DWM - 2008 - December

Volume 9, Issue 11 - December 2008

Feature

Win-door North America 2008
Quality Reigns
by Tara Taffera

The Win-door North America Show, which was held November 11-13 in Toronto, drew a smaller attendance than last year. This wasn’t a surprise due to the current state of the housing market, according to Patrick Schield, show organizer. U.S. attendance was down 30 percent from last year while Canadian attendance was down 15 percent. However, the number of exhibiting companies was up from last year. More good news was that as of the end of the second day, the Canadian Window and Door Manufacturers Association (CWDMA), show sponsor, added approximately eight new members. And, according to Schield, many representatives companies who walked the show expressed interest in exhibiting next year.

Matt Kottke from Truth Hardware reported having quality visits with customers and perspective customers. He also said companies are still sending representatives to Win-door though they may be sending less people from that one company, a sentiment that Schield mentioned as well.

“From the attendee and exhibitor perspective, Win-door is the best value,” said Kottke.

One change to this year’s show was conducting educational sessions in a special education pavilion on the show floor. (Product demonstrations were also held on the show floor.)

Educational Events—Energy Star®
A session on Canada’s Energy Star program drew a packed crowd of 145 people. The session was held again later that day in French and 60 people attended.

Steve Hopwood from Natural Resources Canada discussed proposed changes to Canada’s Energy Star program. Phase 1 would take effect in January 2010 while phase 2 would take effect in January 2014. Comments on the proposal are due by January 15, 2009.

“In our minds, Phase 1 would not require any great design changes,” said Hopwood. “Manufacturers can meet the requirements with existing technology.”

As is happening in the United States, Canada plans to make its requirements more stringent than what exists currently. Additionally, Hopwood says that NRCan is proposing that IG unit third-party certification be made mandatory—something the U.S. Department of Energy has also proposed domestically. The Canadian proposal also calls for a more uniform approach to product labeling.

Jeff Baker, technical consultant with WestLab, gave an overview of the Energy Star qualification process and other testing requirements including IG certification.

“If you’re considering Energy Star you should look at it now as IG certification will be a requirement of Energy Star,” said Baker. “With everything coming up there will be an 18-month backlog with test labs.”

Phil Lewin of Vinyl Window Designs, a door and window manufacturer in suburban Toronto, ended the seminar with some observations on Energy Star from the manufacturer perspective.

“If you manufacture windows you should participate in Energy Star,” said Lewin. “Participation really ups the values of windows as a whole.”

He also says that it offers more credence with the customers who continue to become more and more educated.

Product Displays
The Novatech booth was very busy at the show. In fact, the company introduced a number of new products. This included three new stained glass designs that were developed after conducting market research with its customers. In fact, regarding the new Gothic Deign, “I think this will be a best seller as everyone loves it,” said Novatech’s Sonia Brossard.

It also introduced the Thermacrystal collection, which the company says introduces new technology to door glass production. The new molding process thermoforms a plastic material, producing designs with complex, pure lines. It also reproduces different glass textures as a layer of clear resin is applied to a plastic film, fixing it to the glass. The addition of this resin adds a crystalline opacity, which provides the desired privacy.

The Thermacrystal collection is available with another new product introduced at the show—the Nova Secure steel door which offers a 3-point locking mechanism and top and bottom anchor points that are beveled. Additionally, the jamb with handle is reinforced, laminated wood which the company says makes the entry door system more durable and sturdy than other doors on the market.

The Royal Group had a large presence at Win-door and it used this as a venue to introduce many new products including its Extreme line. The Impact Patio Door offers maximum protection, water, wind and impact resistance and is approved by the Florida Building Code.

PH Tech used Win-door as an opportunity to inform attendees of many new services it now offers its customers. “At PH Tech, manufacturers are supported and accompanied unlike anywhere else,” said Isabelle Lessard, marketing coordinator.

The company says its modular systems are distinct and allow versatile product use and applications. The company also stresses that it is different through its use of PVC materials. One advantage is an extrusion process that takes recycling, recovery and resource management into account. The company also offers full-scale technical support right from the beginning and logistics management designed for each company, as well as extensive marketing support.

Royal and PH Tech were among several extruders who exhibited at Win-door, but Glasslam’s Matt Hale says it was the only exhibiting company who showcased a spacer product. Glasslam has had an increased presence in the industry in recent months as it introduced the Air-Tight flexible warm-edge spacer. The product is made of a flexible foam that provides warm-edge performance for IG production. Hale reported that the company currently is taking orders for the product and manufacturing it at its new plant in the Bahamas.

“We wanted to be here [at Win-door] [because] Canada is an important part of North America,” said Hale.

Northern Architectural Products (NAP), based in Concord, Ontario, also offered a new product—a line of window operators. The Aurora Operator Hardware has a one-piece operator body that delivers structural integrity and long-term durability, according to Maury Shiner of NPA. The products are powder-coated and are available in various colors.

The company also introduced its TUNDRA patio door handles. They are made of Polesium™, a composite material that delivers full thermal insulation between the inner and outer handle sets. The handles also can be powder-coated, which Shiner says is something that is not offered by many companies.

On the machinery side, Ameri-Can’s Yolanda Sangiuliano was pleased to announce that the company has introduced its T series CNC Machining Center. The vertical spindle machining center has 3- or 4-axis CNC controls capable of machining extruded aluminum, light alloys, PVC and steel. The machine has an automatic tool changer and eight clamps to ensure precise clamping. Options such as a sound-proofing cabinet and pneumatic vices to clamp two profiles together are all available.

New to the Win-door show was first-time exhibitor SunView Patio Doors. According to Sandro Di Iorio, sales manager, a great deal is new with this company since it was acquired by the Zzen Group in March 2008.

“When the new group took over we came out with two new product lines [Victorian and Buckingham lines of patio doors],” said Di Iorio.

The company started by manufacturing aluminum doors, then moved into vinyl, and Di Iorio says the company also has a fiberglass composite door for the high-end market. It is also about to introduce another new product very shortly.

“That’s one of the benefits of being associated with a larger company,” he says. “We have access to a full research and development department, and from idea to implementation it takes no more than six months to introduce a new product.”

While Di Iorio described SunView as “Canada’s little secret,” that is all changing.

“We did just serve Southern Canada [and a little in the United States] but now we’re expanding more into the United States,” he said.

Next year’s Win-door show will be held November 10-12 at the Metro Toronto Convention Center.

Forecaster Says U.S. Economy Will Turn Around in Summer; Remains Cautious About Housing Market

John Johnson, chief strategist for RBC Dominion Securities, spoke during Win-door and tried to give attendees some hope regarding the current economic climate and the housing crisis. Although speaking before a mainly Canadian audience, his presentation, “The Sun Always Rises,” focused on the state of both the U.S. and Canadian markets while also touching briefly on the global economy.

He believes the worst is over for the U.S. housing market. “However, inventory is still a huge problem and new mortgage applications are still falling, so, for that reason, I remain very cautious,” he said.

While Canada isn’t experiencing a deep decline in the housing market as in the United States, Johnson did say the housing market will decline, but he doesn’t expect it to be as bad as what occurred in the early 1990s.

“There will be an unpleasant period [in Canada] and housing will be part of that,” he said.

Regarding the U.S. economy Johnson said that the United States is in a recession but did offer some hope.

“Things are going to get a lot worse, but a recession, not a depression,” he said. “Throughout history, we’ve always gotten out of these.”

His prediction is that sometime between spring and summer of 2009 the economy will turn around. But until then, Johnson said that we’re heading into a global recession, which, for Canadians, translates into the Canadian dollar being down.

“We’re getting a recession in Canada,” said Johnson. “We have less debt but we’re not that much better than the United States.”

He said that both the United States and Canada the governments will become more proactive.

“Overall [regarding economic policy], [the government is] doing all the right things,” Johnson added.

One attendee asked Johnson’s opinion on the automakers’ current crisis.

“If those companies go down it’s a huge hit,” he said. “You have to bail them out. The question is, should Canada participate to keep the Canadian operations of those companies going? You have to put them on life support so they don’t take us all down. That goes for Canada as well.”