and customers
Solutions for all of these challenges exist. Partners to the industry, such as The Glass Racking Company, have been developing solutions for some time. Like with the builders, there is a mindset change required for glass companies to accept that new equipment and systems are now required and will now be a part of a typical glass factory and glazing business.
At the recent WANZ conference we demonstrated some of our new double glaze factory handling, storage and site equipment. These solutions address the challenges and create a point of difference for the early adopters.
21 June 2010
Safe castors?
In the last year there have been two fatalities in the NZ glass industry. In addition to these I know of three other incidents where glass fell off a storage system or trolley, two onto a worker and another onto a bare floor. There may be other minor incidents which go unreported.
Glass is by its nature a heavy, fragile, and sharp product. Quality handling and transportation systems for glass are specific to the industry. The key suppliers of this equipment globally number around 10, with those companies typically making a range of storage, lifting, and handling products. Each manufacturer has their own systems and components which they have developed with their key clients over a long period of time. Most general fabricators avoid glass handling and transportation as they recognise that this is an industry suited to specialised rather than general equipment. The one anomaly seems to be trolleys.
I made a 2010 new years resolution to highlight to customers when I think their trolleys are unsafe. I’m sure many customers think this is part of my sales pitch, and maybe it is, but I also consider it my duty to the industry to speak up if I believe they are using unsafe equipment. The most common area of concern is castors. If a castor fails the glass will most likely tip and fall.
A typical 2 metre long A-frame trolley with 200mm ledges and 1700mm tall has the ability to carry around 2 tonnes of glass. I drive a Holden ute which weighs around 2 tonnes. Moving a loaded trolley around a factory is therefore equivalent to pushing my Holden ute around. Why is it then that so many trolleys use lightweight castors not rated for heavy duty applications?
I challenge you to check the castors on the trolleys in your factory.
1. Check the diameter of the castors. Glass trolley castors should have a diameter of at least 150mm
2. Check the castors load rating. If it is built for heavy duty application it will have a rating of at least 400kg per castor.
3. The forks that hold the castor wheel are a common point of failure. Well designed castors will have strong fabricated steel forks. Lighter duty castors will have pressed steel forks which are typically lighter and weaker, and prone to failing by folding over.
4. Check for wear in the swivelling mechanism (if it has one).
5. Check for general wear on the outer surface of the castor. A heavy weight castor will take many years to wear under normal load.
6. Check the shaft and bearing in the centre of the castor. This should be firm and show no signs of wear
7. Check where the castor is attached to the trolley
If in doubt, replace!
The following photos show examples of where inappropriate castors have been used on glass trolleys. This is dangerous and needs to be taken seriously. We all need to take responsibility for reducing risk in our industry.
If you want help with your factory handling equipment you know where we are, and we are keen to help!
14 June 2010
Sizing glass vehicles
How do you size your next glass or window transportation vehicle?
Over the years the average size of windows and glass units has got taller and wider. End customers want more glass in their houses and architects have responded by designing and promoting houses with more floor to ceiling glass with wider dimensions. This is good for our industry, and although it also creates challenges, more is generally better than less.
Our glass and window transportation solutions have a life expectancy of over 10 years. In one example a large glass delivery vehicle has travelled over 1.4 million kilometres and continues to perform well. When that particular vehicle was designed and built the average size of glass units was much smaller, and the total weight of glass per house lot was a lot less. To replace it today we need to predict what the likely requirements will be during the life of the vehicle, and size it accordingly.
So, who thinks that the houses of the future will have less glass and smaller units?
Overtime we expect to see the average size of glass transportation vehicles to increase. This means that small companies will buy vehicles that have traditionally been purchased by medium sized companies. This doesn’t necessarily mean that the business is growing, just that the transportation requirements have changed. This is one of the reasons we have developed the Glazier, Contractor and Open delivery light truck range as an option for glaziers and smaller glass companies.
Another change we predict is more medium sized glass and glazing companies taking on a range of vehicles. Many in the past have standardised on vans. Vans will still have their place but many businesses will compliment vans with light trucks.
I could be wrong of course. End customers might decide that houses with more walls and less windows are more appealing, but I don’t think so.
7 June 2010
Business Confidence and the All Blacks
This week a report showed that NZ business confidence is up, the highest it has been since May 1999. Furthermore the National Bank NBNZ report opened with the quote “We continue to take heart from the tone of NZ data. Not only is it pointing to ongoing momentum, but the mix to growth is positive for a durable upswing.”
I’m somewhat cynical of such reports as there are many influences on business confidence. I understand that two of the greatest influences are the weather and the All Blacks. Business confidence always goes up in spring as the weather fines, putting people in a more positive frame of mind.
The success of the All Blacks is also a significant influence for exactly the same reasons. When the All Blacks win the Tri-Nations or complete a Grand Slam tour the positivity of the general public in New Zealand, including the business owners surveyed, trends up.
So why are the current levels of business confidence so high? We have just had a cold wet and miserable period of weather across the entire country. The NZ teams in the Super14 didn’t even make the finals, and our All Black team is looking weaker than it has for many years. If anything you’d think that business confidence would be at an all time low.
Business confidence is all about whether or not business owners are planning to grow their businesses and employ more staff. Clearly many are, and more so than in the past 11 years. Despite my cynicism of such measures and reports, I believe that the NZ economy is on the rise, and that many small businesses will create new niches to grow their volumes and staff numbers. This small business success, based solely on hard work and innovation, will gradually pull our economy out of the mire.
As for the weather and the All Blacks, we can but hope …..
31 May 2010
Emerging from a recession ....
When our industry emerges from the current recession will it emerge in exactly the same shape with the same key players as it went in? Most business people say that it won’t, that some new players will be stronger and some of the previously strong players will have a lesser role in the industry. For entrepreneurs today is the day to reassess your business long term goals and what role you want to play in the new industry. Today provides an opportunity which is unique in our careers, as at no other time is the industry so open to new directions. Don’t waste this opportunity.
24 May 2010
Best glass industry joke ever!
A middle aged glass executive walks onto a plane, stashes his brief case in the overhead locker, and quietly sits down in preparation for a lengthy sleep on the flight. Next to him is a young double glaze salesman with a lap full of the latest electronic gadgetry. The DG salesman introduces himself to the glass executive, who would rather not meet anyone new, and would rather sleep.
“How about we play a game” says the DG salesman
“I’d really rather sleep” replies the glass exec.
No put off the DG salesman states boldly “In this game you could make some good money”
With one eye open the glass exec responds with “Tell me more ….”
“Well, here’s how the game works. I ask you a question and if you don’t know the answer you have to give me $5. Then you ask me a question and if I can’t answer it I give you $5000.”
With renewed interest the glass exec sits up and says “You start..”
“What’s the distance in miles between the earth and the moon”
The glass exec has no idea and hands over $5, then looks the DG salesman in the eye and asks “What goes upstairs with 3 legs and comes downstairs with 4 legs?”
The DG salesman looks perplexed, then starts work on finding out the answer. He has his laptop open and is browsing the net, he’s texting friends, he’s using his satellite mobile to call people, and eventually after about 30 minutes he gives up. The DG salesman hands over $5000 in cash to the glass exec.
The glass exec thanks him, pockets and cash, closes his eyes and leans back to go to sleep.
“Please tell me the answer” cries the frustrated DG salesman.
“To what question?” responds the glass exec
“What goes upstairs with 3 legs and comes downstairs with 4 legs?”
“I have no idea, Here’s another $5” replies the glass exec.
17 May 2010
Worlds most comprehensive window trailer
Today I’m delivering a window transportation trailer to its end customer. This trailer has a 6M (almost 20 foot) long deck for transporting long and bulky window frames, a pole based window retention system for time savings, Reveal foams for protection between layers of window frames, a polymer bearing surface for the first layer of windows, 2 x 6M storage bins for transportation of window extrusions, a box for storing tools, an inclinometer for safe loading and unloading, a 3M loading ramp, full length signage, and a host of other goodies. The trailer is rated at 3.5 tonnes and has dual electronic disk brakes.
To the best of my knowledge this is the most comprehensive window transportation trailer ever built, anywhere on the planet. If you know of a better window transportation trailer please send me a pic and a description. I’d love to see it!
10 May 2010
Trolleys and copying
Last week we had some interesting conversations with a glass company which was wanting assistance with a new trolley design. The initial opportunity was to price the customers design. Most engineering businesses would have quoted the design, and in many cases, the engineer with the cheapest price would have won.
We took a different approach. Over 19 years of building trolleys for glass companies we have built up some experience, and that experience is valuable for discussions such as these. The design clearly had some advantages and addressed many of the customers needs. However there was also some shortcomings, and once discussed with the customer, they agreed. The customer was very appreciative. Through further discussions we’ve finalised an improved design which will better meet their needs.
It got me thinking. What is the value of knowledge and experience? We are often told that other companies can build products like ours for less cost, but I rarely see identical products in customer sites. What I do see is products which are very similar to early versions of our products, many of which had shortcomings.
It got me thinking again. What can we do to get involved in customer discussions like this more often? It’s during these discussions that we are at our best, add the most value, and save customers from potentially expensive mistakes.
And lastly, I started to wonder about our own business and how we could work better with our partners and suppliers so that we get the best out of their knowledge and experience.
26 April 2010
First ever Blog!
Gidday, and welcome to my first ever blog.
My goal with these weekly blogs is to provide an opinion on a topic which is relevant to the glass and window industries. As I am a director of The Glass Racking Company you can expect most of the topics to be relevant to factory handling equipment and transportation as they are the main solutions we supply.
Today however I’m going to start with a bigger picture issue. In the last four weeks we have been approached by six customers who are looking to change the way that they do business. More specifically their changes are :
1. Changing the processes they use in their factory
2. Setting up a new processing facility
3. Changing the service they provide to their clients
4. Expanding their product range
5. Changing their image
6. Expanding their geographic coverage
Three of these companies are very small, but the fact that they are making these kind of changes signals a change in our market, and a movement out of the recessionary period. For the proceeding twelve to eighteen months most glass and window companies have been “hunkering down” and “doing the same thing, just less of it”. This may have been the right approach for those times, but now entrepreneurs are seeing new opportunities, acting on them, and investing in them. This investment in doing things differently will generate spend with suppliers and partners, and hopefully bring in new sales for the customers concerned. This drives economic growth. I believe these changes to be the most positive indication of progression out of the recession that we have seen.
What are your thoughts? Am I right or am I being overly optimistic?
