As you know by now, I really enjoy these conversations with retiring employees. It’s cool to trade stories from the past and talk about their hopes for the future. In this video, you’ll hear me ask Tomas, “So, what do you like about ODL?” His answer, “I found in this company, another family.” Coming from someone with 8 children and 29 grandchildren, that’s a big compliment.
Thank you for being part of the ODL family, Tomas. Enjoy retirement with your family, and please plan to come back and visit us!
Global Production Update
We’ve talked about glass shortages in past blogs, applauding Adam Nelson and the purchasing team for their hard work and creativity in sourcing both clear and low-e glass. Curious about the glass shortages, we reached out to Adam to get the scoop:
Q: So, what’s the problem? Is there a labor issue at the glass manufacturers or is it something else?
Adam: In the US (North America, really), glass capacity is “over sold”. Much like we’re experiencing with demand for door glass and other building products being way up, demand is up roughly 40% at the glass plants.
Q: Are they able to increase their capacity or production?
Adam: It’s not that simple. They are already running their plants 24/7/365. These manufacturers plan for demand with forecasts and contracts 2-3 years in advance, so when our demand goes up along with all their other customers as much as it has in the past 10-12 months, they can’t simply produce more. So we have to get creative.
Q: What does “creative” look like for you?
Adam: Customers have an allocated square footage so one way we’ve been able to get the glass we need is by working with customers like Anderson to get some of their glass allocation. We’re also shipping tempered glass to other plants to have the Low-E coating applied.
Q: What customers or industries are getting glass from these same manufacturers as we are?
Adam: We buy from float glass plants who produce tempered and annealed glass for companies like Anderson who manufactures windows, automotive companies and suppliers, and appliance manufacturers.
Q: How much longer do you see this being a problem for us?
Adam: We’re hopeful the changes and creative solutions for Low-E glass we’ve been working with our suppliers on will help us get back on track this summer. The glass market capacity challenges will likely remain through the year and possibly further. It’s tough to say right now.
Thanks, Adam for your time explaining this to us and for the hard work and dedication of you and the whole supply chain team!
Announcements & Reminders
Announcements
Mexico Labor Day - April 30, 2021
- ODL VDO facility will be closed Friday
Chinese Labor Day - May 3 - 5, 2021
- ODL China facilities will be close Saturday - Wednesday
Well-Being Wednesday - Beginning May 3, 2021
- Join Angie Jenkins every Wednesday at 12:00pm EST for Well-Being Wednesday. Click here to view this months schedule or to join
Reminders!
| Name | Description | Link |
| LinkedIn Learning | Check out this months LinkedIn Learning Challenge with a focus on Communication | Join the challenge here |
| Zeeland Safety Training | Please continue to stay up-to-date with the monthly safety videos | Stay up-to-date on the April training topics |
