CompanyNews

Glass Industry Reacts to Quanex Purchase of Edgetech I.G.

When Quanex Building Products Corp. announced in late January that it signed a definitive agreement with Lauren International to acquire Edgetech I.G. Inc. for $107 million in an all-cash transaction (see January/February 2011 USGlass, page 6), everyone in the industry started asking questions, the answers to which are still forthcoming. For example, how will competitors Edgetech and Truseal be integrated together? Several industry members who wished not to be identified publicly told USGlass magazine that until they know how, or if, the two companies and technologies will be melded together, there isn’t much to say.

Others did already have opinions to voice, and that includes Bob Pecorella, president of Northern Building Products in Teterboro, N.J., a long-time Edgetech customer.

“It is savvy of Quanex to put Edgetech/Truseal under one roof,” Pecorella says. “Northern has been a user and supporter of warm-edge flexible spacer technology for more than two decades. Having them together under the same ownership is an unbeatable combination of the foremost technology for insulating spacer for our industry. They are very smart about doing this. It’s a win-win, except for those not making a warm-edge flexible spacer.”

Another question is how the uniting of two major spacer suppliers will affect the competition.

GED is a competitor to both companies on the spacer side, and Dan Reinhart, director of sales, says his reaction was mixed when he heard the news.

“I was surprised, although [I thought] nothing surprises me anymore in this industry,” he says.

Reinhardt agrees that there are many questions that need to be answered.

“I think there was surprise and shock in the industry,” he says. “Customers are worried, ‘what if they eliminate my product line?
How will it affect my pricing?’ They [executives of both companies] said the right things—that they are looking for growth. I still think there are a lot of questions though.”

Gerhard Reichert was involved in Edgetech at its inception and is credited for helping invent Edgetech’s Super Spacer® product. He now serves as president of industry competitor Glasslam.

“I was inside Edgetech for many years so I know ideas of selling have been floated around in the past. But as to when it would happen was news to everyone,” Reichert says.

So was he surprised Edgetech was sold to Quanex?

“Yes and no,” Reichert says. “It’s a mixed bag. There are always changes in this industry. Mergers and acquisitions bring about different dynamics and this merger of two competitors will as well.”
www.quanex.com

Guardian and Infinite Edge Sign Joint Development Agreement
Guardian Industries and Infinite Edge Technologies LLC (IET) have signed a joint development agreement to commercialize IET’s InfiSpace™ warm-edge spacer system. The companies will collaborate to introduce IET’s newly developed spacer system into the global marketplace.

According to the announcement, Guardian group vice president Scott Thomsen confirmed Guardian’s purchase of the first automated application system designed to utilize IET’s InfiSpace spacer system at the 2010 glasstec show in Düsseldorf, Germany. The equipment is expected to be operational at one of Guardian’s fabrication facilities this year.

“With Guardian’s global presence and keen focus on new technology, it is an excellent partner in helping IET introduce the InfiSpace, warm-edge spacer system to the global marketplace,” says Eric Rapp, IET’s chairman and chief executive officer.

Thomsen adds, “From our initial review of IET’s technology, we identified their system as having tremendous potential in the marketplace and are excited to be working closely with IET to introduce the system.”
www.guardian.com

Sika Forms Facades, Fenestration & IG Business
Sika Corp.’s Industry Products Division has established a facades, fenestration and insulating glass business unit, serving the needs of customers in the North American marketplace. This action follows the announced acquisition of May National in October 2010 (see November 2010 USGlass, page 12). The new business unit has a dedicated sales force specific to the market segments and will operate from Lakewood, N.J.

The new unit is headed by Scott Henry, senior vice president of Sika Industry Products.

The company also has announced the opening of a new 200,000-square-foot warehousing facility at its Marion, Ohio, location.
The facility features a consolidated shipping point and expedited material flow. The new facility serves as one of several centralized distribution centers for nine business units including flat glass products.

The former warehousing space occupied in the plant will be converted to additional manufacturing capacity.
www.sikausa.com

PGT Closes North Carolina Door and Window Plant
Impact-resistant architectural product manufacturer PGT Industries is transferring its Salisbury, N.C., operations to Venice, Fla., and closing the North Carolina plant.

There will be approximately 300 new positions created in Venice when the transition is complete, expected to be by the end of the second quarter of this year.

“Transitioning to a centralized location optimizes our manufacturing capacity and logistics,” says Rod Hershberger, president and chief executive officer. “We believe this move will position PGT to be a stronger company with focus on growing our share within our core wind-borne debris market areas, and the support we are receiving from our local EDC and Sarasota County proved critically important in our decision-making process as we look to create hundreds of new jobs locally.”
www.pgtindustries.com

GANA Accepting Scholarship Applications for 2011
The Glass Association of North America (GANA) Educational Foundation is accepting applications for its 2011 scholarships. In addition to the minimum five $1,000 scholarships it will award to undergrads, the Foundation also is offering a graduate scholarship of $2,500. Since the beginning of the effort, the Foundation has awarded several scholarships to students studying in the fields of architecture, construction management or engineering. The graduate scholarship also includes business students. This marks the fourth year of the program.

Funding for the program includes proceeds from GANA’s BEC Conference (see page 38 for more on the conference).
Additional information about the program and a downloadable application form are available on the GANA Educational Foundation website.

The deadline for scholarship applications is April 1, 2011.
www.ganafoundation.org



USG
© Copyright 2011 Key Communications Inc. All rights reserved.
No reproduction of any type without expressed written permission.