Mar/Apr 2014

A Publication of Key Communications Inc. Subscribe at www.glass.com/subcenter

www.agrrmag.com www.glassBYTEs.com

Second Annual Guideto Top Glass Retailers

Snow Jobs Give 2014Profitable Push

Connecticut CourtBattle Continues

Top 10 ToughestInstallations

TM

March/Apri l 2014 Volume 16 Issue 2March/Apri l 2014 Volume 16 Issue 2

Second Annual Guideto Top Glass Retailers

Snow Jobs Give 2014Profitable Push

Connecticut CourtBattle Continues

Top 10 ToughestInstallations

Search Archives E-Mail SubscribeContents 2014 AGRR Magazine. All rights reserved. No reproductionof any type without expressed written permission.

I< < > >IZoom Fit + Product Information

http://www.agrrmag.comhttp://www.glassBYTEs.comhttp://www.glass.com/subcenterwww.agrrmag.comwww.agrrmag.comhttp://products.agrrmag.com/http://www.agrrmag.com/digitalhttp://www.cdsreportnow.com/renew/now?ARR

Benets ofUV Protectant

The best glass in the business is also the best glass for the protability of your business.

by Pilkington

www.PilkingtonClearAdvantage.com

eplacement glass sets the industrool r-Ks EZoningtilkP

ers t o ers the v. Iyfuel ecienc

ecommendation freal of Rthe S

o get that added pre ty moro pawilling t

he best glass in the business is also the best glass fT

eplacement glass sets the industr

m, t, and funcory f forquality best in OE-erers the v

oundation as an eancer Fin Che SkTom ecommendation fr

tion and peace of mindecoto get that added pr

he best glass in the business is also the best glass f

om noise and heat rything frervor ed f for ey standareplacement glass sets the industr

w that all EZtion. And nom, t, and func

ote UV prtivecoundation as an e ec

w until ynot konou wYYou w. tion and peace of mind

or the prhe best glass in the business is also the best glass f

o enhanced tion teducom noise and heat r

eceive rvts haoducOOL pr-Kw that all EZ

y be omers maour custtant, yecot

get about generor. Fou askw until y

y of otabilitor the pr

o enhanced

ed eceiv

ic get about gener

our y .business

eplacement glassit par

ingtonilkby P

onClearAingtilk.Pwww

on! ingtilke Pomoto prys teplacement glassit pa or morF

.comdvantageonClearA

tion, visit QR.Pormae inf formaor mor

(800)848-1351onclassicsingt.pilkwww

om. .ctageandvlearAonCingtilk

(800)848-1351om.conclassics w

om.

ech.bizTTech.biz.OEwww



http://www.pilkingtonclassics.comhttp://www.OETech.comhttp://www.PilkingtonClearAdvantage.comQR.pilkingtonclearadvantage.comwww.agrrmag.comhttp://products.agrrmag.com/http://www.agrrmag.com/digitalhttp://www.cdsreportnow.com/renew/now?ARR



www.agrrmag.comhttp://products.agrrmag.com/http://www.agrrmag.com/digitalhttp://www.cdsreportnow.com/renew/now?ARR

4 Field of Vision . . . . . . . from the editor

6 Customer Service . . tips for quality service

8 Guest Column . . . . . . . . . . mirrors

10 AGRReports . . . . . . . . . breaking news

14 Insurance Talk . . . . . . . . policy briefs

32 Industry Insiders . . people in the news

33 Showroom . . . . . . . . . . new products

34 Showcase . . . . . . . directory of suppliers

36 Off the Line . . . . . oem news from detroit

30 Repair Round-Up . . . . . repair reports

Features

Volume 16 Issue 2 March/April 2014

C o l u m n s

D e p a r t m e n t s

W i n d s h i e l d a n d G l a s s R e p a i r

Top AutomotiveGlass RetailersS e e who t he t o pa u t omo t i v e r e t a i l e r s a r e b ys a l e s , emp l o y e e numbe r sa nd mo re . A l s o , g e t a q u i c ks na p s ho t o f t h i r d - p a r t ya dm i n i s t r a t o r s .

Cold SnapT he w i n t e r w e a t he r t h a tb l a s t e d t he c o u n t r y t h i sy e a r h a s l e d t o a n u p t i c ki n b u s i ne s s f o r many g l a s ss ho p s . J u s t how h a v e t he yh a nd l e d t h i s b o o n ? He r e ,w e l o o k a t how s ho p s de a l tw i t h t he w e a t he r a nd wh a ti t me a n t f o r b u s i ne s s .

A Hard Days LiteWe b r e a k down t he t o p t e nmo s t l a b o r i n t e n s i v ea u t omo t i v e g l a s sr e p l a c emen t s b a s e d o n t hel a t e s t NAG S b o o k . Wh i c hv e h i c l e s do y o u t h i n k madet he l i s t ?

16

20

26

2 AGRR March/April 2014

Publisher Debra A. LevyExtension 111 [email protected]

Editor Jenna ReedExtension 135 [email protected]

Contributing Casey NeeleyEditors Extension 120 [email protected]

Tara TafferaExtension 113 [email protected]

Ellen RogersExtension 118 [email protected]

Managing Dawn CampbellEditor Extension 150 [email protected]

Graphic Saundra HutchisonArtist Extension 132 [email protected]

Advertising Erin HarrisCoordinator Extension 110 [email protected]

Events Tina CzarManager Extension 115 [email protected]

Marketing Holly Biller, vice presidentDirector Extension 123 [email protected]

Customer Janeen MulliganRelations Mgr. Extension 112 [email protected]

Web Bryan HoveyDeveloper Extension 125 [email protected]

Video Chris BunnProducer Extension 121 [email protected]

Contributing Jamie Browning Rich CampfieldColumnists Russ Corsi Alan Epley

Dale Malcolm Carl TompkinsKerry Wanstrath

Published by Key Communications Inc.385 Garrisonville Road, Suite 116Stafford, VA 22554540/720-5584; fax 540/720-5687

Advertising Offices:

Midwest Lisa NaugleAssociate [email protected] 312/850-0899Fax 312/277-2912

Northeast & Josh LentzEastern Canada [email protected]

Phone 360/563-4936Fax 888/786-8777

Southeast Scott [email protected] 770/664-4567Fax 770/740-1399

West Coast & Josh LentzWestern Canada [email protected]

Phone 360/563-4936Fax 888/786-8777

Europe Patrick [email protected] Kings RoadWestcliff on SeaEssex SS0 8PH ENGLANDPhone (44) 1-702-477341Fax (44) 1-702-477559

China, Asia Contact Publisher Directlyand All Others

Permissions: Material in this publication may not be reproduced in any format without publishers

permission. Request for both print and PDF reprintsshould be directed to the Digital Media Services

department, 540/720-5584; [email protected].

2014 by Key Communications, Inc. All rights reserved. AGRR (USPS 020-897)is published 6 times per year (bi-monthly) by Key Communications Inc., 385Garrisonville Road, Suite 116, Stafford, VA 22554; 540/720-5584; fax 540/720-5687. Advertising offices listed at right. Unsolicited manuscripts and othermaterials will not be returned. All contents are 2014 by Key CommunicationsInc. Neither publisher nor its representatives nor its subcontractors assumeliability for errors in text, charts, advertisements, etc. and suggest appropriatecompanies be contacted before specification or use of products advertised orincluded in editorial materials. Views and opinions expressed by authors arenot necessarily those of the publisher. No reproduction permitted withoutexpressed written permission of the publisher. For permission to reprint, contacteditorial offices. Printed in the U.S. Postmaster: SEND ADDRESS CHANGES TOAGRR, P.O. Box 569, Garrisonville, VA 22463. 42013 by Key Communications,Inc. Periodicals postage paid at Stafford, VA, and additional post offices.Questions? Call 540/720-5584.



mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://products.agrrmag.com/http://www.agrrmag.com/digitalhttp://www.cdsreportnow.com/renew/now?ARR

THE ALL NEW EQUALIZER

CATALOG IS HERE




4 AGRR March/April 2014

F i e l d o f V i s i o n

[email protected]

The Snow Miser Helpsby J e nn a R e ed

MR.SNOW MISERS BLUSTERYsong has been felt from At-lanta to North Carolina toNew Jersey and more this winter withrecord snowfall totals, iceandsleet.HereinWashington, D.C., the federal govern-ment closed at least twice and the areacame to a standstill. In one day alone,more than eight inches of snow fell,which is a lot for our neck of the woods.Many in the South likely know what Imean. While I spent my childhood upNorth, I have been spoiled by the milderwinters the South brings. I, for one, amcertainly glad Spring is here and theflowers are going into bloom.

In researching our Annual Top Auto-motive Glass Retailers Feature, Ireached out to many companiesthroughout the country and theweather was a hot topic. Though somestate departments of transportationare better equipped to deal with thewhite stuff, others are not as ready. Imsure we all heard the stories about chil-dren stuck in schools overnight in At-lanta and people abandoning theircars on the highways as traffic came toa standstill. Its hard to imagine thingsreally got that bad, but they did. In North Carolina, one glass company

owner walked two-and-half miles to the

office rather than miss out on a work day.Most of those I talked with put the safetyof their technicians top of mind and al-lowed their staff to decide how bad theroads were. If technicians did not thinkthey could safely get to work, they weretold to stay home. To share your thoughts on the win-

ter weather, articles ideas and more,email [email protected].

Jenna Reed is the editor of AGRRmagazine/glassBYTEs.com. Connect with

her on LinkedIn, follow her on Twitter@agrrmagazine and like AGRR magazine onFacebook to receive the latest updates.

f r o m t h e e d i t o r

Better mirrors.Better solutions.

QUICK!DO YOU

SEE THECHILD

IN THISMIRROR?

Broken Mirrors Shatter Lives.

% % % % % %

% % % % % % (



mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]/agrrmagazinewww.agrrmag.comhttp://products.agrrmag.com/http://www.agrrmag.com/digitalhttp://www.cdsreportnow.com/renew/now?ARR

t aoNimEl

nimatnol clt a gueh tetnaiim

isis vn iotiankrowsse gu

elb

imElBATTAEB

caeP

siaE

e fsUettirf

gueh tetnaiimADERB ecafru S1 F

ep-esinner pod fnif me oc

t sen wahr tekciud qnr ae

pleld reihsdniy wrevr eoe fs sald gettir-fnor nd oe

krowsse gu Rontianimaton Ce

llatsni-re

dohteb murct s

h tit wnemecapl

revmoe

moveR

h tctaWDowww

d g

tnanimatnoy cvaees hmov

enociliSOils

xWa

apmoe cdsi-yb-ede sihh tdeabrateb/mocGRAwDo

:gnidulcn, ist

o edin vosira1fde

xr eut oeL

rademark of The Dow Chemical Company (Dow) or an affiliated company of Dow T

Do.www

.ww. wuor yok froe wcneirepx

rademark of The Dow Chemical Company (Dow) or an affiliated company of Dow

deabrateb/moc.GRAwDo

773-354-008-m 1co.GRAwoD.

.rademark of The Dow Chemical Company (Dow) or an affiliated company of Dow

1fde

9




C u s t o m e r S e r v i c e

[email protected]

OvercomingYour Top Two Competitorsby C a r l To m p k i n s

WHILECHECKING INTOTHEhost hotel during last yearsAuto Glass Week, I wasgreetingagentlemanwhoworked foran-other urethane manufacturer when alongtime friend, who works for an auto-motive glass distributor approached andcommented, So, youre meeting with thecompetition! My response was, No, Ionly have two competitors and Dale isnot one of them. My rebuttal received aquizzical look from both people but theconversation moved on to more fittingsubjects and pleasantries.

What led to my response of onlyhaving two competitors was muchthought, many years of proof and ab-solute truth. Furthermore, your an-swer should be the same as mine. Wehave the very same two competitorsthat must be overcome if we are toachieve all that is possible within ourprofession. Our first competitor isour self and the second is our owncompany.

Competing with Ones SelfFirst we will tackle the competitor of

our self, that is our core beliefs and at-titudes which shape our thoughtprocesses. Our thoughts influence our

behavior and our behavior has thegreatest impact upon our success. Whenwe maintain the right attitude and carryon with the best of behavior, we provideourselves the best chance of a favorableoutcome. When we do just the opposite,we become our own worst enemy andmost fierce competitor. Looking backupon by 38 years in the glass industry, Ican easily reflect on moments that Iwould do over if I could, where thingsdidnt go well and largely because my at-titude wasnt right about a given situa-tion and it resulted in me not doing

what was best. The commonterm for this is regrets. Weall have them.

To neutralize this com-petitor requires top notchdiscipline. Through manyyears of study, Ive foundthat the proven form ofdiscipline is what hasbeen referred to as theBalcony Perspective.View the conducting ofbusiness as if it were a big

dance with a live band. When on thefloor dancing with a partner, you canonly see what goes on immediatelyin front of you. However, when youview the dance from the balcony, yourealize the big picture of what isgoing on and see things from multi-ple perspectives. In addition, yourtoes cannot be stepped upon, whichmay help curb any negative emo-tions and response. In any givenbusiness situation, see things forwhat they really are, which mostoften goes beyond the scope of theconversation and youll leave your-self in the best position of eliminat-ing yourself as the competition.

Competing with CompanyThe second competitor, and only

one left, is your own company. Whenthe subjects of product quality, serviceand productivity are functioning at op-timum levels, there is little that canhold you back from long-term success.Even those cut rate competitors withcut rate products and services cannotwin out over the long haul.

The remedy to eliminate your owncompany from being your competitionis quite straight forward. First, you needan objective point of view on the threesubjects of quality, service and produc-tivity. Being anything less than 100 per-cent reliable is accepting a benchmarkof doom. Making mistakes is unaccept-able, yet, in much of corporate Amer-ica, the paradigm shift now seesmistakes as acceptable since every-one else makes them. The term objec-tive is critical. There is way too muchsubjectivity driven by pride and poli-tics in business. Management must setegos aside and fix the problem if thecompany is to succeed. If success isbeing measured by revenue and profit,then management must deliver poli-cies, procedures, facilities, equipment,environment and training that enablesthe team of employees to deliver.

As the famous Pogo cartoon once il-lustrated, Pogo looked into the handmirror and said, Ive seen the enemy.The best news in all of this is that youcontrol both. Fix them and enjoy thejourney, be friends with everyone andhave no competition!

Carl Tompkins is the global marketingresources manager for Sika Corp. in Madison

Heights, Mich., and the author of Winning atBusiness. He is based in Spokane, Wash.

t i p s f o r q u a l i t y s e r v i c e

6 AGRR March/April 2014 www.agrrmag.com



mailto:[email protected]://www.agrrmag.comwww.agrrmag.comhttp://products.agrrmag.com/http://www.agrrmag.com/digitalhttp://www.cdsreportnow.com/renew/now?ARR

WEVE GOTYOUR BACK

The AEGIS SOLO II, GlassHanders and the new Adjust-A-Lite help you to set windshields precisely and safely every time. You protect your bottom line from

costly callbacks and your back, neck, shoulders and arms from injury and strain.

AND AEGIS offers you a full line of auto glass repair and replacement tools, all the brands you prefer, at great prices and with fast, convenient service.

Save yourself time, money, and some aches and pains, with AEGIS Tools International, Inc.

www.aegistools.comEmail: [email protected] (toll-free US & Canada)608.274.9254608.274.9395 (fax)2881 Commerce Park Drive, Suite MMadison, WI 53719 USA



http://www.aegistools.commailto:[email protected]://products.agrrmag.com/http://www.agrrmag.com/digitalhttp://www.cdsreportnow.com/renew/now?ARR

G u e s t C o l u m n

[email protected]

Being a Visionaryby E l i s a b e t h M e r ve n n e

BYDEFINITION,AVISIONARY ISa person with original ideasabout what the future willbring. Product knowledge and creativ-ity inmarketing are essential to findingthe element of your business that canoffer healthy profits and solidify cus-tomer relationships. Automotive side-view mirrors is a good area forpotential company growth.

AReflectionofQualitySide-view mirrors provide a field of

vision behind the driver that meet cer-tain federal safety standards outlinedin FMVSS 111. Automotive mirrors arefirst-surface chrome glass, which is fardifferent than a household mirror. Thepurpose of using first-surface chromeglass is that it allows headlight glarefrom behind the vehicle to be absorbedthrough the mirror and into the mirrorhousing (this is why backing plates areblack, not white). This allows the driverto see reflections from activity on thesides and behind the vehicle withoutbeing impaired by bright headlight re-flection. It also gives your customer aquality, OEM-grade replacement.Some companies even offer a breakfree guarantee that covers the replace-ment mirror for life.

SomeMirrorsHaveCurvesFlat: This is usually found on the dri-

vers side. It offers a true-to-life reproduc-tion of whats behind you. It has anarrower field of vision which creates thedisadvantage of a blind spot.Convex: This is the passenger-side

mirror, which has constant curvaturethat widens the field of vision, but it doesnot offer a true-to-life representation. Italso distorts depth perception, hence the

objects in mirror are closer than they ap-pear lasered message. Signal: This mirror has a lasered area

to accommodate a lighted turn signalshape in themirror.Heated:Aheating element is adhered

to the back of this mirror for fog and frostremoval. Some companies also sell theheating element separately. HeatedSignal:Thismirror isacombi-

nation of the above two.

NowLetsGetTechieWide angle mirror, aka aspheric:

This is a multi-bendmirror that createsa wider field of vision. This type of mir-ror is used in Europe on all new passen-ger vehicles and is making its way to theUnited States. Two-thirds of the mirrorssurface has a constant radius, while thelast third is gradually increasing. Thisprogression improves the field of visionup to 300 percent, virtually eliminatingall blind spots. Some companies alsooffer expanded view, flat aspheric mir-rors, which meet federally mandatedspecifications while also affording agreater field of vision. Electrochromic or Self-Dimming

Mirror: This patented technology con-sists of two mirrors sandwiched to-gether with a color-changing gel. Asensor measures the amount of exist-ing glare and sends an electrical cur-rent to the electrostatic gel, whenneeded, to lessen glare. Mirror fit-oversare available for these mirrors whenthey become damaged. The fit-overomits the need to come in contact withthe gel, and is also a lower cost alterna-tive to replacing the OE version.BlueGlass:This type of glass is used

for aesthetics and the reduction ofheadlight glare. Some companies offer

customized color glass as well. SpotterMirrors:This isahigher-bend,

convex glass section that is integratedinto themirrorhousing. It isusedtoelim-inate blind spots.Blind Spot Fit-Overs: Some compa-

nies offer blind spot fit-overs to replacedamaged mirrors with blind spot moni-toring technology. Blind spot LED tech-nology warns a driver when anothervehicle is in its blind spot. Missing Backing Plate Solutions:

Sometimes a customer is missing thebacking plate. This creates a dilemma be-cause now the glass-only replacementhas nowhere to be secured. Look for re-placements with a pre-applied mirrormount that simply snaps into the mirrorhousing. These mirrors offer cost savingsto your customer and even greater prof-its. They are quick and easy.Custom Mirrors: You can service a

customers specific, individual needs,such as the latest craze, car clubs. Seekout a company that has sophisticatedtechnology for cutting and doing customlaser-etching, and, voila, youre a hero.

Get a ClearViewThere are glass shops today taking

advantage of an average 150+ mirrorreplacements per month, per location.These replacements bring in $20 to $30net profit per installation. Having thebusiness foresight to recognize the po-tential growth of automotive side-viewmirror replacements will not only fitinto your core glass business; it will re-flect in your bottom line. Now that istruly visionary.

Elisabeth Mervenne is vice president ofBurco Inc., which is based in Grand

Rapids, Mich.

m i r r o r s





SRP, For Installers, By Installers and ICON are trademarks of Shat R Proof Corp.

A BOND SO STR

ONG, WE GUARA

NTEE A FAST GE

TAWAY. LEARN M

ORE ABOUT

THE AUTO GLASS

ADHESIVE DESI

GNED FOR INSTA

LLERS, BY INST

ALLERSTM

AT TOTALSEAL.S

HATRPROOF.COM

OR CALL 800-7

28-1817.

BOND.SRP BOND

.BOND.SRP BOND

.FOR INSTALLERS, BY INSTALLERS.

WWW.SHATRPROOF.COM




A G R R e p o r t sb r e a k i n g n e w s

p o w e r e d b y

Boyd Groups U.S. Automotive GlassOperations Now Under One Brand

N A T I O N A L N E W S

BOYD GROUP INCOME FUND,parent company to Gerber Col-lision & Glass, Glass America,HansenCollision andGlass and others,has consolidated its U.S. automotiveglass retail operations under the GlassAmerica brand, according to EddieCheskis, CEO of the U.S. glass division.

We combined Boyd U.S. retail au-tomotive glass and Glass America intoone business, he explains. Overall,the integration went well. We are one:one leadership team of whom I amprivileged to be CEO, one operatingplatform, one management system,and with a couple of exceptions, one

brandGlass America.Boyd acquired a majority ownership

and controlling interest in Chicago-based Glass America in June 2013.

In the most recentquarterly report,Boyd Group reportedthat third-quartersales in the U.S.came in at $129.6million, up $37.8 mil-lion or 41.1 percent,from the same pe-riod of 2012. The in-crease is largely due

to acquisitions, including Glass Amer-ica and Hansen Collision and Glass, ac-cording to company officials.

C A N A D I A N N E W S

Novus Glass to ExpandCanadian PresencePrime CarCare Group Inc., parent

company to Speedy Auto Service andMinute Muffler and Brake brands, hassigned an agreement with Novus Glass,granting the company master franchiserights to Novus Glass in Canada.Under the agreement, Prime CarCare

Group has the rights to establish NovusGlass franchise locations within the morethan 130 Speedy Auto Service andMinute Muffler and Brake brand loca-tions throughout Canada. The agree-ment also provides for the coordinateddevelopment of new standalone loca-tions throughout the country and thecontinued support of existing NovusGlass franchise stores.Starting in March 2014, the two com-

panies will work together to train newfranchisees and integrate the NovusGlass repair and replacement services

EddieCheskis


Pilkington and GlasWeld Are Platinum Sponsors for Auto Glass Week

Pilkington North America and GlasWeld have come on board as platinum spon-sors for Auto Glass Week (AGW), the three-day international event featuring au-tomotive glass repair and replacement competitions, educational seminars and anexhibition/extravaganza.

Pilkington has been a sponsor of Auto Glass Week since its inception, sayssales director Holly Biller, and were thrilled the company has decided to return toour top level as a platinum sponsor.

When asked why an event like Auto Glass Week is important to the automotiveglass industry, Jon Sheets, marketing specialist AGR at Pilkington North America,explains that Auto Glass Week brings the industry together, from technicians to cus-tomer service representatives to manufacturersits truly an industry event. Newproducts, trends, and the opportunity to have face-to-face customer meetings, areall found at Auto Glass Week.

Auto Glass Week is the premier meeting place for our industry and attended bythose members that share our belief in uncompromising quality both in productsand customer service, says Dennis Garbutt, general manager of GlasWeld.

As platinum sponsors of Auto Glass Week, GlasWeld and Pilkington will be fea-tured on the show floor October 7-9.

The annual event, managed byAGRR magazine and co-sponsoredby the magazine, and the Auto GlassSafety Council, Independent Glass As-sociation, National Glass Association

and National Windshield Repair Association, draws a global attendee base and fea-tures top industry players on the show floor each year. Auto Glass Week will be heldin Baltimore at the Baltimore Convention Center and Renaissance Baltimore Har-borplace Hotel.

Garbutt explains that Auto Glass Week has become the industry forum for shar-ing new ideas and concepts, developing meaningful relationships with fellow in-dustry members and, through the various competitions, allowing technicians to applytheir skills and gather new ones from observing the techniques of other contestants.

For more information on attending or sponsoring Auto Glass Week, visit auto-glassweek.com.



http://www.agrrmag.comwww.glassbytes.comwww.autoglassweek.comwww.autoglassweek.comwww.agrrmag.comhttp://products.agrrmag.com/http://www.agrrmag.com/digitalhttp://www.cdsreportnow.com/renew/now?ARR

into Primes existing franchise network.The arrangement with Novus Glass

will allow us to leverage the strength ofboth companies by accelerating devel-

opment and furtherdriving operationalefficiencies at thestore and supplychain levels, saysDavid Lush, presidentand CEO of PrimeCarCare Group. Ouropportunity for im-proved store perform-

ance and increased consumer serviceoffering fits perfectly with the trend to-ward consolidation within the automo-tive aftermarket service industry.

Garry Skidmore, president of NovusGlass, adds that The operational fitand excellent timing of this agreementwill enable Novus Glass to quickly es-tablish a national store network whileadding value to the total service offer-ing of Prime CarCare Group Inc.sbrands. We are very impressed withthe leadership and vision of Prime inthe automotive aftermarket service

industry and are very excited to worktogether to bring new levels of highquality performance and service tocustomers in Canada.

In 2005, Belron Canada, a subsidiaryof Belron S.A., signed an asset purchaseagreement with TCG International Inc.sAutostock International Division for theacquisition of its Canadian glass opera-tions, headquartered in Burnaby, BritishColumbia. TCG International ownsNovus Glass.

www.agrrmag.com March/April 2014 AGRR 11

GarrySkidmore continued on page 12

TM



http://www.agrrmag.comwww.mainstreetcomp.comwww.agrrmag.comhttp://products.agrrmag.com/http://www.agrrmag.com/digitalhttp://www.cdsreportnow.com/renew/now?ARR

A G R R e p o r t sb r e a k i n g n e w s

2013 Sika Corporation. All rights reserved.

Autostock International CanadiansGlass Operations provided services andsolutions forautomotiveglass repair andreplacement under three banners:Speedy Glass, Apple Auto Glass andNovus.

NAGS WinterCalculator Released

The Winter 2014 National AutoGlass Specifications (NAGS) Interna-tional Benchmark Calculator shows adecrease in pricing from Winter 2013for 10 parts, while eight increased andtwo remained the same. glass-BYTEs.com/ AGRR magazine ana-lyzed a list of the current top 20popular part numbers and found thatthe benchmark prices for 11 of theparts has decreased from Fall 2013,while five were up and four remainedthe same.

The steepest price decline occurred

continued

Part Jan 14 Sep 13 May 13 Jan 13 Sep 12% Change

from Fall13 to Winter14

% Change from Winter 13to Winter 14

DW01549GBYN $192.65 $192.60 $193.10 $193.30 $194.00 +0.03 +0.4

DW01341GBYN $191.65 $191.75 $191.65 $191.65 $191.75 -0.05 0

DW01217GBYN $197.40 $197.40 $197.55 $197.35 $198.20 0 +0.03

DW01504GBYN $248.20 $248.20 $248.50 $248.70 $246.85 0 +0.2

DW01658GBYN $221.75 $223.35 $223.70 $222.10 $219.95 +0.7 -0.6

DW01256GBNN $246.30 $250.45 $258.15 $258.20 $256.05 -1.7 -4.8

DW01317GBYN $211.60 $212.95 $213.85 $213.85 $212.95 -0.6 -1.1

DW01168GBNN $187.25 $187.10 $187.10 $187.25 $187.30 +0.08 0

DW01265GBNN $247.00 $247.00 $242.55 $240.05 $247.00 0 +2.9

DW01505GBYN $226.60 $226.60 $226.40 $224.35 $224.65 0 +1.0

DW01099GBNN $186.45 $186.60 $187.85 $188.05 $187.60 -0.1 -0.9

DW01303GTNN $181.65 $181.85 $181.95 $182.40 $182.50 -0.1 -0.4

DW01206GBYN $192.50 $192.05 $192.05 $191.70 $191.45 +0.2 +0.4

FW02064GBNN $195.35 $193.30 $193.50 $193.50 $192.80 +1.1 -1.0

DW01551GBYN $209.45 $210.30 $210.50 $210.65 $211.10 -0.4 -0.6

FW02734GBNN $245.85 $249.50 $249.35 $249.95 $251.95 -1.5 -1.7

DW01512GBNN $205.20 $205.80 $205.50 $205.35 $205.00 -0.3 -0.07

FW02351GBNN $199.65 $201.15 $199.40 $198.70 $197.15 -0.7 +0.5

DW01302GTNN $181.65 $181.85 $181.95 $182.40 $182.50 -0.1 -0.4

FW02298GBNN $189.95 $189.20 $189.20 $189.75 $190.05 -0.4 +0.1




Stick with the leader

for part DW01256GBNN, whichdropped 4.8 percent from $258.20 to$246.30 year-over-year. From Fall 2013to Winter 2014, the part dropped 1.7percent from $250.45 to $246.30.The largest increase year-over-year

occurred on part DW01265GBNN,which was up 1.7 percent to $247.00from $240.05. This part was the sameprice from Fall 2013 toWinter 2013.

The total average of top 20 partssaw a decrease of 2.0 percent year-over-year.

Parts DW01341GBYN andDW01168GBNN saw no change fromWinter 2013 to Winter 2014.

A weighted average (for glass retailmix) of the top 1,500 parts showed a1.21-percent drop from $272.70 for awindshield to $269.41 year-over-year.As for a tempered part, the averageweighted decline from 2013 was 1.54percent from $287.19 to $282.77.

NSG PilkingtonReports Increase in 3QNSG, parent company to Pilkington,

has reported that its fiscal third-quarterautomotive revenuehas increasedto$2.2billion USD (224.7 billion Yen), com-pared to $1.7 billion USD (176.9 billionYen) in the sameperiodof theprior year.Profits for the division were $66 millionUSD (6.7 billionYen), compared to $27millionUSD(2.7billionYen) in theyear-ago period.

In theautomotivebusiness, revenuesimproved from the previous year duemainly to the translational impact of aweaker Japanese Yen, according to acompany statement.

Europe represents 46 percent of NSGsautomotive sales. Light vehicle sales inthe European Union are at their lowestlevel for up to 20 years, according to of-ficials. However, demand for vehicles hasnow stabilized and the company says it is

seeing some signs of recovery. In the orig-inal equipment (OE) sector, profits grewlargely due to cost savings from the re-structuring program. Results in the auto-motive glass replacement division alsoimproved thanks to increased demand.Looking to Japan, which represents 16

percent of NSGs automotive sales, OEvolumes were stronger than the prioryear, officials reported. In North America, which represents 24

percent of NSGs automotive sales, OEmarkets improved, according to thecompany. Light vehicle sales were up 5percent year-over-year. Meanwhile, au-tomotive replacement revenues andprofits were similar to the previous year,officials reported.Company wide, the NSG Group re-

ported that its cumulative group rev-enues were up 17 percent for thethird-quarter of the fiscal year to $4.4billion USD (451.2 billion Yen).



www.sikausa.comwww.agrrmag.comhttp://products.agrrmag.com/http://www.agrrmag.com/digitalhttp://www.cdsreportnow.com/renew/now?ARR

Approximately 50 participantscame together for a variety ofpresentations revolving aroundglass-insurance issues at theHSG Inno-vation Summit recently held in Tampa,Fla. HSG is a third party administrationcompany that provides services mainly

to the automotive glass and restorationindustries. The program was centeredaround automotive glass.The father of the Net Promoter System

thanked the insurance industry for giv-ing him his start. I started 37 years agoin the insurance industry long before the

NPS was developed, said Fred Reich-held. So thank you to the insurance in-dustry for helping me get my start.The Net Promoter Score (NPS) is an

open architecture system, said Reich-held. It revolves around two questionsand designed to measure and increase

p o l i c y b r i e f s

I n s u r a n c et a l k

Insurers Briefed on Customer Satisfaction at HSG Summit

N A T I O N A L N E W S

glassBYTEs.com editors reached out tothe parties involved in Connecticuts newanti-steering law, which went into effectJanuary 1, to see if it has made any differ-ence to the marketplace. We wanted toknow if the law was being followed andwhether market share was affected. A Safe-lite spokeswoman declined comment sayingthat the companys lawsuit is still pending. Safelite had appealed the late December

denial of the companys request to stop theConnecticut law to the Second Circuit Court.Most recently, the Second Circuit Court de-nied a preliminary injunction.The State of Connecticuts Attorney Gen-

erals office deferred comment to the StatesInsurance Department. SpokeswomanDonna Tommelleo of the Insurance Depart-ment released the following comment:After checking with our Market Conduct

Division and Consumer Affairs Unit, we havehad no concerns arise regarding the newlaw. In fact, prior to the laws enactment,the department received no consumer com-plaints regarding alleged steering of glassrepair and that remains the case.Tommelleo also referred us to the de-

partments testimony from last Januaryclaiming that the law was unnecessary.Safelite Solutions claims that it is the

only third-party administrator (TPA) af-fected by the law. AGRR magazine/glassBYTEs.com editors asked several

independent automotive glass shops inConnecticut if they noticed more workfrom customers of insurers using SafeliteSolutions. Opinions varied. Ed Fisher,owner of Auto Glass of Connecticut inMilford said, Business has picked up,but not as much as I thought it would.He saw two or three new customers fromSafelite Solutions about a month afterthe law went into effect.Paul Huot of East Coast Auto Glass in

Glastonbury said that his company receivedNo additional business.Nikki Maslak of Plymouth Glass & Mirror

in Thomaston said that it was difficult tosay. Hartford Insurance switched TPAs a fewmonths ago (from Safelite to LYNX) and thathad made a bigger difference.The battle continues to play out in the

courtroom. In their decision to denial theinjunction, the panel of Second CircuitCourt judges wrote Safelite failed to meetthe requisite standard. The judges grantedSafelites motion to expedite the appeal.Appellants, through counsel, move to

enjoin enforcement of Connecticut PublicAct 13-67(c)(2), pending appeal of the Dis-trict Court order declining to enjoin thestatute; to expedite the appeal; and for per-mission to file an oversized memorandumof law in support of their motion for an in-junction, wrote the three-judge panel inits decision. Upon due consideration, it is

hereby ordered that the motion to file anoversized memorandum of law is granted.It is furthermore ordered that appel-

lants motion for an injunction is denied be-cause they have failed to meet the requisitestandard, they continued. Finally, it is or-dered that the motion to expedite the ap-peal is granted.The Circuit Court clerk set a timetable for

an expedited briefing: The appellants opening brief and jointappendix were due March 18, 2014.

Appellees answering brief is due April22, 2014.

Appellants reply brief must be filed onor before May 6, 2014.The appeal shall be heard as early as

the week of May 19, 2014, subject to theapproval of the presiding judge, writesCatherine OHagan Wolfe, Clerk of Court, incourt papers.A judge for U.S. District Court of Con-

necticut just approved a timetable for theanti-steering lawsuit as well.

Stay tuned to glassBYTES.com for morecoverage on the Connecticut law and the re-lated court cases.

Editors note: Contributing to this storywas Stuart Zimmerman. He is a formerjournalist and attorney/advisor for theU.S. Department of Justice, and he cur-rently works as an Information TechnologyConsultant.


S A F E L I T E I N T H E N E W S

In the Field: Connecticut Anti-Steering Law in Effect



http://www.agrrmag.comwww.glassbytes.comwww.glassbytes.comwww.agrrmag.comhttp://products.agrrmag.com/http://www.agrrmag.com/digitalhttp://www.cdsreportnow.com/renew/now?ARR


See our ad on the back cover for more information. 1-888-247-6000 toll-free in U.S. and Canada

www.aegistools.com

Supporting Technician Safety with our Solo IITM and GlassHandlers.

customer loyalty.And customer loyalty, according to

Reichheld, is the holy grail of keepingand growing customers.

What do loyal customers do? Re-ichheld asked. They repurchase fromyou. They buy additional items. Per-haps most importantly, they send re-ferrals, which is among the leastexpensive way to gain new customers.And they provide you with candidfeedback which you definitely need.

The former Bain Company execu-tive said that companies that use NPS

generally see loyalty levels grow at 2.6times their industry averages. Loyaltytransforms economics, he said.

He also had some cautionary advicefor the insurers in attendance. Yourindustry traditionally has among theworst net promoters scores of any in-dustry. You have a ways to go. Some ofyou have negative net promoter scoreseven though you dont think you do.

If you are going to focus on grow-ing customer loyalty, you must growemployee loyalty and thatstougher. He discussed an application

he developed him-self called HuddleUp that he hasstarted and allowscandid anony-mous employeefeedback and rec-ognizes employeeexcellence.

Almost every-one thinks they areproviding great customer service,said Reichheld. And almost everyoneis wrong.

FredReichheld

See our ad on page 7 for more information 1-888-247-6000 toll-free in U.S. and Canada



http://www.aegistools.comhttp://www.agrrmag.comwww.agrrmag.comhttp://products.agrrmag.com/http://www.agrrmag.com/digitalhttp://www.cdsreportnow.com/renew/now?ARR

ne of the coldest and stormiest winters in recent mem-ory has proven to be good news for AGRR companies,driving up business and demand. Automotive glasscompanies report 2014 is off to a strong start and theyare optimistic about the rest of the year.

For this issue, AGRR magazine is publishing its second an-nual list of Top Automotive Glass Retailers. The rankings are pri-marily based on our estimates of annual retail sales. If a companydid not report this information, AGRR provided an estimatebased on a variety of factors. Some companies on our list pro-vided the information herein; others did not.

The list includes automotive glass retailers except for fran-chisors and their franchisees. To our knowledge no Glass Doctoror Novus companies are included. In cases where companiesoffer services in addition to automotive glass, such as collisionand residential glass, we estimated to include just their retail au-tomotive glass sales. Repair-only companies are not included.

If you would like to be included on the list next year or offerfeedback, email Jenna Reed at [email protected] for an application.We tried to include numbers only for automotive glass in caseswhere the company does more than AGRR work.

Who Are theTOPAutomotive

Glass Retailers?

O Oldest Companies by Years in BusinessHenderson Glass Inc., Rochester Hills, Mich. ........99Louis Auto Glass, Bellingham, Wash.....................85

The Dothan Glass Co., Dothan, Ala. ......................83

Fenkell Automotive Services Ltd., Warren, Mo.......82

Glass America/Gerber, Chicago ............................77

Top Companies by LocationsSafelite AutoGlass, Columbus, Ohio ..................521

Glass America, Gerber, Chicago ........................200

Binswanger Enterprises, Memphis, Tenn...............70

Techna Glass, Salt Lake City, Utah ......................55

Arrow Auto Glass, Kingston, Pa. ..........................49


Fact:Out of the more than

70 companies on the list, 23 are more than

50 years old.





Company Name Headquarters Number of Physical LocationsDate

Founded WebsiteEstimated AGRR Sales(in millions USD)

Safelite AutoGlass Columbus, Ohio 521 1947 (Safelite AutoGlass) www.safelite.com 825

Glass America (includes Geber Collision & Glass) Chicago 200 1937 www.glassamerica.net 50

JN Phillips Woburn, Mass. 40 1946 www.jnphillips.com 46

Binswanger Enterprises Memphis, Tenn. 70 1972 www.binswanger.com 30

ABRA Auto Body & Glass Minneapolis, Minn. 19 1984 www.abraauto.com 25

All Star Glass San Diego, Calif. 30 1978 www.allstarglass.net 24.1

Arrow Auto Glass Kingston, Pa. 49 2008 www.arrowautoglass.com 20

Cascade Autoglass Inc. Vancouver, Wash. 1 1993 www.cascadeautoglass.com 18

Belle Tire (Auto Glass) Allen Park, Mich. 86 2007 www.belletire.com/auto-glass 16.7

Techna Glass Salt Lake City, Utah 55 1991 www.technaglass.com 14

City Auto Glass South St. Paul, Minn. 35 1990 www.cityautoglass.com 14

Auto Glass Fitters Inc. Dunmore, Pa. 24 2008 www.autoglassfitters.com/locations 12.2

Jack Morris Auto Glass Memphis, Tenn. 9 1951 www.morrisglass.com 11

Windshield Centers Woburn, Mass. 40 2012 www.windshieldcenters.com 10

Henderson Glass Inc. Rochester Hills, Mich. 22 1915 www.HendersonGlass.com 8

Go-Glass Corp. Go-Glass Corp. 6 1982 www.mrgoglass.com 7.7

Advanced Auto Glass Inc. Akron, Ohio 10 1983 www.advancedautoglass.com 7.6

Randy Sands Auto Glass Rochester, N.Y. 2 1946 www.raysandsglass.com 7

Lee & Cates Glass Inc. Jacksonville, Fla. 13 1926 www.leeandcatesglass.com 6.3

Turner's Custom Auto Glass Florence, S.C. 8 1982 www.turnersglass.com 5.8

Wesglass Inc. (dba Glass Warehouse) Casper, Wyo. 4 1960 www.glasswarehouse.co/default.html 5.7

Glasspro Mt. Pleasant, S.C. 10 1995 www.glasspro.net 5.5

Charlie's Auto Glass Inc. Miami 1 1947 www.charliesautoglass.com 5.4

Banner Glass Inc. Silver Spring, Md. 8 1956 www.bannerglass.com 5

Tri State Glass Company Inc. Greenville, S.C. 10 1976 www.tristateglassinc.com 3.1

Payless of Hartford Hartford, Conn. 6 1987 www.paylessautoglass.com 4.5

Ace Auto Glass Inc. Honolulu, Hawaii 8 1975 www.aceautoglass.net 4.4

Glass Services LLC Shreveport, La. 4 2003 www.glassservices.org 4.2

Midtown Glass Co. LLC Atlanta 5 1956 www.midtownglassatl.com 4.1

AAA Glass Service Center Shreveport, La. 1 1963 www.aaaglassservicecenter.com 4

Apple Glass Co. Houston, Texas 2 1988 www.appleglasscompany.com 3.8

Fast Glass (dba in California Under Alan's Fast Glass) Sparks, Nev. 10 1978 www.fastglassinc.com 3.8

American Mobile Glass of N.J. Inc. Newfoundland, N.J. 2 1982 www.amgglass.com 3.8

Stockton Auto Glass Stockton, Calif. 5 1952 www.stocktonautoglass.com 3.6

American Auto & Plate Glass Albany, N.Y. 1 1973 www.americanautoglass.com 3.5

continued on page 18



http://www.safelite.comhttp://www.glassamerica.nethttp://www.jnphillips.comhttp://www.binswanger.comhttp://www.abraauto.comhttp://www.allstarglass.nethttp://www.arrowautoglass.comhttp://www.cascadeautoglass.comhttp://www.belletire.com/auto-glasshttp://www.technaglass.comhttp://www.cityautoglass.comhttp://www.autoglassfitters.com/locationshttp://www.morrisglass.comhttp://www.windshieldcenters.comhttp://www.HendersonGlass.comhttp://www.mrgoglass.comhttp://www.advancedautoglass.comhttp://www.raysandsglass.comhttp://www.leeandcatesglass.comhttp://www.turnersglass.comhttp://www.glasswarehouse.co/default.htmlhttp://www.glasspro.nethttp://www.charliesautoglass.comhttp://www.bannerglass.comhttp://www.tristateglassinc.comhttp://www.paylessautoglass.comhttp://www.aceautoglass.nethttp://www.glassservices.orghttp://www.midtownglassatl.comhttp://www.aaaglassservicecenter.comhttp://www.appleglasscompany.comhttp://www.fastglassinc.comhttp://www.amgglass.comhttp://www.stocktonautoglass.comhttp://www.americanautoglass.comhttp://www.agrrmag.comwww.agrrmag.comhttp://products.agrrmag.com/http://www.agrrmag.com/digitalhttp://www.cdsreportnow.com/renew/now?ARR


Company Name HeadquartersNumber of Physical Locations

Date Founded Website

Estimated AGRR Sales(in millions USD)

All Star Auto Glass Seattle 1 2004 www.callallstar.com 3.5

Jones Paint and Glass Provo, Utah 6 1938 www.jonespg.com 3.1

Acme Glass and Mirror Company Inc. Monroe, La. 4 1984 www.acmeglassandmirror.com 3

Louis Auto Glass Inc. Bellingham, Wash. 3 1929 www.louisautoglass.com 3

Butler's Glass Service (dba Bill's Glass Service) Medford, Ore. 3 1971 www.billsglass.com 3

Rockford Auto Glass Inc. Rockford, Ill. 2 1945 www.rockfordglass.com 3

National Auto Glass & Mirror Inc. Warren, Mich. 20 1994 www.nationalautoglass.net 2.9

Ever-Ready Glass of Tucson LLC Tucson, Ariz. 5 1996 www.everreadyglass.com 2.8

Santa Fe Glass Co. Inc. Independence, Mo. 6 1958 www.santafeglass.net 2.8

Steben's Motor Auto Body Inc. West Hartford, Conn. 1 1959 www.stebenautoglass.com 2.7

Premier Auto Glass Pine Island, Minn. 3 2006 www.premierautoglass.net 2.6

Smith Auto Glass & Upholstery Baltimore, Md. 3 1961 www.smithautoglass.com 2.6

Don's Mobile Glass Modesto, Calif. 5 1973 www.donsmobileglass.com 2.5

Lone Star Glass Inc. Houston, Texas 5 1973 www.lonestarglass.com 2.5

Southeastern Auto Glass Byesville, Ohio 1 2011 www.southeastern-glass.com 2.5

Ryan's All-Glass Cincinnati, Ohio 5 1982 www.ryansallglass.com 2.4

Fenkell Automotive Services Ltd. Warren, Mo. 3 1932 www.fenkellautorepair.com 2.4

Advanced Auto Glass Fort Worth, Texas 2 1989 www.AdvancedGlassSystems.com 2.3

Estrada Carglass San Antonio, Texas 1 2001 www.estradacarglass.com/ 2.3

Jack's Glass Inc. Elsmere, Ky. 4 1978 www.jacksglasshop.com 2.3

K&K Glass Inc. Zephyrhills, Fla. 5 1994 www.kkglass.com 2.3

Martin Glass Co. Belleville, Ill. 4 1933 www.martinautoglass.com 2.3

Vision Glass Co. Byron Center, Mich. 9 1990 www.visionsglass.com 2.3

Tiny & Sons Glass Co. N. Pembroke, Mass. 1 1978 www.tinyandsons.com 2.2

Lloyd's Glass Fort Pierce, Fla. 4 1996 www.lloydsglass.com 2

The Dothan Glass Co. Dothan, Ala. 4 1931 www.dothanglass.com 2

Intermountain Auto Glass Garden City, Idaho 4 1996 www.intermountainautoglass.com 2

Cassady & Self Glass Co. Inc. Birmingham, Ala. 1 1977 www.cassadyandselfglass.com 2

Premium Auto Glass Inc. Arvada, Colo. 3 2009 www.premiumautoglass.com 1.5

Ed and Sons Glass Inc. Maple Shade, N.J. 1 1965 www.edandsonsglass.com 1.3

Indianhead Glass Inc. Saint Croix Falls, Wis. 3 1981 www.indianheadglass.com 1.2

TOPAutomotiveGlass Retailers continued from page 17



http://www.callallstar.comhttp://www.jonespg.comhttp://www.acmeglassandmirror.comhttp://www.louisautoglass.comhttp://www.billsglass.comhttp://www.rockfordglass.comhttp://www.nationalautoglass.nethttp://www.everreadyglass.comhttp://www.santafeglass.nethttp://www.stebenautoglass.comhttp://www.premierautoglass.nethttp://www.smithautoglass.comhttp://www.donsmobileglass.comhttp://www.lonestarglass.comhttp://www.southeastern-glass.comhttp://www.ryansallglass.comhttp://www.fenkellautorepair.comhttp://www.AdvancedGlassSystems.comhttp://www.estradacarglass.com/http://www.jacksglasshop.comhttp://www.kkglass.comhttp://www.martinautoglass.comhttp://www.visionsglass.comhttp://www.tinyandsons.comhttp://www.lloydsglass.comhttp://www.dothanglass.comhttp://www.intermountainautoglass.comhttp://www.cassadyandselfglass.comhttp://www.premiumautoglass.comhttp://www.edandsonsglass.comhttp://www.indianheadglass.comhttp://www.agrrmag.comwww.agrrmag.comhttp://products.agrrmag.com/http://www.agrrmag.com/digitalhttp://www.cdsreportnow.com/renew/now?ARR


s a part of this annual feature,we reached out to automotiveglass claims administratorsthroughout the country forsome facts. While we heard

from most of the administrators, if wedid not, the claims volume and infor-mation was estimated.

1. Safelite SolutionsHeadquarters: Columbus, OhioAreas/states served:NationwideFounded: 2003Total employees total: 3,500 www.glassclaim.com

2. LYNX Services LLCHeadquarters:Pittsburgh, Pa., with national operations centers in Ft. Myers, Fla.,and Paducah, Ky.Areas/states served: 50 U.S. statesFounded: 1994Total employees: 1,000 www.LYNXServices.com

3. Harmon Solutions GroupLLC or HSG HeadquartersHeadquarters:Two fully redundant locations in Eau Claire, Wis., and Springfield, OhioAreas/states served: All 50 states andevery ZIP code in AmericaFounded: 1949Total employees: 450 www.hsgcodeblue.com

4. NCS (Netcost Claims Services) Headquarters: Schaumburg, Ill.Areas/states served:Nationwide and CanadaFounded: 2000Total employees total: 80 www.netcostservices.com

5. Gerber National Glass ServicesHeadquarters: Skokie, Ill.Areas/states served:NationwideFounded: 1971

Total employees: 1,000 (partnered with LYNX Services) http://www.gerberngs.com

6.Teleglass National Corp. Headquarters: Woburn, Mass. Areas/states served:Primarily serves JN Phillips service areaFounded: 1996 www.teleglassnational.com

The 411 on Insurance Claims Administrators

THE PERFECT CLEANFOR THE PERFECT BOND.Sika PowerClean Aid New innovation in cleaning AGR glass surfaces. Easiest system for removing all contamination.

PROVE IT TO YOURSELF.Scan this QR code to get your FREE SAMPLE today!

www.sikausa.com/spca

Removes Non-Traditional Contaminants (NTCs); Eliminates paste, aerosol gels & coarse abrasive pads (Mold release agents & Silicone oils) Cost e#ective vs. other methods Removes Traditional Contaminants; (Dirt, Dust, Skin oils) Does not scratch glass or frit

A



http://www.glassclaim.comhttp://www.LYNXServices.comhttp://www.hsgcodeblue.comhttp://www.netcostservices.comhttp://www.gerberngs.comhttp://www.teleglassnational.comhttp://www.sikausa.com/spcahttp://www.agrrmag.comwww.agrrmag.comhttp://products.agrrmag.com/http://www.agrrmag.com/digitalhttp://www.cdsreportnow.com/renew/now?ARR


he snow, ice and sleet mighthave seemed unending thiswinter, but for the automo-tive glass repair and replace-ment business, this was

good news. It meant long hours andmore demand. And with Spring nowupon us, companies reflect on whatthe winter weather meant for business.

Weatheringthe Storm in N.C.

The roads were so snow- and ice-covered at one point in February inGreensboro, N.C., that Scott Harkey,president of Windshield Glass, chose towalk the two-and-half miles to workrather than risk driving.

Safety was a prevalent theme withAGRR companies that dealt with haz-ardous road conditions and worked inthe bitter cold.

In our area of North Central, N.C.,we get a good snow about every twoyears. This February, we got about eightinches over two days, says Harkey.One other tech made it in that day. Wehave a be safe policy with inclementweather.

Though safety remained top of mindfor Harkey, the bad weather meantgood news for replacement demand.

We saw a spike in our automotiveglass business because of the snow andice. We worked some overtime and, asalways, we try to get it while we can,he says.

Business is down significantly com-pared to a decade ago, he says, so theweather was a nice boon, though notpleasant.

We used to do a fair amount ofwholesale to small glass shops, bodyshops and rebuilders that do their owninstallations. It helped us make fre-quent bulk purchases of windshields.We would buy our top 12 to 15 wind-shield numbers by the full crate. Thosedays are long gone thanks to the prolif-eration of mobile installers who workfor peanuts, Harkey explains.

To make up for the downswing inbusiness, Windshield Glass has di-versified.

As our automotive glass numbershave decreased, weve put more empha-sis on other types of glass service that weoffer: equipment glass, RV glass, com-mercial and residential glass and tem-pered glass, to name a few, he pointsout. These other projects are helping usnot only to survive, but thrive. We seebusiness for 2014 getting a little better. Werealize that with todays automotive glass

market, were only going to sell so manyautomotive glass parts. Our focus is onbeing profitable.

N.J. Shops HandleSnow Hazards

Between shoveling and fixing all thebroken glass, Patrick McKernan, presi-dent of American Mobile Glass of N.J.in Newfoundland, N.J., had his handsfull this winter.

We had more than 60-plus inches ofsnow this winter, he says, so it was abusy one between shoveling and fixingall the broken glass. Luckily, our shoponly had to close one day due to snowand there was 17.7 inches that day!

But the rest of the time, he says thetechnicians were busy hitting theroad to complete jobs and keep upwith demand.

Our technicians have a love/haterelationship with the snow, McKernanexplains. They all understand thatsnow brings in more business, which,of course, results in extra hours, how-ever, every task is much harder andmore time consuming when there isinclement weather.

The heavy snow led to recordamounts of broken glass, he says.

Our business has seen a 35-per-cent increase in revenue year-over-year due to the extreme weather. Eachone of our employees was working atleast 11 to 12 hours per day to stay upwith our customers needs, McKer-nan points out.

Winter Weather Kickstarts 2014by Jenna Reed

Cold Snap

T

Fact: The roads were so bad and congested inAtlanta, children spent one night at local schools,unable to go home.



http://www.agrrmag.comwww.agrrmag.comhttp://products.agrrmag.com/http://www.agrrmag.com/digitalhttp://www.cdsreportnow.com/renew/now?ARR


Bad weather can be a good thing, hestresses.

I dont know of any glass companythat isnt busy after a snow/ice storm,he says. It is hard to say if things areimproving for the long term, but for theshort term, they sure are. I predict slow,steady growth for this year. I am hop-ing for an increase in revenue some-where in the range of 10 to 15 percent,he adds.

Over at Ed & Sons Glass Shop in MapleShade, N.J., the snow was relentless.

[W]e are in the middle of the SouthJersey and Philadelphia region. The ele-ments this past wintersnow sleet andbitter cold arctic temperatureshit ourregion continuously throughout Januaryand February, giving us 12 more inchesof snow than normal, says MichaelWoods, president of the company.

Fortunately, we only had to shutdown one day in February due to high-way and local road conditions, headds. Our total accumulation wasabout 57 inches [or more] of snow andtemperatures from single digits tohighs in the 20s.

The companys technicians reallystepped up to the challenge of workingin the harsher climate.

Our technicians have responded

well to each immediate situation thatthe days and weather brought, Woodssays. The storms brought a major in-crease in glass repair and replacementin the automotive and trucking industry.This has led to overall improvementthrough 2014 due the many road haz-ards that have become present duringand after extreme weather conditions.

WisconsinCustomers Hibernate

Wisconsins winter has been theninth coldest ever recorded, accordingto Eric Solland, manager of IndianheadGlass in Saint Croix Falls, Wis. He did nothave to close the shop at all for weather.

We had a lot of snow this year, hesays. We had two occasions this yearwhere we closed early or opened late.Our technicians drive two-wheel drivefull-size vans, which are not very goodin the snow. We tell our techs to usetheir best judgment on whether or notthey should be on the roads.

His technicians did not mindspending the extra time to get the jobdone right.

[During the storms,] we strived to

either get vehicles into one of our threeshops or make sure the customer hasadequate shelter, Solland says. If theywere close enough to one of our loca-tions, we picked them up and deliveredthe vehicle at no charge. Obviously,productivity is adversely affected in ex-treme weather, but we were more con-cerned about the quality of thereplacement so we didnt mind theextra time and effort to do a good job.

A byproduct of the storms, the saltand sand added to the roads for safety,was a key factor in driving glass break-age, he points out.

There seemed to be an increase inrepairs due to the extra sand and saltbeing applied to the roads. Consumershave been educated well to get themrepaired right away to avoid completebreakage, Solland says.

In Wisconsin, if the weather getsbad, the more people seem to hiber-nate, he jokes.

I cant say for certain that the in-clement weather had any positive ef-fect on our business, Solland explains.We also had a fair share of our cus-tomer base who spent the winter in theSouth to avoid the weather altogether.It is unfortunate for us because typi-cally these are the people who can af-

0

10+ inches

20+ inches

30+ inches

40+ inches

50+ inches

60+ inches

70+ inches

80+ inches

Det

roit

Ch

icag

o

Ind

ian

apo

lis

Ph

ilad

elp

hia

New

Yo

rk

The

mos

t sno

w in

m

ore

than

3 y

ears

D.C

.

Snowfall Totals:

Source: NBC News

T h e s t o rmsb rough t a ma j o ri n c re a s e i n g l a s s

re p a i r a n dre p l a c emen t i n t h e

au t omo t i ve a ndt r u c k i n g i n du s t r y.

Mi ch a e l Wood s , E d & S on s G l a s s S h op


Fact: For the first time in more than 130years, Philadelphia had more than four snowfallsof six inches or more, according to CBS Philly.





ford to fix their vehicle. I would beelated if we could hold sales levels inline with 2013 for this year. I do not seeany expansion for us.

Glass DoctorFranchisees Bundle Up

Glass Doctor franchisees also dealtwith a harsh winter. Philadelphia expe-rienced its worst winter in 100 years.

[Philadelphia] will officially havehad themost snowfall in a season since1872, says Kay Jacobsen, a Glass Doc-tor franchise consultant based out ofConnecticut, who works directly withfranchisees.

Our New Jersey locations sufferedgreatly because of the extreme snowfalland the extreme cold, Jacobsen says.

Northern Texas was hit by a fierce icestorm in early March.

Texas and Oklahoma had oneroller coaster ride of weather, saysJamie Alberti-Reeder, a Dallas-basedGlass Doctor franchise consultant.One day it was literally 81 degreesand the next 18 degrees. However,this has not kept one of my fran-chisees closed for even one day. Infact, my franchisee in Brady, Texas,

was installing on a day where sleet,ice and snow was everywhere.

When the temperatures plum-meted to 40-below with the windchill factor in Indiana in January,many of the AGRR companies closedup shop. This type of the weatherjust stresses the importance of work-ing safely.

In Wisconsin, one Glass Doctorfranchisee was closed for six daysdue to the bad weather.

The companies all agree thatsafety was of the utmost importancewhen doing replacements and re-pairs in the bitter cold weathersafety for the quality of work beingdone and safety for the technicianswho were doing the work.

Replacement SnowJobs Done Safely

For technicians and automotiveglass company owners who workedin bitter temperatures doing replace-ments, there were some key things tokeep in mind. The Auto Glass SafetyCouncil released a safety advisorythis winter about just that topic.

In temperatures from 40 degreesto zero, use a product rated for the ap-propriate minimum drive away timeto meet the customers needs. If youswitch products to accommodate thecolder temperatures, be sure to famil-iarize yourself with the necessaryprimers and procedures required andfollow the adhesive manufacturers in-structions exactly, says Dale Malcolmof Dow, outgoing co-chair of the AGSCeducation committee.

Has the Strong Winter WeatherImpacted Business?

AGRR magazine/glassBYTEs.com readers recentlyanswered a poll about how much weather has impactedbusiness. Here are the results.

The weather has not impacted my business. (28%) Ive seen business climb by up to 10 percent. (23%)

Ive seen business climb by 11-19 percent. (19%) I live in an area where we do not get bad winter weather. (12%) Ive seen business climb by 20-30 percent. (9%) Ive seen business double or more. (9%)


Cold Snapcontinued from page 21 I d on t k now o f a ny g l a s s c ompany

t h a t i s n t bu sy a f t e r a s n ow/ i c es t o rm , h e s a ys . I t i s h a rd t o s a y i f

t h i n g s a re imp rov i n g fo r t h e l o n g t e rm ,bu t fo r t h e s h o r t t e rm , t h ey s u re a re . I p re d i c t s l ow, s t e a d y g row th fo r t h i sye a r. I am hop i n g fo r a n i n c re a s e i nrevenue s omewhe re i n t h e r a n g e o f

10 t o 15 p e r c e n t . Pa t r i c k M cKe r n an , Ame r i c a n Mob i l e G l a s s o f N . J .



http://www.agrrmag.comwww.glassbytes.comwww.agrrmag.comhttp://products.agrrmag.com/http://www.agrrmag.com/digitalhttp://www.cdsreportnow.com/renew/now?ARR

Burco is committed to safety. From the safety-orange packaging to the seamed-edges and perfect fit, you can be sure Burco offers what your customer needs. Redi Cuts sideview mirror replacements restore your customers broken mirror to OE specifications. From flat to high-bend convex, blue glass to heated signal mirrors Burco has a solution to fit virtually every vehicle on the road. Safely.

Now meet the newest member of the Burco family, Redi. Redi was rescued from a local shelter and now enjoys the title of Corporate Companion. For every mirror sold Burco will donate a portion of the proceeds to various animal shelters, including our local Humane Society.

.SAFE

PROUDLY MADE IN THE USA.




Mobile work can be conductedsafely in temperatures down to zerodegrees Fahrenheit, adds Carl Tomp-kins of Sika, also a committeemember.Most glass cleaners contain some

water and if applied to a below-freez-ing surface, ice can form that maynot be visible. Clean and decontam-inate glass in the shop if possible andtransport it to the shop in an en-closed vehicle. Many primers re-quire extra time to dry to cure atlower temperatures, so know and fol-low the adhesive manufacturers pro-cedures for working in coldertemperatures, says Malcolm.Tompkins agrees, saying, Re-

member that cleaners and primersslow down when 40 degrees. Makesure to follow the written proceduresfor cold weather installations, payingspecial attention to the time factors.If at all possible, take the vehicle

in a heated area to work, Malcolmsuggests.

Bitter ColdRepairs Done RightWhile repairingwindshieldsoutside in

the bitter cold was not the best optionthis winter, many technicians did it safely. [T]o fully cure your repairs in cold

weather, all you need is a little extra pa-tience and preparation, says RandyMackey, GlasWelds manager of techni-cal services. Its a fact that resin takeslonger to cure in cold weather. This isfor several reasons. For starters, thevoltage output of the vehicles cigarette

lighter or power outlet may be lower incold weather so the UV lamp receivesless power and output is less. Also,when your UV lamp is cold, it does notemit as much UV radiation as it doeswhen it is warmed up. And resin thatscold doesnt cure as quickly as resinthat is at a warmer temperature, Over the winter, technicians slowed

down and gave their repairs more timeto cure, he says. The vehicles heater is the best way

to warm the glass but other types of

Cold Snapcontinued from page 22

Fact: Indiana residents were told to stay offthe roads when the temperature plummeted to 40below with the wind chill factor.






heaters can be used as well.Extra precautions during cold

weather were definitely necessary, saysBruce McDonald, a sales representa-tive with Delta Kits.

To start, ideally the glass tempera-ture should be between 70 and 100 de-grees Fahrenheit, he says. Usingdefrosters was a good way to warm upthe glass, he notes.

It blows cool air when the vehicle isfirst started and gradually the ventswarm up as the engine warms up, Mc-Donald says.

But the best solution technicianshad for doing repairs when the tem-perature plummeted was just as Sol-land said, take the vehicle indoors if atall possible, and this is exactly whatsmart technicians did this winter.

Editors Note: This is part one in atwo part retailer feature. Look for thesecond half, which focuses on customerservice and technology in the May/JuneAGRR magazine.





10FW2668,NAGS Labor: 7.3 hours,2010Mercedes Benz SL500, SL600, SL63AMG, SL65 AMGwindshieldThe SL series by Mercedes has been one of the most laborintensive vehicles for installations for more than 20 years,including the 1998 and 2002 models. With all of the partsthat have to be removed to replace the windshield, its nowonder the SL series takes up four places on our list. Eachgeneration continues with a high level of difficulty.

9FQ24028-29, NAGS Labor: 7.4 hours,2010 Lexus LX570 quarter glassThe amount of interior that needs to be removed, alongwith the recommendation by Lexus that the headliner beremoved for replacement, make this small glass a large job.

8DB6164,NAGS Labor: 7.5 hours,1985 Cadillac Fleetwood back glassWith the amount of vacuuming and interior removalneeded, as well as the time it takes to remove and re-installthe vinyl around the glass, this can be a long installationthat repeats itself into the early 1990s before the vinyl topwas halted as a factory option.

7DB7171,NAGS Labor: 7.5 hours,1992 Cadillac Fleetwood back glassLike itsmid `80spredecessor, this backlite requires interior re-moval and the removal and re-installation of the vinyl top. Addto this the difficulty of vacuuming the glass from all of the smallareas around the rear deck and seat and this is an install takestime and requires attention to detail for the vinyl roof.

6FW391,NAGS Labor: 7.5 hours,1982 Fiat Strada windshieldThis gasket-set windshield is the only one on the list that Ihave not personally installed. I would love to hear from ourreaders who have installed one of these as to why the levelof difficulty is so high.

A Hard Days Lite

Top Ten Toughest

Installations By Jamie Browningometimes an installation can catch a tech-

nician by surprise by the level of difficulty itpresents. I took a look at the top ten mostlabor intensive installations, according to

the Winter 2014 National Auto Glass Specifications(NAGS) International Benchmark Calculator and theresults were consistent with my experience on theseinstallations. Here is what I found in reverse orderwith the most difficult last:

S

1985 Cadillac Fleetwood

2009 Lexus LX570

Phot

o: L

exus

Phot

o: C

adill

ac





5FW654,NAGS Labor: 7.6 hours,1993Mercedes Benz 300SL, 500SL,600SL windshieldFor me, personally, this installation took the longest of theSL series due to the side mouldings and wiper removal. Ialso needed help setting this windshield before any settingdevices were available.

4FW773,NAGS Labor: 7.6 hours,1998Mercedes Benz SL500,SL600 windshieldThe side moulding are always tedious and patience is keywhen reassembling the parts back onto this vehicle. Also,setting this windshield can be difficult without help or asetting device.

If this SL series is equippedwith the hardtop convertibleit will require two people to safely remove the hardtop andreinstall it without damaging the vehicle or top.

3FW2047,NAGS Labor: 7.6 hours,2002Mercedes Benz SL500,SL600 windshieldWith this being the newer of the SL series on the list, extracare should be taken around the rearview mirror area andwith the fragile plugs connecting the sun visors.

2FR22474-75, NAGS Labor: 7.7 hours,2010 Land Rover LR3, LR4 roofI would certainly recommend that two technicians be usedfor this one and that it be installed in-shop. To replace thispart properly the headliner needs to be removed and this willtake a lot of time and require placing parts in areas that areeasy to remember where they are to be re-installed.This is also one of the newer vehicles on

the list as well as a luxury vehicle so extra care must be takennot to damage the fragile interior parts.

1DB8199,NAGS Labor 8.9 hours.1992Mercury GrandMarquis, backliteThis version of the GrandMarquis has the vinyl roof optionand tops the list at close to nine hours of labor. The clean-up and interior removal take some time but the most diffi-cult part on this job is the removal and re-installation of thevinyl top. Scheduling this job accordingly and assigning itto an experienced technician are the keys.

Which of these vehicles do you think has the most difficult installation? We want to hear your thoughts.

Vote now at www.agrrmag.com/hardest

With al l of the parts that have to be removed to replace the windshield, it s no wonder the Mercedes Benz SL series takes up four places on our l ist. Jam i e B rown i n g




http://www.agrrmag.com/hardesthttp://www.agrrmag.comwww.agrrmag.comhttp://products.agrrmag.com/http://www.agrrmag.com/digitalhttp://www.cdsreportnow.com/renew/now?ARR


Fornewer technicians it canbehelpful toknowwhat thelaborhoursare for installationsbeforeamobileor in-shopjob is performed.Thiswill give the techniciananopportu-nity to seek additional help, advice or information such asfromThe Auto Glass Journal (www.autoglassjournal.com).This will also help the person quoting the work to makesure the pricing is accurate and avoid low quotes orprices. NAGS labor times are also very helpful when sched-uling appointments to help lower the chance of overbook-ing and disappointing customers.

I would like to hear from our readers what vehiclesyou think are the most labor intensive and why. I alsowant to hear your opinions on this Top 10 list andyour experiences dealing with these installs. Email:[email protected].

A Hard Days Litecontinued from page 27

For newer technicians it can be helpful to know

what the labor hours are forinstal lations before a mobileor in-shop job is performed.

J a m i e B row n i n g



http://www.autoglassjournal.commailto:[email protected]://www.agrrmag.comwww.glasweld.com/curingmailto:[email protected]://products.agrrmag.com/http://www.agrrmag.com/digitalhttp://www.cdsreportnow.com/renew/now?ARR

New From UltraWiz The Radius Serrated Blade

UltraWiz a product of A.N. Designs, Inc.www.ultrawiztools.com

866-482-2921

MADE IN THE USAAvailable From Your Local Distributor

Introducing the new UltraThin Serrated Cold Knife Blade

The conical ground shape on the back of our new blade is different from anything weve ever made before. This design along with the serrations, create a very thin blade with much less cutting resistance then anything in the industry! The radius grind is similar to what techs have been doing for years, but ours is done before heat treating to produce the highest performance possible. Our unique serration design leaves small leading edge points to pierce the urethane for an easier pull during cutting. Also with only the small serration points touching the glass, the majority of the blade stays sharp for continued cutting ease.

NEW

NEW

New From UltraWiz The Radius Serrated Blade

New Paint Protection Reverse Bend Blade

New radius grind offers the easiest pulling resistance available

Only the unique serration points touch the glass keeping the rest of the edge sharp

The thinnest UltraWiz blade ever produced

Distinctive center rib adds extra strength at the bend

Available in 3 cut lengths 3/4", 1",and 1-1/2"

New Paint Protection Reverse Bend BladeNylon coating protects exposed paint from accidental blade contact

Ideal for exposed glass with underside molding or encapsulation

Offers the control a technician needs to cut away from the glass or molding

Available in 3 cut lengths

6992-M

6994-M

Original Cold Knife Blade NEW Radius Serrated Blade

6991-M

52C4-M

52C1-M52C2-M



http://www.ultrawiztools.comwww.agrrmag.comhttp://products.agrrmag.com/http://www.agrrmag.com/digitalhttp://www.cdsreportnow.com/renew/now?ARR

R e p a i r R o u n d - U p

[email protected]

SOMETIMES A STONE BREAKwill not easily fill with tools vac-uum and pressure. This is mainlybecause of two forces. 1).The glass owncohesive strength and 2). The 3,000 psiPVB bond to the glass. The 3,000 psiPVB bond is the main reason that manystone breaks do not crack-out for years.Take some comfort in knowing thatyour resin has a 3,000-psi head start bythis PVB bond as long as your resin getsthe tips of the cracks (legs) and theperimeter of the bullseye. The mostbasic function of the resin is to prevent

a crack-out caused by thermal forces.Almost all of these alternative methodsare available to those with a piston-cylinder system.Flexing by the Holding Structure:

Remember the two forces holdingthe break together are what your toolneeds to overcome in order to get theresin to the tips and perimeter of thebreak. This is where a piston-cylinderthat is just larger than the impact pointdoes well as it pushes down on the (un-surfaced) break and flexes the breakopen. Having control of this pressure is

a must so you can increase the flex onthe glass when the break is not filing.This type of tool will also allow you touse a higher viscosity resin which hasmore durability due to increasedoligomer.Increasing Pressure on the Resin:

Pressure on the resin actually comesfrom the holding structure and moreprecisely the opposing force on thesuction cup(s). Increasing the flex byraising the structure by turning the in-jector and or leveling bolt(s) increasesboth the flex on the glass and the pres-

n w r a r e p o r t s

focu

s on

R

EP

AIR


AlternativeWays to Fill a BreakB y R i c h a rd C a m pf i e l d




sure on the resin. A threaded pistonalso fine tunes this pressure.Flexing with a Probe:

This is a method of pushing downon a leg with a pointed metal tool thatflexes open the sub-surfaced leg. Thetool must not cover the legs, or whenthere is a stubborn leg you will end upneeding to drill. In essence, you will dotwo repairs instead of just flexing a leg. Flexing with a Star Flexor:

A Star Flexor tool takes the place ofmanually flexing the leg with yourhand and a probe. This tool flexes the

leg for you and holds it for as long asneeded while you do something else.Manual Pressure Pushing for ColdGlass Only:

When glass is cold, atoms are closertogether which makes the glass moredense and the PVB is hard instead ofsoft. This allows you to use more forcewithout the fear of a crack-out or theflowering of the PVB. Place your handor thumb on top of the injector, care-fully and slowly push down and hold it.You will see the break and legs flexopen and the resin start to flow.

Heat the Injector: Heating the injector will in turn heat

the resin and drop its viscosity whichwill increase flow.Drilling:

When all else fails then you drill.Not drilling or leaving a leg unfilled isan incomplete repair and in my opin-ion a fraud.

Richard Campfield is the NationalWindshield Repair Association president,

as well as the founder and president of UltraBond Inc. in Grand Junction, Colo.

The Pilkington Clear AdvantageTM

Performance through glass technology.

focus on RE

PA

IR


Without flexing, theresin will not reachthe tips of the legs.



http://www.agrrmag.comwww.pilkingtonclearadvantage.comwww.agrrmag.comhttp://products.agrrmag.com/http://www.agrrmag.com/digitalhttp://www.cdsreportnow.com/renew/now?ARR

Third GenerationSkidmore Steps Up

Garry Skidmore has been namedpresident and chief operating officer forTCG International (TCGI), parent com-

pany to Speedy Glassand Novus Glass,among others.Previously,Skidmore

servedasexecutivevicepresident of the com-pany. Rising throughthe ranks, he began inhigh school when heswept the floors.

TCGI is a family business andSkidmore is the third generation tobe involved. His father, Allan, servesas chairman and CEO of TCGI and isthe former president. Arthur Skid-more, grandfather to Garry, estab-lished the company in the late 1940s

in British Columbia.Ive been working inside our group

of companies for many years andjoined full time back in 1994 after com-pleting my university studies, saysSkidmore. [T]he company is almost68 years old and Im proud to be thethir

Mar/Apr 2014

Documents

Transcript of Mar/Apr 2014