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3 WINDS OF CHANGE AT WINDOOR
Canada’s windor and door show gets tweaked for maximum satisfaction.
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JIM PARKER BOOTH AWARD
And the award goes to…
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4 CLEMONS ENERGIZES
CFL great Michael “Pinball” Clemons provided a keynote with a difference to open the show.
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EAST/WEST SEESAW
5 NAFS STILL OUT THERE
Fenestration Canada technical consultant Jeff Baker educates on the code everyone loves to hate.
Scotiabank chief economist Warren Jestin forecasts a flip flop in Canada’s economic power balance.
www.fenestrationreview.com 10 ON THE FLOOR
Our spotlight on top new products sighted at Windoor.
WINDS OF CHANGE
No sacred cows in Windoor committee’s drive to revitalize.
Every year for 21 years, Windoor has returned to Toronto. A run of that length is a testament to the strength of the show’s concept and the desire in the industry for an event of this type. But it is a rule of marketing that any concept, no matter how strong, will see declining interest over time if it is simply repeated. Attendee numbers at Windoor have remained mostly stable for many years, fluctuating up and down with economic conditions. But some exhibitors think the show could do better and have been urging Fenestration Canada’s Windoor Committee to shake things up.
Message received. Windoor 2015 featured a swath of changes designed to address some long-standing irritants, inject some new interest and improve the experience for everyone.
The most visible (and audible) change came in the form of five-foot-six dynamo Michael “Pinball” Clemons, the CFL Hall of Fame running back and coach who delivered an opening keynote speech that infused the room with an energy not seen at Windoor in some time. It as a great way to kick off the show, coming as it did at 4 p.m. on Day 1 right before the show’s traditional evening opening.
Gone are the days of competition at shows to have the largest booth. Today’s exhibitors use multiple channels to brand themselves with their clients, and a show no longer represents their single annual chance to make an impression. As booths shrank, Windoor’s central eating area grew until an uncomfortable amount of the floor space was taken up with an empty-looking concrete wasteland. This year, show organizers adjusted by moving Windoor to the hall
next door. The hall is about the same size, but configured in an L-shape that allowed them to put the eating area off to the side.
The lecture theatre for the educational speakers was moved to the centre of the show to better promote the program and make it easier for casual passers-by to stop, listen and perhaps decide to take a seat. This appeared to work, with larger crowds for many of the sessions. However, some sessions were still poorly attended, perhaps proving the point that content is still king. Sessions featuring meat-and-potatoes business intelligence closely targeted to the window and door industry were crowded. Sessions with a broader focus talking about more general issues seemed less popular.
A focus on innovation was also introduced, with a large Innovation Station located centrally and a session during Day 1 where exhibitors took the stage to make 10-minute presentations about new products they were featuring on their booths. There seemed to be interest in the showcase throughout the show, but the audience thinned out quickly for the presentations, perhaps distracted by the open show floor and the drink carts rolling around.
Windoor also closed earlier on the last day, ending at 1 p.m. instead of 4 as in years past. The final afternoon at Windoor has always been slow, and closing earlier gave attendees and exhibitors alike a chance to beat the traffic out of downtown Toronto.
It wasn’t perfect, but no show ever is. The message coming out of Windoor 2015 was that there is a willingness to change and the courage to take some risks to improve Canada’s national window and door show.
LAURA WEIL OF EURO VINYL WINDOWS TALKS ABOUT THE COMMITTEE’S VISION FOR WINDOOR 2015
SPECIAL EDITION
CLEMONS ENERGIZES WINDOOR 2015
The theme of Windoor 2015 was rejuvenation and renewal, and it is hard to imagine a better source of positive energy than Michael “Pinball” Clemons, the Canadian Football League Hall-of-Fame running back who went on to coach the Toronto Argonauts for seven years from 2000 to 2007. The always-smiling, alwaysin-motion athlete kept smiles on
everyone’s faces with his impassioned anecdotes, standing on chairs and invasions of personal space. Clemons has the knack for making you feel like you are his best friend within seconds of meeting him. His messages included focusing on family and never allowing adversity to get you down. The delivery was at least as important as the content, with the
ALL FOR SICKKIDS
Screenco and Mennie once again raised money for SickKids Foundation with a very well-attended reception in an upstairs room of the Convention Centre after Day Two of Windoor. A video screen listed dozens of sponsors from right across the industry. A crowd of around 200 were entertained by students from the Randolph Centre for the Performing Arts. The event raised $27,000.
five-foot-six dynamo leading the audience in virtual high-fives, synchronized clapping and choreographed cheers and chants. There are not many people who could get a crowd of predominantly middle-aged male southern Ontario business owners to let loose, but Clemons managed it. He must have been great in a locker room.
NAFS STILL OUT THERE
Fenestration Canada’s technical consultant, Jeff Baker of WestLab, told the audience at his annual Windoor update on codes and standards that the North American Fenestration Standard, NAFS-08, is now a reality in building codes across the country, and they need to be prepared for NAFS-11, the update to the standard that will be part of future revisions. NAFS is the North American standard governing air/water ingress for windows and doors. He’s been trying hard to get fabricators to pay attention to the upcoming standards, as many complained they were not ready for NAFS-08 despite Baker’s constant talks on the topic in the years running up to its publication.
Attendees heard that NAFS-11 will be referenced in the National Building Code released in December, and that it is already part of the code in Quebec, Alberta and Ontario. Most jurisdictions are allowing compliance with NAFS-08 until the 2015 NBC comes into effect in 2016. The differences between NAFS-08 and NAFS-11 are not extreme, but Baker warns that fabricators should be getting their products tested to the NAFS-11 standard to prevent having to retest once future codes come into effect.
Baker commented that staying informed on code changes is a constant challenge because of the regional variations in adopting new standards. As an example, he pointed to NAFS-08, which was
put into the 2010 NBC but only adopted in Alberta and Ontario this year. However, codes will continue to push ever-stricter standards, Baker predicts, especially for structural concerns and energy efficiency. Another presenter, Gord Cooke of Building Knowledge Canada, predicted a 10- to 20-per cent increase in performance standards at every code cycle going forward.
Baker also assisted Steve Hopwood of Natural Resources Canada in updating members on Energy Star. They reported that only incremental changes were coming for 2016, as well as effort to harmonize the American and Canadian versions of Energy Star. Baker pointed out that Energy Star was only ever meant to apply to the top-performing 25 per cent of windows, and that we are now at a point where 40 to 50 per cent of windows can meet the existing standard. The program will therefore move to tighten the standard so that once again only the best-performing products qualify, hoping to drive forward more innovation and improvements in window energy efficiency.
“Building officials will be looking,” Baker warned his audience. He says there is increased awareness in NAFS standards in many local jurisdictions across the country and fabricators cannot count on building officials ignoring window and door air/water ingress as they have in the past.
JEFF BAKER, FENESTRATION CANADA TECHNICAL CONSULTANT, ON TRENDS IN CODES ACROSS CANADA
AND THE AWARD GOES TO...
Tremco took home the Jim Parker Best Booth Award at Windoor for its 20-by-20-foot booth featuring its sealing, tapes and gasket products for residential windows and doors. Prominent on the booth was Tremco’s new edge-sealing system demonstration station, manned by the hardworking Rich Warren.
Criteria for the Jim Parker Best Booth Award include:
• Welcoming and inviting booth
• Signage that makes clear what products are available
• New or featured products on display
• Inviting and knowledgeable personnel available quickly
• Quiet space in the booth for discussions
• Samples that show features of the products
• A good selection of relevant brochures, literature and handouts
• Use of technology
• Laura Weil of Euro Vinyl Windows, Windoor committee member and award judge, commented on the award process. “We were impressed with Royal, Quanex, Groupe Eugiene, Novatech, Fentro, Roto
and RPM’s booths for hitting on many of these criteria points,” she said. “A key factor in the decision to award Tremco was the interactive component of their spacer display and the enthusiasm they conveyed when visitors came to see what they were exhibiting. The booth space was inviting, bright, with visible signage and smiling faces. Windoor show exhibitors are seeing the trend shift from just displaying products to creating a space that encourages interaction and collaboration. This is a format that intrigues me too, as the Windoor show continues to be our annual event that brings the industry together; best to make it memorable and exciting as there are some impressive innovations coming through our market.”
“Our vision had been to concisely capture the ‘inside/outside’ elements of a residence within the overall architecture of the booth’s design, but still incorporate an active product and technique demo of our new EnerEdge warm edge spacer from Tremco, “ said Kevin Zuege. “The split design and the graphic execution by Lindsey Stefan and our our partners at Downing Displays enabled us to accomplish that vision. We were really surprised and very much appreciative of the booth’s recognition and our warm welcome within the Windoor exhibition.”
TREMCO RECOGNIZED FOR INTERACTION AND ENTHUSIASM
MAKING ROOM FOR MILLENNIALS
Fenestration Canada president Skip Maclean sees the window and door industry in Canada as healthy overall, but facing change on a number of fronts. The weakened oil-based economies in the West will present challenges there, while cheaper inputs and more competitve exports are already fuelling growth in Ontario and
Quebec. The need for information on shifting codes and standards –especially around energy efficiency – still drives a lot of Fenestration Canada’s mission. But Maclean sees a deeper shift as the Baby Boomer generation continues to exit the fenestration business and the next generation takes over. Millennials are bringing a new set of priorities
FENESTRATION CANADA PRESIDENT, SKIP MACLEAN OF TRUTECH DOORS, SAT DOWN WITH FENESTRATION REVIEW EDITOR, PAT FLANNERY, TO TALK ABOUT THE STATE OF THE INDUSTRY AND DIRECTIONS FOR THE ASSOCIATION IN THE MONTHS AHEAD.
and approaches to the association, and Maclean sees a need for the present leadership to be ready to change along with them. Working smarter with a better life/work balance is important to the new breed of window and door providers, and the association’s definition of value to membership will have to shift in parallel with this new focus.
FABRICATORS LESS STRESSED ABOUT NAFS
The Fenestration Canada Fabricator’s Council met at Windoor 2015 and committee member Ryan Dudeck of Paramount Windows in Winnipeg says its work has helped members to get a better handle on the North American Fenestration Standard and how to test products to its tough air/water ingress standards. The Fabricator’s Council was conceived as a way for window and door fabricators to have a unified approach in communications with the testing and certification agencies, both when communicating the industry’s concerns and when disseminating information back to Canada’s manufacturers. The Council seems to be working as advertised, Dudeck reports, with fewer fabricators expressing confusion over the standard.
EAST/WEST SEESAW
Scotiabank chief economist, Warren Jestin, opened Windoor on Day Three with a breakfast keynote presentation. Jestin started his comments with a reflection on just how difficult the economic forecasting game is; a year ago, did anyone foresee oil prices below $40 per barrel? The most pessimistic observers thought it might go down to $80. With that caveat out of the way, Jestin proceeded to take a look at the current environment and make some predictions of his own.
Oil prices, he noted, are probably the single biggest economic factor impacting Canada because we continue to be a commodities-driven economy. Energy sector investment, he said, constitutes a stunning 1/3 of all business investment in Canada. With the huge plunge in oil prices, Jestin sees Alberta, Saskatchewan and Newfoundland going into recession, with Ontario and B.C. driving growth in a situation flipped 180 degrees from even two years ago. The rest of Atlantic Canada and Quebec should be, Jestin thinks, fairly steady. As oil prices drop and the Canadian dollar weakens, central Canadian manufacturers become more competitive in the U.S. and save money on production inputs. Jestin predicts two per cent growth in Ontario and two to 2.5 per cent growth in B.C. next year, but only one or 1.25 per cent nationally.
It is good timing for exporters, Jestin notes, as the U.S. is quickly returning to its position as the dominant economy in the world. Two or three years ago, America was running gigantic deficits and recovering from the subprime financial collapse. Investors were fleeing to Europe and to emerging economies in Brazil, Russia, India and China. Today, Europe is in turmoil with the near-collapse of Greece and its other southern economies and the flood of refugees from the Middle East. Three of the four BRIC economies are in recession, and even China’s growth is slowing. Jestin says international investors are now looking at the recovering American consumer who has significantly reduced debt and has a great deal of pent-up demand – 40 per cent of American cars are now over 12 years old. All good news for window and door fabricators trying to sell product south of the border. Jestin sees a possible rise in interest rates over the next year or two, with American rates rising first and ours following. He thinks people tend to overstate the impact of rate changes and an increase of a point or two will not seriously slow spending. Jestin noted that analysts have been calling for a correction in housing prices in Canada for years and that it never seems to materialize. He doubts a small mortgage rate move would trigger the price collapse many observers fear.
ON THE FLOOR
CRYSTAL NOW AVAILABLE THROUGH EVERLAST
8everlast.biz
Everlast announced at Windoor 2015 that it now offers aluminum residential window and door systems from Crystal Window and Door Systems. On display was the Crystal Series 2000A aluminum double hung tilt window with a 3 1/4-inch frame depth and 7/8inch IGU. Rated for AAMA H-C60/ CW-PG50, the Series 2000A is available with durable, environmentally friendly powder coat paint in standard colours. The windows feature tilting sashes for easy cleaning, a full curved lift handle for easy operation and an anti-drift head clip lock that automatically secures the top sash in the closed position for safety, security and strong weather resistance. Special colour finishes are available, as are patterned glass, casement fins, continuous heads and sills and low-E argon gas fill for added energy efficiency.
INNOVATIVE VENT EXTENSION
8eltonmanufacturing.com
Elton Manufacturing launched its new venting door lite extensions at Windoor, designed for use with its current 2036 and 2236 vents. The extensions vent the middle of the door, offering safety for children and pets and an easy lifting position. No more broken screens from energetic dogs. The extensions feature the same ergonomic handle design with two-piece construction for easy
storage, inventory and handling during installation. The vent latch features a solid design that holds the slider in place when raised. The vent spring is high-quality for longer use without loss of tension.
NEW FIBREGLASS DOOR
8trimlite.com
The new Plaspro fibreglass door available through trimlite comes in 32-, 34- or 36-by-80-inch sizes at 3/4inch thick. It is available as a slab only with a 22-by-15-inch glass option. The design is a three-panel shaker style with a smooth or fir grain and polyurethane fill. Plaspro doors are made in Ohio.
DIRECT-GLAZED ON FRAME
8skyreachls.com
The PD06 Genesis single slider all-vinyl patio door from SkyReach features traditional right-hand (OX) and lefthand (XO) configuration. The reinforced sash and engineered stationary panel make it suitable for high-traffic areas. The PD06 uses a fully welded, 4 5/8inch direct-glazed frame system. Metal reinforcement fortifies the vertical sash and the stationary panel is fixed and glazed into the frame, enhancing the strength and integrity of the system. It includes 2 1/2-inch-wide welded sashes with stiles and rails with an integral
nailing fin and exterior glazing system. The PD06 features an all-vinyl, multichamber profile design for superior insulating properties with full perimeter double-layer weatherstripping for excellent water tightness. The specially formulated, colour-matched sealing material adds durability and colourretention, and the stainless steel track covering ensures long life and smooth operation. Standard sizes are five- or six-foot widths and six feet eight inches high.
FOLD-AWAY INSECT SCREEN
8thedsgroup.com
The Accordion pleated hideaway insect screen by DraftSeal comes in two models: DSF1 for the exterior side of inswing doors and the DSF2 for the interior side of outswing doors. The system can be applied to single or double doors and can be built into the pre-hung door unit and shipped as a complete unit to the job site. The system comes with aluminum or PVC brick mould that enables the screen to entirely fold away from view. The pull bar has a pull tab allowing the user to easily pull the screen across the opening. The screen will not snap back when the pull tab is released. Also available is the DS1 storm sill with a built-in track and nose extension that has been tested to NAFS11 standards for water ingress. The brick mould is available in brown or white. Accordion can be delivered in standard 6 9/16-inch, 7 1/4-inch, or custom sizes. The screen is easily replaced if damaged.
WOOD GRAIN COLOURING SYSTEM
8decoralamerica.com
Decoral introduced its new Horizon UV ink PVC colouring system at Windoor 2015. Available at lower cost than lamination or veneer systems, Horizon can colour PVC for outdoor applications with a 20-year warranty. Setup and colour changes are quick and easy. No glues, volatile chemicals or flammable materials are involved. The Horizon
system saves labour while producing up to 60 feet of coloured profile per minute. Solid colours can also be applied and the UV inks used are 99 per cent reclaimable.
REINFORCED MULL POST
8vi-lux.com
Vi-Lux introduced a number of new components for entrance doors at Windoor 2015. It now offers a single-piece reinforced mull post for added structural strength and security. Also on display was a 5 1/4-inch door frame and a one-by-4 1/2-inch extension for greater flexibility. All products are UV-protected and available in smooth white, woodgrainembossed and Vi-Guard coated finishes. Sizes available are 4 9/16-, 5 1/4-, 6 9/16and 7 1/4-inch.
REALISTIC MAHOGANY
8menniecanada.com
The new three-panel curved fibreglass door from Mennie comes prefinished with a realistic mahogany grain. Available in 32-,34-, and 36-inch sizes at a standard six-foot-eight-inches high, it features an available lite, CFC-free polyurethane fill and a hardwood LVL frame system.
MULTIPOINT FOR LESS
8groupeeugenie.com
The new multipoint manual door machining station by Eugenie, nicknamed “Stephany,” is a lower cost solution for rapidly preparing slabs for multipoint hardware installation. Distributed by JRC
ON THE FLOOR
Machinerie, Stephany can handle doors up to eight feet long and 42 inches wide. It can machine hardware cavities in inside lites, and includes a self-centering feature that compensates for varying door widths, ensuring cavities are always correctly centered on the door profile. Cycle time for a typical vertical multipoint job is approximately 12 minutes including edge preparation and machining. Convenient stations at the end of the Stephany store the routers when not in use. Stephany is made in Terrebonne, Que., by Eugenie.
CONTEMPORARY COMMERCIAL HARDWARE
8amesburytruth.com
AmesburyTruth introduced a new line of commercial-grade hardware for casement and awning windows called Contour, including locks, hinges and operators. Designed for contemporary esthetics with softened edges, Contour features a longer handle that meets ADA requirements. The increased travel includes up to five lock points on casement sashes ranging up to 102 inches tall. Load carrying capacity is 100 pounds per hinge and comes standard with a removable pivot to simplify installation. The operator has increased load capacity and 22 per cent more operating leverage for easy operation. All three Contour products have an integrated gasket to maximize weather resistance around each hardware location.
NON-DISTORTING FOAM
8supercore@mcnskc.us
Supercore window fill foam from MCNS is a two-component, low-odor, polyurethane foam that achieves good flow without distorting vinyl profiles. Supercore is verified by NFRC to improve window insulation values with no need to switch between different systems for different applications. Supercore can also improve the bending process by minimizing scrap and reducing production time.
BETTER MOUNTING TAPE
8protac.ca
AFDC produces a mounting tape distributed by Protac Industries that is designed to solve the problem of dark PVC window rails de-adhering due to heat. Retaining adhesion in up to 160 C temperatures, this structural mounting tape has higher peel and shear strength than other mounting tapes. The tape is formulated with an emulsion of acrylic that moves with heat, allowing window components to shift with thermal growth without breaking adhesion. It requires only an isoalcohol primer and comes in a variety of thicknesses from 0.16 to 2.3 mm.
