DEBlog

I had it all planned. No matter what name it had existed under, or where it was held, this was going to be my 39th consecutive year attending the show. To the best of my knowledge, no one else holds a longer consecutive record. Never missed a one since the first in 1982. Until now that is. The COVID-19 pathogen has claimed another victim, and this time it’s not a human one. By now you have surely heard that GlassBuild America (GBA) 2020 has been cancelled, its next live incarnation will be in September 2021 in Atlanta. Before I go further, let me mention a few things. First, I want to… Read More »

The good news is … that everyone is busy. Everyone I spoke with last week told me how busy with work they were. That’s the good news. There could be bad news though, based on the reason for the good. Is everyone busy because of all the work they could not accomplish during the height of the stay-at-home orders? Are they busy because lay-offs and downsizing have reduced the amount of human capacity available to accomplish said work? Well, there seems to be a bit of that, but not as much as was expected. For the most part, companies are just happily, joyfully overworked. Though the COVID-19 crisis will have… Read More »

KMR, the parent company USGlass magazine, just completed a very interesting research project about the technologies contract glazing companies plan to embrace in the future. It’s quite telling and detailed in more depth in the June issue of USGlass magazine. The study looks at a series of technologies, many of which have been identified as crucial to the future success of contract glaziers. Here’s a breakdown of those technologies and how many have adopted them already: Technology in Use by Contract Glaziers Technology Adopted Modeling software 23% Internet of Things 20% 3D printing 19% Robotics 15% Smart PPE Wearable technologies (i.e. exoskeletons) 11% Drones 9% Virtual reality 6% Artificial intelligence… Read More »