Thomsen steps down, Baird to lead Guardian flat glass Kevin Baird has been named president of the Global Flat Glass Group for Guardian Industries Corp., and will assume full P&L responsibility of this business. Baird replaces scott thomsen, who has resigned for health reasons. Most recently, Baird has been president and Ceo of sRG Global, a Guardian company. SRG Global is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of chrome plated plastic parts for the automotive, commercial truck and household appliance industries. Since joining the company in 2008, Baird created a world-class leadership team and strengthened and expanded sRG Global’s manufacturing position in major world markets including North America, Western and Central Europe and China. “this will be a seamless transition for our customers and Guardian,” said Ron Vaupel, Ceo of Guardian Industries. “Kevin brings to our Flat Glass Group a proven record that parallels our objective to create long-term value with a strong focus on innovation. He will be supported by a seasoned global leadership team ready to reinforce this vision. Our customers can be assured of Guardian’s continued commitment to their success.” Dave Prater, sRG vice-president of engineering, commercial and program management, will move into the position of president and Ceo of sRG Global. Thomsen joined Guardian at its science and technology Center in 1999 and was responsible for directing research and development initiatives while playing a vital role in bringing innovative products to market. Before being named Global Flat Glass president in 2011, he was group vice-president of North American Flat Glass operations, and chief technology officer. “scott’s vision, leadership and boundless energy have helped transform Guardian into an industry leader in product research and innovation,” said Vaupel. “he was instrumental in the development of our science and technology Center and went on to lead North America and then Global Flat Glass with an unrivaled passion and dedication to our customers, this company and its people.” According to Vaupel, thomsen continues to work with Guardian on critical initiatives on a consultancy basis, adding, “We all stand behind scott’s decision and are excited that he will support Guardian moving forward.” PPG to sponsor P/A Awards PPG Industries will sponsor the 61st annual Progressive Architecture Awards (P/A Awards) ceremony, Feb. 20 at the Modern at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. The P/A Awards, initiated in 1954 by the editors of Progressive Architecture magazine and now sponsored by hanley-Wood, publishers of ARCHITECT magazine, are among the industry’s most prestigious juried awards. Their purpose is to recognize building projects that challenge the boundaries of convention and promote overall design excellence and innovation. Last year, 10 projects earned P/A Awards, including five in the U.s. and one each in Canada, France, Germany, Mexico and the Netherlands. As part of the event, PPG will recognize the 65th anniversary of Philip Johnson’s iconic Glass house in New Canaan, Conn., which was constructed in 1949 with ultra-clear, low-iron glass by PPG and later refurbished with starphire ultra-clear glass by PPG. Johnson and his partner, John Burgee, were the architects of record for PPG Place, a six-building complex in Pittsburgh that includes one PPG Place, the 40-story, neogothic, glass-spired tower that houses PPG’s global headquarters. Glaston’s Machines division reorganizes Juha Liettyä, member of Glaston’s executive management group, has been appointed senior vice-president of its Machines division. Juha Liettyä is currently head for the Machines division’s heat treatment product line. Juha Liettyä joined Glaston in 1986 and has been a member of the executive management group since 2007. The appointment is part of the streamlining of decision making in the Machines division and a new senior vicepresident for the heat treatment product line will not be appointed. Senior vice-president of pre-processing and tools, Roberto Quintero, returns from Italy to Finland for personal reasons at the end of 2013. Glaston has transferred the sales and manufacturing of tools from the Machines segment to the services segment, feeling the transfer enables more efficient customer service as the customer’s contact persons and logistic network are the same. The first interim report of 2014 will be prepared in accordance with the new business structure. The Machines segment is divided into two product lines: heat treatment, which comprises manufacturing and sale of glass tempering, bending and laminating machines, and pre-processing, which now comprises manufacturing and sale of glass preprocessing machines. The services segment now includes maintenance and service of glass processing machines and the sale of spare parts and upgrades as well as the sale and manufacturing of tools. Intertek acquires ATI Intertek Group has acquired Architectural testing Inc., one of the largest building products testing and certification companies in North America. Intertek purchased the company from private equity firm Wafra Partners and the management shareholders for a total cash consideration of Us$95 million. Headquartered in York, Penn., AtI was set up in 1975 to verify the performance of residential window systems, but has since expanded into related residential and commercial markets including exterior wall systems and interior finish systems. The company employs 293 highly specialized technicians and engineers across 28 locations in the U.s. AtI says its investment in proprietary equipment and testing methodologies, its strong reputation with the regulatory bodies and manufacturers, combined with the improvement in the construction market in the U.s. provides Intertek with a strong platform for continued growth both domestically and internationally. Where Intertek has already been successful in using its global network to expand its building products offering to new fast-growth overseas markets, it plans to develop AtI’s specialized offering in the same way to manufacturers internationally. Advances in high performance materials used for windows and walls particularly in response to reducing energy use and environmental damage are potential structural growth drivers for this business globally. Intertek also plans to provide its wide range of product testing expertise and comprehensive suite of certification marks to AtI’s established customer base. Wolfhart hauser, Ceo of Intertek said “the industry, our customers and our stakeholders will all benefit from the combination of AtI and Intertek. This is a long term strategic opportunity which allows us to better serve our customers while enabling us to further expand our building products locations outside the U.s. and penetrate high growth areas around the globe.” DuPont sells PVA business to Kuraray Kuraray and duPont have announced a definitive agreement for duPont to sell Glass Laminating solutions/Vinyls (GLs/Vinyls), a part of duPont Packaging and Industrial Polymers, to Kuraray for Us$543 million, plus the value of the inventories. The sale is expected to close during the first half of 2014 pending customary regulatory approvals. Gls/Vinyls is a leading supplier of polyvinyl butyral and ionomer sheets for safety glass, and vinyl acetate monomer and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) products used in a variety of architectural, automotive and industrial applications. Gls/Vinyls delivered full-year 2012 net sales of more than Us$500 million. It has about 600 employees with six manufacturing sites in the U.s., Europe and Asia that serve more than 350 customers worldwide. Keiji Murakami, president of Kuraray’s Vinyl Acetate Company said, “Kuraray was one of the first to successfully industrialize and globally market PVA. As a pioneer of vinyl acetate-related business, Kuraray has a global presence in the business area of PVA resin, PVB resin and film, PVA film that is used for Lcd and detergent unit packing, Evoh (ethylene vinyl alcohol) resin (trademarked as EVAL) used for food packaging and gasoline tanks, and PVA fiber (vinylon) that is used for a substitute of asbestos and a reinforcing material of cement. We will benefit from duPont’s talented global Gls/Vinyls team and their technology, R&d, manufacturing and sales network that has supported it over the years. I am convinced these areas of expertise will allow us to continue to expand our vinyl acetate business going forward,” said Murakami. “GLs/Vinyls will have a good home with Kuraray. That company’s focus on PVA as a central part of its core vinyl acetate business, its strong global market position and its capacity to invest in Gls/Vinyls all make this a good fit,” said William J. harvey, president of duPont Packaging and Industrial Polymers. Kuraray was established in 1926. In 1950, the company achieved a corporate milestone as one of the first in the world to bring polyvinyl alcohol synthetic fiber to market. In subsequent years, Kuraray used its proprietary technology in the area of polymer chemistry and synthetic chemistry to develop resins, chemicals, fibers and textiles and others. Kuraray has overseas subsidiaries in 19 countries and regions outside Japan, as a global specialty chemical company. DuPont has been bringing world-class science and engineering to the global marketplace in the form of innovative products, materials, and services since 1802. The company believes that by collaborating with customers, governments, Ngos, and thought leaders, it can help find solutions to such global challenges as providing enough healthy food for people everywhere, decreasing dependence on fossil fuels, and protecting life and the environment. Jeffery joins Wood’ Wood’s Powr-Grip has announced the addition of a new technical sales representative in its Laurel, Mont., home office. Amy Jeffery comes to Powr-Grip with a strong background in sales and customer service. A Montana native, Amy grew up at the foot of the Absaroka-Beartooth Mountains and graduated from Montana state University–Billings with a degree in math and elementary education. Most recently, Amy was employed in sales management, where she directed the efforts of nearly 700 workers in Eastern Montana and Northeast Wyoming. Top Glass technical seminars set Canada’s new event for the commercial glazing industry, top Glass, has announced its lineup of AIA- and oAA-accredited learning sessions, available free to attendees on May 28 at the International Centre in Mississauga, ont. Three technical sessions will take place over the course of the day-long event, plus a keynote address that will start the day. The top Glass keynote speaker will be announced at a later date. Kicking off the technical sessions will be Paul Chackery of Fenzi North America with is AIA-accredited talk, “trends in adhesives and sealants.” the session will provide an overview of the characteristics insulating glass sealants must provide to ensure longterm thermal performance, structural durability and longevity in insulating glass units. Learning outcomes include identifying the components of an IG unit and discussing how they contribute to the function of the unit as a whole in energy performance and safety glazing applications; identifying and comparing IG sealant types and determining key differences between primary and secondary seals, and assessing the durability and mechanical properties of an IG sealant and selecting an appropriate product for specific applications to ensure thermal performance does not diminish over the life-span of the building. Next up will be “daylighting and thermal controls for the green building specialist,” by John Carpenter, president of Clearstream Architectural Products. Carpenter will discuss architectural glass techniques available to reduce illuminating, heating and cooling costs, referencing case studies illustrating the new hVAC advancements including a look at View’s humber hospital project, the largest dynamic glass installation in North America. Carpenter will also discuss programable electrochromic glas, including glass with dynamic and static visible light control and advanced glass façade developments with media glass. And programmable applications. Finally, Richard Brightling of stella Architectural hardware will wrap up the day’s sessions with “Beyond the hardware: Counting the whole cost of point-supported building envelope design.” In his role as a sales representative architects often ask Brightling about the cost of pointsupported hardware. As it turns out, they are not really interested in the cost of hardware, but rather the cost of the overall job. This includes four key aspects including hardware, glass engineering, primary glass and installation labour. Brightling will provide pricing guidelines for the various types of structural glazing projects which people not familiar with this niche market find useful. He will illustrate the five primary ways to build a structural glass wall and the attendant ballpark costs associated with the various methodologies. Top Glass is made possible by Gold sponsor tremco, silver sponsor Alumicor and association partners, the Canadian Glass Association and the ontario Glass and Metal Association. Graby named CEO of Amesbury and Truth Hardware Tyman, the parent company of both Amesbury and truth hardware, has announced senior management changes as part of the integration of the businesses after the acquisition of truth in July 2013. Jeff Graby, currently president of truth hardware has assumed the role of president and Ceo for the combined Amesbury and truth organizations. Graby joined truth in 2012 and oversaw the divestment of the business from Melrose to tyman. Prior to that he held a number of senior management positions within Interface solutions, RAM Industries and Fes systems. Jonathan Petromelis, currently Ceo of Amesbury, has made the decision to further his career outside of the tyman Group. Following a period of handover he will advise on integration initiatives before leaving the business. In addition, Mike McCann has joined the company to oversee sales activity across both brands as senior vice-president of sales. McCann brings sales and marketing experience from senior roles, most recently with Guardian Industries were he was VP Global sales.