Glazing Executives Forum: Improving Labor Productivity

A few weeks ago during one of our Glass Management Institute sessions, we were talking about cost management as part of our Financial Management module. Our instructor, Pepe Charles, was talking about the idea of managing costs and pointed out labor as the highest variable, noting that managing that cost was the key to profit. Lots of ears perked up.

It's not uncommon during GMI that as the instructor works through his presentation, students use the chat function to exchanges questions, thoughts, and ideas. As Pepe raised this point, lots of people chimed in that this was a major issue in their company. It seems that there's no easy way to forecast and manage your labor costs. Someone even asked "Does anyone out there have some tips for doing this?" Silence.

That made me think we had a solid topic on our hands for this year's Glazing Executives Forum (GEF). So the next day I did some searching and found myself looking at the offerings from FMI, a consulting group that specializes in construction-related companies. They offer a program on Improving Labor Productivity. I gave them a call to see if they'd be willing to present on this topic for us in Vegas and thankfully, they agreed.

We've made this the lead session at this year's GEF, and if you're like most businesses in our industry, this is a presentation you'll want to hear. We're even following it up with a breakout discussion group so you can go into more depth and hear the experiences of your fellow glazers. With this, economist Jeff Dietrich, and the chance to network with the best and brightest in the industry, the 5th Annual Glazing Executives Forum needs to be a highlighted event on your calendar. The event takes place September 14 as part of GlassBuild America.

Matt Rumbaugh
Sr. Manager of Education, Training, and Certification
National Glass Association