Home Editors Comments Page 8
Posted On - 23/06/2021
Glass Times editor Nathan Bushell wonders if relationships up and down the supply chain have changed for good. If you are busy trying to keep up with the current levels of demand, do you stop looking for opportunities? It was a question that occurred to me this week, as I considered the number of recent conversations I’ve had with companies,...
Posted On - 16/06/2021
Glass Times editor Nathan Bushell reports on efforts to look at what lies beyond the lifting of all restrictions. As we come to terms with another four-week delay to the complete lifting of restrictions, the general news emerging from industry is more of a long-term view. Many companies have been about fighting fires for the last 18 months, with long-term...
Posted On - 09/06/2021
Glass Times editor Nathan Bushell discusses the Herculean task to reduce the carbon footprint of every existing building. I received a press release this week from the European Academies’ Science Advisory Council arguing that we must act quicker and harder to improve the energy efficiency of the 250 million existing buildings in the EU (along with Norway, Switzerland and the...
Posted On - 02/06/2021
Glass Times editor Nathan Bushell enjoys some time in the sun. Over the bank holiday weekend, I spent a day by the beach along with hundreds of other people – families and friends all getting out during half term to make the most of the nice weather. Normally, I would avoid crowds, but I couldn’t help but enjoy seeing everyone...
Posted On - 26/05/2021
Glass Times editor Nathan Bushell takes a cautious step outside his bubble. Slowly, things are returning to normal. For the first time in about 18 months I am heading out to visit a company (this time Regalead in Hawick) and I am sitting on a sparsely populated train. It’s a small step, but it feels like a leap. After a...
Posted On - 12/05/2021
Glass Times editor Nathan Bushell reports on one company’s decision to expand. I’ve always said that the true barometer for the state of the industry is the health of the machinery manufacturers. They operate at a different pace to everyone else. A window fabricator can ramp up supply relatively quickly to meet demand, but the different elements that go into...
Posted On - 05/05/2021
Glass Times editor Nathan Bushell suggests that together we can build a stronger industry. Last week, we reported on the PVB resin shortage, which is affecting production of laminate glass. Of course, it joins a list of other component parts that are threatening to bottleneck production of glazing products as demand reaches levels not even dreamed about before the pandemic....
Posted On - 28/04/2021
PVB resin shortage is likely to cause headaches for those companies working with laminate glass, at least until the end of summer, as Glass Times editor Nathan Bushell explains. Supplies of PVB resin – the all-important raw material for the interlayer in laminate glass – are at an all-time low, thanks to a number of factors, including (but not limited...
Posted On - 21/04/2021
Glass Times editor Nathan Bushell discusses the latest government commitment. The government this week has enshrined in law the ambition to reduce carbon emissions by 78% by 2035, compared to 1990 levels. Prime minister Boris Johnson said: “We want to continue to raise the bar on tackling climate change, and that’s why we’re setting the most ambitious target to cut...
Posted On - 14/04/2021
Glass Times editor Nathan Bushell welcomes a new trade association. One market sector that has grown considerably in the last five to ten years has been the balustrade market, and understandably so: balustrades perfectly marry both safety and aesthetics. Furthermore, installers have an ever-increasing choice of hardware, coupled with ongoing advances in glass. The flip side to this is that...
Posted On - 07/04/2021
Glass Times editor Nathan Bushell wonders if we will see new buying patterns as showrooms start to reopen. With showrooms set to reopen soon, could we be heading for another boom in demand, as those households that have waited patiently for the lockdown restrictions to be eased venture out into the wide world? Given the amount of demand that has...
Posted On - 31/03/2021
Glass Times editor Nathan Bushell wonders if a secure supply chain will be part of your next sales pitch. Who has paid a little extra something just so they can get it sooner than from other suppliers? This can certainly be work-related, but I’m talking about your purchasing decisions right across the board. Surely anyone who has an Amazon Prime...
Posted On - 24/03/2021
Glass Times editor Nathan Bushell reflects on a year of lockdowns and trading restrictions, arguing that we may be stronger for it in the long run. A year on from the start of the first lockdown, and I thought I would go back to what I wrote in the days following the prime minister’s instructions to stay at home. The...
Posted On - 16/03/2021
Glass Times editor Nathan Bushell pays his respects to Ritec’s Stephen Byers, who died recently. This week, I am going to hand over this comment to John Austin of Austin Harlow Flitter who sent in his ‘memory’ of Stephen Byers. If you want to read other memories of Stephen, you can read the Glass Times post on LinkedIn, where people...
Posted On - 10/03/2021
Glass Times editor Nathan Bushell says we have more to look forward to than a limited gathering with friends around a fire pit. This week it is a pleasure to serve up a great big slab of optimism. The first two stories show how, a year after the start of the first lockdown, investors are showing their confidence in the...
Posted On - 03/03/2021
Glass Times editor Nathan Bushell celebrates some very welcome news. Not one, but two Glass Times Race Days were cancelled last year: our familiar and very popular one at the beginning of July at Haydock Park; and the second inaugural one in September at Epsom Downs, launched to be more accessible to companies based in the south. This week, we’ve...
Posted On - 24/02/2021
Glass Times editor Nathan Bushell argues that we all need to draw up our own road maps to success, and they should all converge on the FIT Show. So, the prime minister has published his ‘one-way’ road map out of lockdown which, on balance, received favourable reviews. The main criticism is that it may be too timid, but I don’t...
Posted On - 17/02/2021
Glass Times editor Nathan Bushell says we are witnessing a cultural change in how we conduct business. Not long after writing my comment last week, I came across this tweet. Chris Herd is founder and CEO of Firstbase, a US business that provides the infrastructure for remote working. I’m going to summarise what he said here because while his is...
Posted On - 10/02/2021
Glass Time editor Nathan Bushell reviews the latest online performance. This morning (February 10), I was treated to a masterclass in remote selling by Tommy Trinder’s Chris Brunsdon. Actually, it was a masterclass in online presentation, full stop. Forget the company’s Framepoint selling software for one moment – which is why we were gathered online for the zoom meeting in...
Posted On - 03/02/2021
Glass Times editor Nathan Bushell explains why he loves fenestration. We recently published a story from Building Our Skills about its #lovefenestration campaign. The organisation has dedicated the whole of February to promoting careers in the fenestration industry to young adults, or those looking for a career change. The effort is being co-ordinated by Stephanie Tague, who has twisted my...
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