Islands in the Stream

Industry Heads to Sunny Florida for National Auto Glass Show

by Penny Beverage

As the rest of the world heads into fall temperatures, the auto glass industry will be heating up, as it visits sunny Marco Island, Fla., for the 2002 National Auto Glass Conference and Expo.™ The show, which is sponsored by the National Glass Association (NGA), will be held September 25-28, 2002, at the Marco Island Marriott Resort.

The show will kick off with a golf tournament on Wednesday, September 25, at 8 a.m.

At 4:30 p.m., Harley Davidson’s former director of communications, Ken Schmidt, will take center stage as keynote speaker. He will discuss how he helped to restore his former employer’s image and to create demand for its motorcycles, as applicable to the auto glass industry. A cocktail reception, co-sponsored by PPG and NGA, will follow.

Classroom Time
After an evening of networking, participants will get back to work on Thursday, September 26, with several seminars.

Several members of the Auto Glass Replacement Safety Standards Council (AGRSS), including chairperson Cindy Minon-Ketcherside of J.C.’s Glass in Phoenix, Deb Levy, publisher of AGRR magazine, and Carl Tompkins, western states manager for Sika Corp. and an AGRR columnist, will discuss the standard and how it will be implemented throughout the industry.

Afterwards Doug Linderer of Go-Glass in Salisbury, Md., Chuck Lloyd of Livgard and Rabuse in Minneapolis and Bob Beranek of Automotive Glass Consultants will join in for more discussion on how to use AGRSS to promote your business and how to use AGRSS advertising to your shop’s advantage.

Daryl Allegree of Universal Underwriters Group will be on-hand to represent the insurance industry, and he will provide a seminar, “Ouch! That Hurts,” on how to avoid accidents and reduce liabilities when accidents occur. The discussion will focus largely on OSHA requirements and how they are helpful. Likewise, Allegree will give examples of some companies that are using new training methods to avoid accidents.

On Friday morning, Bartlestone Glass’s Ed Fennel will moderate a discourse called “Problems of the Industry Regarding Pricing and Billing.” Participants will include Lloyd, Catherine Howard of National Auto Glass Specifications International (NAGS) in San Diego and Kurt Muller, president/owner of Auto Glass Express in Plainville, Conn., and president of the board of directors of the Independent Glass Association.

The industry will welcome one of its counterparts in the car-manufacturing industry, Richard Knoles, supervisor of the crash-development center for Ford Motor Co. Knoles will attempt to demonstrate the importance of the crash development program in product development.

At 1 p.m. on Friday, Beranek and Gene Nichols of Guardian Auto Glass will hold “Productivity in the Industry as an Auto Glass Technician.” The two will discuss how to achieve high productivity levels in an auto glass shop without sacrificing quality or safety.

Paul Almeida, Ph.D., of Georgetown University, will follow with “Strategy for Profitability.” The Washington, D.C.-based business professor will discuss how to analyze your business and the competition, and use both to maximize profitability.

Finally, on Saturday morning, Dave Long, an airbag specialist, and Mitch Becker, technical consultant for ABRA Auto Body & Glass, will talk about how to protect yourself and your employees from air bag dysfunction on the job.

The Curtain, Please
The auto glass expo will run on Thursday, September 26, and Friday, September 27, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. The following is an overview of some of the products exhibitors will be showing off and unveiling this year.

Creative Extruded Features New Products, New Sales Staff
Creative Extruded Products of Tipp City, Ohio, will feature ExacTrim™ vehicle-specific mouldings, GripFlex™ on-glass moulding systems and supporting FlexiTrim™ universal moulding, which is marketed by Dayton, Ohio-based Dow Automotive/Essex ARG.

In addition, Creative’s booth will have a new representative, Don Hetzler, who was just promoted to the position of sales manager for the company’s market sales team. Hetzler has been with the company for eight years and most recently served as a manufacturing engineer.

Reid Unveils Cobra Blade
Reid Manufacturing Co. of Southfield, Mich., will be showcasing its quick-release-style cold knives as well as six different replacement blades. The company will also release several new products, including the Cobra blade, which it says is “the only replaceable cold knife blade available with a convex ground edge.”

Clean Plus Displays Variety of Products
Clean Plus Inc. of West Concord, Minn., plans to display its Clean Plus Formula III, Rugged Gluvs and Rugged Wypes at the show. Clean Plus Formula III is a traditional hand cleaner developed specifically for the professional auto glass installer, according to the company. The cleaner even works to clean excess urethane, both fresh and cured.

In addition, Clean Plus’s Rugged Gluvs are heavy-duty, protective, disposable gloves available in latex and latex-fee nitrile, both powdered and powder-free. The Rugged Wypes are heavy-duty, multi-purpose cleaning towels designed for tough application.

Sommer and Maca Introduce Strip Cutter
Sommer and Maca of Cicero, Ill., will unveil its SOMACA premium strip cutter, which it says ensures a clean score every time. The strip cutter features an oil-fed Toyo 134 Carbide wheel or an optional 154 wheel for scoring thick glass. Ball-bearing guide wheels enable the rigid aluminum frame to move with little effort and accurately, according to the company. In addition, the cutting head and oil reserve slide and lock into position on a recessed scale. The cutters are available in 24, 48 and 72 inches.

Pilkington Shows Off Newest Services
Columbus, Ohio-based Pilkington North America’s auto glass replacement division will feature several new products and services, including its CompleteClaims service, Pilkington Classics replacement glass and its distributorship with Dinol. The CompleteClaims service is an online solution for streamlining the claims process for insurers that the company says reduces administrative costs, increases compliance and efficiency.

Representatives from Pilkington Classics, a Pilkington division, will also be on-hand to explain how installers can obtain replacement glass for specific makes and models of classic vehicles and exotic cars. In addition, Pilkington will provide discussions on windshield quality and safety at its booth.

Finally, Pilkington will promote its exclusive distributorship with Dinol and how it can help auto glass installers order parts easily.

Equalizer Promotes Array of New Products
Round Rock, Texas-based Equalizer Industries will promote both its true sine wave inverter and its 2003 catalog. According to the company, the true sine wave inverter is designed specifically for the auto glass replacement industry. Equalizer will demonstrate its use during the event. In addition, the company will allow attendees to sign up to receive one of its 2003 catalogs, which will be available beginning in October.

ADCO Widens Nozzles; Introduces TITAN 3000HV
ADCO Products Inc. of Michigan Center, Mich., will feature its new wide-mouth cartridges for its TITAN™ bonding systems urethane adhesive products. According to the company, the high-viscosity formulas required by the ARG and OEM industries made the shift from traditional nozzle widths to this new wider version necessary.

In addition, the company will promote the latest addition to its bonding systems family, TITAN 3000HV. TITAN 3000HV is a fast-curing, low-conductive, primerless-to-glass, one-part urethane adhesive designed to provide a 3-hour drive-away installation. Other features of the product include high decking properties, wide-mouth cartridge and a wide nozzle for easy dispensing.

PPG Unveils GLAXIS™
Pittsburgh-based PPG Industries will launch GLAXIS, its newest company, at the event. GLAXIS, which will have its own booth in addition to PPG’s main booth, calls itself the technology solutions unit of PPG. The company says GLAXIS will benefit auto glass distributors, retailers, third-party claims administrators and insurance companies by allowing them to connect and communicate electronically through their existing point-of-sale business management systems or enterprise resource planning software directly with their preferred business partners and eliminate traditional costly and time-consuming telephone, fax and website communications.

The company has tested the technology in a pilot program with several companies, including LYNX Services, PPG Auto Glass, and several auto glass shops throughout the country.

“GLAXIS has enabled several hundred retail glass shops to receive their work assignments and request authorizations electronically from LYNX Services,” said Mike Jones, business manager for GLAXIS. “The result is reduced handle time, improved accuracy and overall lower operating costs for the shops, highlighted by an average reduction in EDI rejects of more than 60 percent.”

Most software systems will not need to be modified to work with GLAXIS, and it is easily adapted when it does need to be modified slightly, according to Paul Recrosio, strategic account manager for PPG eCommerce Services.

The company hopes the system will allow it to provide more compatible service to its customers and thus help the industry overall.

AGRR