Volume 14, Issue 4 - July/August 2012
Volume 14, Issue 4 - July/August 2012
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AGR Reports DISTRIBUTION NEWS On May 22, 2011, an EF-5 tornado tore through the city of Joplin and Kryger Glass was directly in the storm’s path. The company’s distribution center was destroyed including the building, fleet and inventory housed there. All employees of the Joplin Kryger Glass location were safe. Since that day in May, the company has been operating out of a temporary facility in Joplin and looking forward to the day when permanence would return. “After almost a year of hard work we had exhausted our potential possibilities in Joplin and had no choice but to look outside the Joplin area,” says Bill Kryger, president of Kryger Glass. “We were thrilled to find a perfect spot in Springfield, Mo., and although it is sad to leave Joplin we are excited about our future in southern Missouri.” The new facility, which opened April 30, is almost twice the size of the facility the company had in Joplin. The increase in square footage has allowed the company to double its inventory. “We are looking forward to continuing to service our existing customer base and expanding within the Springfield metro area,” Kryger says. OPENINGS AND CLOSINGS The new facility will be an auto glass location with additional glass and glazing products for the residential and commercial markets. Distribution will reach the Jackson area of Mississippi. “This covers the full spectrum including auto glass, tub/shower enclosures, mirrors, glass shelving, table tops, insulated units, windows, entrance doors, flush glaze and curtainwall systems,” says branch manager Stephen Hirsh. AGC Lays Cornerstone in Brazil The facility in Guaratinguetá, scheduled to begin operations in 2013, will manufacture automotive and architectural glass. By 2016, the facility is expected to have a workforce of approximately 500 people, most of whom will be hired locally. By then, the production capacity is expected to reach 220,000 tons of construction glass per year. The facility also is expected to produce automotive glass for 500,000 vehicles per year, also by 2016. MANUFACTURER NEWS Pilkington Automotive serves the original equipment (OE) and automotive glass replacement (AGR) aftermarket sectors. The layoffs would begin on June 2 and end on September 1, according to the report. The company has attributed the layoffs to the “poor economy” in its filing with the state. Pilkington officials provided the following written statement to AGRR™ magazine: “The decision has been taken in the light of the continuing difficult market environment in the glass industry and resulting drop in product volumes in North America. This drop in demand and reduction of future orders has resulted in insufficient work to maintain the Ottawa Plant workforce at its current level.” The Ottawa facility includes one of the company’s six North American float lines. NAGS NEWS Two parts, the DW01256GBNN and the DW01317GBYN, have seen several increases over the last two years. Both part prices are up 2.8 percent from May 2011—the part price DW01256GBNN rose from $249.90 to $256.95 and the DW01317GBYN from $208.70 to $214.65. The DW01256GBNN rose 5.2 percent from Fall 2010 to Fall 2011—$244.40 to $257.05, and 3.8 percent from Spring 2010 to Spring 2011. The DW01317GBYN rose 3.8 percent from Fall 2010 to Fall 2011, and 3.1 percent from Spring 2010 to Spring 2011. Another notable increase is for the DW01265GBNN, which rose 2.3 percent over the last year—from $239.90 to $245.50. Among the decreases in the latest catalog is a 3.5 percent drop in benchmark price for the DW01504GBYN. Also, the DW01551GBYN saw a 2.1 percent decrease; and the DW01512GBNN a 1.9 percent decrease. n
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