April PPI Numbers Remain Strong for Glass Industry

The seasonally unadjusted prices for materials used in glass and glazing manufacturing were positive in April both compared to March 2021, and in year-over-year price changes, according to the latest Producer Price Index (PPI) from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). In April, the monthly PPI for flat glass in the commodity category was up 0.6% and 4.0% from April 2020. According to the BLS, the commodity classification "organizes products and services by similarity or material composition, [more]

After a Year Without Shows, China Glass Exhibition 2021 Returns

While almost all in-person events were canceled in 2020, people are once again starting to gather in person. From May 6-9, the China Glass Exhibition took place at the Shanghai New International Expo Center, though it attracted a smaller crowd compared to past years. The show typically takes place in Beijing in odd-numbered years and Shanghai during even-numbered years. Still, the global pandemic caused the cancelation of the 2020 event, making Shanghai the designated location. Despite [more]

Colonial Pipeline Shutdown Empties the Glass Industry’s Tank

According to CNN, gasoline demand has surged following a ransomware attack that crippled the Colonial Pipeline — a system that stretches more than 5,500 miles and transports about 45% of fuel consumed on the East Coast. The system transports 2.5 million barrels per day of gasoline, diesel, jet fuel and home heating oil. Authorities believe criminal group DarkSide is responsible for the attack. Gasoline demand in Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia spiked by [more]

Increasing Supply Chain Costs Drive Price Increases for Industry Suppliers

A number of glass industry companies and suppliers have recently announced price increases on various products. These increases, which are resulting from escalating costs seen throughout the supply chain, are impacting a wide range of companies, including glazing contractors and glass fabricators, among others. Yesterday, Owatonna, Minn.-based Viracon notified customers of a price increase on quote requests received on or after May 12, 2021. A letter from Garret Henson, vice president of sales and marketing, points [more]

Obituary: Charles Craig Washing

C. Craig Washing, a resident of Montgomery, Ala., and an accomplished figure in the glass industry, passed away on April 27, 2021, at 81. He is survived by his wife, Marti Washing. Washing was born on July 18, 1939, and graduated from Ohio State University in 1962 with a bachelor's degree in management and as a member of Phi Delta Theta. His career in the glass industry began as a sales trainee in the Chicago office of [more]

AGNORA Celebrates 10th Anniversary

On May 6, 2011, Richard and Laura Wilson decided to tear down a wall in the building of the company they just started in Collingwood, Ontario. "We tore down the block wall and put up glass between the front office and the plant so that there was no division," says AGNORA president Richard Wilson, reflecting back on the company’s start ten years ago this week. "Everyone could see right into the plant; it's floor-to-ceiling, wall-to-wall glass [more]

Glass Construction Spending Declines Again

The value of nonresidential glass and glazing activity was down to finish the first quarter of 2021, according to Key Media & Research, a leading information provider to the glass industry and parent company of USGNN.com. Architectural glass-related nonresidential construction fell 7% in March compared to a year ago, on a seasonally adjusted annualized basis. KMR’s glass and glazing activity figures are adapted and modified from the U.S. Census Bureau’s monthly construction spending report, with proprietary weighting [more]