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Barx's Glass Industry Blog.
Ian Barker started life as an eager entrepreneur. Early high school businesses included goldfish farming, bike restoration, and wood turning. Three years getting a business studies degree flattened Ian’s creative spirits and landed him a job for an American computer giant. The proceeding 18 years of IT and telecommunications paid for his house but left Ian searching for a more practical and tangible environment to spend his working days. 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, referees football, hunts with a rifle and bow, adores his wife and children, and enjoys a beer.
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 or Facebook page which will be updated.
I'll also keep in touch.
Cheers
Barx (Ian)
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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.
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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.
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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 based 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 and extrusions 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!
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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 focus on the volume being carried. 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).
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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.
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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 panel beater, and the van frails are all mono-bolted 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 mono-bolts for construction to allow flexing and ease of part replacement.
This all leads to some basic advise - never buy a second hand glass van!
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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 …….
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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 free minded 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.
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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.
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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.
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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!
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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.
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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 …..
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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.
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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.
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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!
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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.
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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?
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