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A strategic direction

The Insulating Glass Manufacturers’ Alliance (IGMA) has made some
important changes to its organization to further its strategic
direction. Margaret Webb and Allison Beck have been appointed employees
of IGMA, dedicated solely to IGMA’s management. IGMA is ending its
relationship with the Canadian Lumbermen’s Association.

A strategic direction
The Insulating Glass Manufacturers’ Alliance (IGMA) has made some important changes to its organization to further its strategic direction. Margaret Webb and Allison Beck have been appointed employees of IGMA, dedicated solely to IGMA’s management. IGMA is ending its relationship with the Canadian Lumbermen’s Association.

The IGMA board of directors met early in the year to review its strategic direction and is confident that this decision is consistent with the growth and direction of the organization.

In addition, the IGMA has relocated to 1500 Bank Street, Suite 300, Ottawa, Ontario K1H 1B8, and the fax number has changed to (613) 482-9436.

Harris

Retirement
Bernard Harris, the patriarch of the C.R. Laurence Company, has retired at the age of 87.

In making the announcement, CRL president and CEO, Donald E. Friese says, “Mr. Harris has been both a friend and a mentor to me and for 40 years we were partners. Together we built a  business. It was Mr. Harris who really pushed this company in the right direction, made it grow rapidly and understood the true meaning of ‘customer service’. I am proud of the impressive growth we’ve achieved working together. He will always be remembered by his employees as a fair and disciplined leader whose work ethic served as an inspiration to them.”

Just prior to retirement, Harris served as the manager of export sales.

Expanding operation
Walker Glass in Montreal, Quebec, has announced a major expansion to its ‘textures’ acid-etched glass manufacturing operations. Walker Glass manufactures acid-etched glass and mirror for the architectural glass market. The expansion is in response to the market’s growing demand for shorter lead-times and a broader range of etched glass substrates and sizes.

With completion expected in the fall of 2006, this expansion will have a significant impact allowing the company to meet the needs of the market through significantly increased production capacity and flexibility.

IG manufacturer gets Globe award
Advanced Glazings Limited (AGL), a manufacturer of insulated glass units located in Sydney, Nova Scotia, has been awarded the 2006 Industry Award for Export Performance by the Globe Foundation of Canada.

AGL was one of three finalists for the award which recognizes the ‘drive, talent and innovative spirit’ that helped the company to achieve success in the global environmental marketplace.

The company produces a product called Solera, a line of insulated glass units that are filled with a transparent, honeycomb structure that acts as an insulator and has the ability to diffuse direct sunlight. In buildings where it is used, it equally distributes light anytime during the day, with no glare or shadows, regardless of the angle of the sun, while helping to reduce energy costs.

Eighty-five percent of Solera sales are made in the US, particularly in the eastern US where climate extremes are common. High profile Canadian sites using the product include the Queen’s University Cancer Research Centre in Kingston, Ontario, and the Cirque de Soleil school in Montreal, Quebec. It has also been used in a number of educational and retail environments, including several Target stores in the US. The use of Solera in Nova Scotia’s Port Hawkesbury Civic Centre helped to earn the facility billing as one of the top 10 ‘world-class sport stadiums’ by Business Week magazine.

The Industry Award for Export Performance is one of five Globe Awards for Environmental Excellence, presented annually to companies and industry groups which manage to balance competitive business strategies and sustainable development. Judged by a panel of Canadian business experts, these national awards are considered the most recognized and respected of their kind. This year’s Globe Awards were presented at a gala dinner in British Columbia at the Vancouver Convention and Exhibition Centre in March 2006.

Sloped glazing bulletins
The Glass Association of North America (GANA) has released the ninth and latest in a series of Glass Information Bulletins aimed at providing technical information and education to the architectural fenestration industry. The newest bulletin, Skylights and Sloped Glazing are Not Walking Surfaces, highlights safety issues that construction workers, maintenance professionals and others need to be aware of when working on or around skylights and sloped glazing systems.

“With continued growth in the use of skylights and sloped glazing systems, our membership felt that it was important to stress that glazing in these systems is rarely designed to support the weight of live loads such as a worker walking or standing on the glass,” explains Greg Carney, GANA technical director. “We hope that the bulletin will bring attention to the life safety concerns and result in safer construction and maintenance practices.”

Skylights and Sloped Glazing are Not Walking Surfaces, as well as other GANA Glass Information Bulletins, may be downloaded free of charge from GANA’s web site at: www.glasswebsite.com -end-

When you have news of concern to the glass industry, please send it to: Chris Skalkos
Glass Canada, 145 Thames Road West, Exeter, Ontario N0M 1S3 Email: cskalkos@annexweb.com