August 2005

Volume 6 Issue 7 August 2005

WHAT'SNEWS

LEEDing the Way with a Point System

The Window and Door Manufacturers Association’s environmental stewardship committee announced that it would work on creating a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Points Guide for member manufacturers. This initiative is as a result of questions being raised by the interior door manufacturers about LEED. Pete Walker, chair of the committee, says the LEED document is a fairly large one and some manufacturers are having difficulty determining how to comply with the various elements of LEED.

“Due to the wording of the LEED document, it is a bit confusing as to whether a product or component is in compliance or not,” said Walker. “Many architects as well as government projects are specifying LEED for their projects, but architects admit that they are not clear on some of the requirements or how to comply with them all.”

Walker said the how-to compliance guide would point out the specific areas on which manufacturers need to concentrate as there are a great deal of sections in LEED (such as building site preparation) that don’t pertain to this group.

“We are looking to draw from LEED and the experience of member manufacturers to provide insight into how best to work with the program,” he said.

According to Walker, the document will be complete within the next quarter.

“The sooner we complete this, the better, as many of the member manufacturers have expressed interest in such a document,” he added.

CODES AND REGULATIONS
ICC Partners with Mexico for Safe Housing
The International Code Council (ICC) says it will provide technical assistance to the Mexican government to develop a residential building code as part of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between he U.S. association and the Mexican National Commission of Housing Development. Under the MOU, the I-Codes developed by the ICC will serve as a guide for the creation of new codes and standards in Mexico.

“The Mexican government has a long-term plan to update its construction standards to include the safest techniques, materials and technologies. The I-Codes, already enforced in thousands of U.S. jurisdictions, will be the basis for housing construction in Mexico.

The codes will provide Mexico’s residents with safe, affordable and comfortable housing,” said James Lee Witt, ICC chief executive officer.

The MOU signing took place during Building Safety Week, May 8-14.

“Signing this agreement is a concrete step in support of the housing sector within the framework of the Housing Sector Program strategies,” said Carlos Gutierrez Ruiz, national commissioner of housing development for Mexico.

COMPANY NEWS
AFG Orders Two Lisec VSA Insulating Lines for Canadian Operators
AFG announced an investment in excess of $2.5 million to install new Lisec insulating lines for flexible spacers in both its Edmonton and Calgary commercial fabrication operations.

Tom Holloran, executive vice president of AFG Industries Ltd., said that “the investment in these two fabrication plants demonstrates our strong commitment to the Canadian market, and our determination to support our customers with high quality, energy efficient products.”

Holloran also added that “the Canadian Energy Star® initiative differs from the U.S. program by having its own set of climate zones and a dual track in achieving acceptable performance. Super Spacer® and other warm zones solutions combined with a broad range of both hard and soft coat low emissivity products place AFG in a unique position to support its customers across Canada to achieve their energy conservation goals and qualify for Energy Star. The investment enhances that capability.”

The new insulating capacity will support both commercial and residential customers in Western Canada according to Fran Davey, executive vice president and general manager of AFG Fabrication’s Canadian assets.

The new Lisec lines are expected to be in operation by late fall.

Hope Lumber Purchases Various Leeds Operations
Hope Lumber and Supply Company L.P. of Tulsa, Okla., has acquired the operations of Leeds Building Products Inc. located in Macon, Perry, and Albany, Ga; Rock Hill and Spartanburg, S.C., and Tallahassee, Bradenton, Largo, Dade City and Crystal Springs, Fla.

Hope Lumber operates currently in Texas, Colorado, Oklahoma, Georgia, Alabama, North Carolina, Florida and New Mexico. The Leeds Building Products corporate office in Kennesaw, Ga. will become the headquarters of the newly created Hope Lumber, Eastern division, according to the company. The Eastern division, which will be led by Jim O’Grady, Hope executive vice president, will combine the Leeds locations with seven former Wicks locations purchased in 2004 and six other former Leeds locations that Hope purchased in 2003.

The majority of the Leed employees group will remain with the locations as they become Hope Lumber, according to the company. Gary Poulos, former Leeds president, will become vice president of operations for Hope with responsibility for the newly acquired operations, according to the company.

LAMATEK is Awarded Partner of the Year Award
LAMATEK Inc. has been named Partner of the Year by Silver Line Building Products of North Brunswick, N.J. Larry Lorton, purchasing manager and Bob McQueen, vice president of purchasing at Silver Line, presented the award at LAMATEK’s facility in West Deptford, N.J. They gave special thanks to the production department “that makes it happen every day,” said McQueen. Company president, G. Robert Carlson, thanked Silver Line for the recognition and noted that “we are extremely proud of this award.”

ADCO-Kömmerling Partners with Thermo Distribution
ADCO-Kömmerling has announ-ced that effective June 1, 2005, Thermo Distribution of Montreal, Quebec, is now the Canadian distributor for insulating glass, window and door-related insulating glass sealants, acrylic muntin tapes, butyl glazing tapes, sealants, liquid laminating ultraviolet cure resins and TPS true warm-edge spacer.

“Thermo Distribution is a rapidly growing full line distributor with a solid history of supplying the Canadian IG, window and door market east of the Rockies. Now they are expanding further west to Vancouver, and establishing sales representatives and warehousing across Canada. Thermo Distribution is a good fit for the ADCO - Kömmerling product lines to new and existing Canadian customers,” said David Cooper, business manager for ADCO - Kömmerling.

BSI-Door Hardware Moves to Larger Plant
Dan Raap, general manager for BSI-Door Hardware announced the move of its sliding patio door hardware production, formerly called Sash Controls, to its swing door hardware facility located in Sioux Falls, S.D. Approximately 40 people are employed at the facility.

“BSI-Door Hardware is experiencing strong growth in demand for its sliding and swing patio door hardware, including hinges, multi-point locks, handles, rollers and an assortment of other door hardware products. The increase in demand for BSI-Door Hardware products has facilitated the expansion of our operations to our existing plant in Sioux Falls,” said Raap.

The company had facilities in Canton and Sioux Falls, S.D. The plants, formerly divided by swing door and sliding product lines, have now been integrated into the Sioux Falls facility. This move provides better synergies between departments and resources, better control of inventory and production and also allows more room for expansion, according to the company.

KUDOS
Soft-Lite Receives Ohio Business Award
Soft-Lite LLC has earned the Commitment to Excellence award from the Ohio Partnership for Excellence (OPE). The company, based in Streetsboro, Ohio, was recognized for demonstrating a total commitment to business excellence and a process for continuous improvement.

Soft-Lite underwent a rigorous assessment of its business, manufacturing and quality processes by OPE. Categories reviewed included leadership, strategic planning, customer focus, information and analysis, workforce development and overall achievement of results, according to the company.

“The fact that Soft-Lite achieved the Commitment to Excellence award after their first application is quite commendable. They are an outstanding company,” said Casey Mackert, executive director for OPE.

Award recipients will be recognized at the Quest for Success 2005 education and recognition conference, September 14-16 at the Marriott Airport Hotel and Confer-ence Center in Columbus, Ohio.

Companies Reorganize to Form HOMESHIELD
Four companies, Amsco, Colonial Craft, Imperial Products and Homeshield Fabricated Products have reorganized to become HOMESHIELD, according to a press release.
Each company brings its own tradition of quality craftsmanship and customer service to strengthen the unified HOMESHIELD brand, according to a company press release.
The company’s capabilities include tooling design and fabrication, slitting, coating, assembly, laser welding roll forming, poly laminating and stamping. The company says its synergy allows it to react to needs faster, better and smarter.

briefly ...
Republic Windows and Doors of Chicago, has announced the opening of an additional warehouse located at 4532 South Kolin, Chicago. The new facility is designed to supply the growing number of window dealers and remodelers in the greater Chicago area, specifically the city’s rising Southside.