The most commonly occurring nonconformities found during 2012 validations were:

·         Location didn’t have all the required DOT and/or windshield part number records;

·         Location didn’t have all the required adhesive system traceability records;

·         A technician did not shake the primer as long as required by the manufacturer; and

·         A technician was not available to be validated.

There were also a few nonconformities that occurred at two locations:

·         During the validation, the technician didn’t record the windshield part number and/or DOT number.  (Once this was because the customer supplied the windshield.);

·         A too-short safe-drive-away time was used;

·         The primer was not allowed to cure as long as required by the manufacturer.

A few nonconformities were seen at only one location:

·         Technician didn’t record the time his urethane was placed in the oven as required by his adhesive system manufacturer;

·         Technician didn’t shake his cleaner as required by his adhesive system manufacturer;

·         Technician cutting auto glass did not mark the glass as required;

·         Technician could not point out windshield DOT and AS number to validator;

·         Technician incorrectly responded to a question about installing a windshield with a gasket;

·         Technician did not record adhesive system component traceability information (lot numbers) during the validation;

·         Technician did not respond correctly to question about installing mechanically fastened glass;

·         Technician used products from more than one adhesive system manufacturer during the installation of a single windshield;

·         On the day of the validation, the location refused to let the validator conduct the validation;

·         Technician planned to use expired product;

·         Location did not have the materials to do validation, since the company’s urethane gun broke;

·         Location did not have a vehicle available for the validation, since the vehicle scheduled for the validation had to be sent to a body shop; and

·         Technician recorded the lot number for a different batch of material than the batch he used.

When one or more nonconformities, such as the ones described above, are found during a validation, the location is allowed approximately six weeks to make corrections. The validators then verify that the location has corrected the issue(s).  If so, the location is issued a Compliance After Corrective Action report to demonstrate their accomplishment.  The AGSC’s goal is to help all locations become compliant to the AGRSS standard.

The AGSC is sharing these improvement opportunities with all AGSC-Registered Companies as part of its overall strategy for improvement of all locations.  In this way, all locations can determine for themselves whether improvement can be made within their own organizations.  Orion is proud to be part of this continual improvement process and to help improve safety on America’s roads.

Hyundai Veloster

Hyundai Motor Corp. has added 6,071 cars to its sunroof recall affecting 2012 Veloster models. The newly added vehicles, manufactured between July 4, 2011, and October 31, 2011, bring the total number of recalled vehicles to approximately 19,600 in the U.S. and Puerto Rico.

The recall, issued through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), was initially announced in December, affecting Velosters manufactured between November 1, 2011, and April 17, 2012. The addition to the recall expands the timeframe in which the panoramic sunroofs “may have been weakened during installation at the factory” according to the recall notice.

In December, an estimated 13,500 vehicles in the U.S. and Puerto Rico were recalled for the defect. In an exclusive interview with glassBYTEs.com™/AGRR™ magazine following the initial recall announcement, Jim Trainor, product public relations senior group manager for Hyundai Motor America, said the defect had been determined to have occurred during the installation process.

“There was an intermittent malfunction with the assembly and loading robot and occasionally there was contact with the robot loading arm and the sunroof glass,” said Trainor. “That contact in some cases caused damage to the glass which is what lead to the fracture of that glass in the field.”

Trainor said Hankuk Sekurit manufactured the sunroofs.

NHTSA opened an investigation into the sunroofs this past October after receiving numerous complaints from consumers stating the vehicle sunroof had spontaneously exploded.

According to the newly issued recall, Hyundai will begin notifying consumers by letter this month.

To obtain the AGSC-registered logo, email kbimber@agsc.org. A signature agreeing to the logo usage policy will be required before it will be sent to your company.

The Auto Glass Safety Council™ (AGSC) now has new Registered-Company, member and Certified Technician logos to coincide with its new name. With these, the Council also has instated a new logo usage policy for Registered Companies to follow.

The policy, available online here, specifies that only Registered Companies in good standing may use the Registered Company Mark, and, immediately upon termination of Registration, this right ceases.

In addition, the Council specifies that the logo and any references to it or a company’s registered status “shall not be used in any manner or in any media in such a way that the integrity of the ANSI/AGRSS® Standard could be compromised.”

The logo also cannot be used in a misleading way, and, on occasion, the Council will review Registered Companies’ marketing materials for proper usage of the mark and references to Registration.

The logo can be used on apparel worn by Registered Companies’ employees, but, if an employee leaves the Registered Company and goes to work for a non-Registered Company, he will cease using the mark, according to the new policy.

In order to use any of the logos, a company must not only meet the terms of the logo useage policy, but also must agree to abide by the policy on a signed form, provided by the AGSC.

To obtain a logo for use and to receive the appropriate form for signature, please email kbimber@agsc.org.

Kurtis Ming

A recent expose by a Sacramento reporter has raised a discussion in the industry: who’s tracking faulty windshield installations? Reporter Kurtis Ming of CBS-Sacramento found a simple answer to the question: no one.

His recent report on the topic estimates that 70 to 85 percent of aftermarket windshield replacements are not done properly, and a survey of first responders in the report suggests the majority of first responders have seen instances when a windshield has popped out in the event of an accident.

“… But there’s no box to check on the accident reports,” says Ming. “There’s a section for seatbags, airbags, but nothing for the status of the windshields.”

The report includes an interview with a California police officer. “We’ve never been approached for that,” he says.

When it comes to the possibility of adding this to the state’s forms, he says, “It’s not difficult if it has a real[ly] good safety cause to it.”

A state senator, Jerry Hill, has joined the cause, and says he supports tracking this important safety mechanism. He’s also pushing for the state to require auto glass installer training and certification in the state. “I think that will go a long way in creating integrity in the industry,” says Hill in the report.

Kathy Bimber

The Auto Glass Safety Council™ (AGSC) has hired Kathy Bimber to serve as director of operations. Bimber will work alongside Vincent LaMarco, who serves as the manager of AGSC’s technician certification program.

She brings years of administrative work in several different fields to the position. Early in her career, Bimber worked as the assistant director of financial aid at Trinity International University in Deerfield, Ill. Later on she worked for a financial services company and then a medical supply company before returning to the world of academia, with a position in student development at Wheaton College in Wheaton, Ill.

Through this, Bimber has been able to give back to her community in different ways as well, having served as a volunteer with many not-for-profit organizations on the administration level as well as serving on various committees within those organizations.

Bimber is no stranger to the auto glass industry, having worked at various trade shows over the years, including the recent Auto Glass Week™ event in Louisville, Ky., in September 2012.

“I am excited about this new opportunity with the Auto Glass Safety Council, and I look forward to working with the AGSC-Registered Companies and their technicians,” says Bimber.

“With the name change we needed to update these pieces anyway so we started with the ‘Safety Signs’ brochure last summer and that project expanded in to a review of the remaining brochures,” says marketing chair Nik Frye.

At that time, the committee decided to consolidate the used glass, corrosion and safe drive-away time brochures into a single, easy-to-read document, according to Frye.

“This will provide one marketing tool that members can use to communicate these critical topics to customers in a simple, two-sided brochure,” he says. “In addition we have updated the validation brochure and are also creating a script members can use to help them easily explain the benefits of the AGSC registration to their customers. We are finalizing these documents now and once approved by the Board we look forward to making them available to members as soon as possible.”

The marketing committee also recently gained a new member, Jon Fransway, a Minnesota-based insurance agent who learned the importance of proper windshield installations first-hand when he lost his sister, Jeanne, in an accident in 1999.

“We are always looking for new ideas and better ways to promote the AGSC mission and there is no one better at that than Jon Fransway,” says Frye. “In addition to being a Carl Tompkins Award recipient for the great work he has done for our cause, Jon has always been ready to help us in the past with projects ranging from the validation video we produced in 2010, supporting consumer awareness programs, appearing on investigative news reports around the country and providing input on other projects. When I asked Jon to join the committee he readily accepted and his participation is already making a difference. We greatly appreciate Jon’s commitment to safety and everyone on the committee looks forward to working with Jon.”

Looking ahead, Frye has high hopes for the committee’s work.

“The AGSC continues to find new ways to spread our message to consumers and the insurance and fleet industries,” says Frye. “The member script we are developing is a tool members can use to explain to their customers why using an AGSC-Registered company is important to their safety. By making sure every customer learns about the AGSC mission we help spread our message and help promote our cause.”

Social media also is among the areas the group hopes to increase its work in this year.

“We also continue to look at increased utilization of social media to spread our message and will put more effort into that in 2013,” says Frye. “We are always open to any ideas our members have on ways to better promote our organization and encourage them to share any ideas they have with the committee.”

Be sure to like the Auto Glass Safety Council on Facebook, follow it on Twitter at @AutoGlassSafety and connect with the Council on LinkedIn.

The Auto Glass Safety Council™ (AGSC) has two new board members, elected during the board’s recent meeting in San Diego.

Keith Beveridge of Novus Inc. and Mike Schenian of City Auto Glass, both in Minneapolis, were each elected to three-year terms.Beveridge has been with Novus Inc. for the last 16 years and currently serves as senior vice president of the company. In addition, he has experience with Dow Automotive and Pilkington North America, and has been in the industry for more than 25 years.

Schenian has served the role of president of City Auto Glass since 1986, when he took over for his father, Dale Schenian, who retired at that time.

“We are thrilled to have both Keith and Mike joining the board,” says AGSC president Debra Levy. “They each bring deep knowledge of the industry, many years of experience and a strong commitment to safety to their new roles.”

Captain Richard Phillips served as a keynote speaker for Auto Glass Week.

Auto Glass Week 2012 in Louisville, Ky., provided attendees with an array of educational opportunities and concrete tips on running their businesses more effectively. The event was held September 20 and was cosponsored by the Auto Glass Safety Council (AGSC).Meeting Expectations

Among these educational sessions, Chris Umble, vice president of strategic initiatives for LYNX Services, rolled out a number of strategies for addressing the common business of customer service during a session titled “Meeting the Expectations of Insurance Customers and Consumers.”

“Customer service, at the end of the day, is the thing we all have in common as we go about our duties in the auto glass ecosystem,” Umble said. What’s more, he added, “At the end of the day, customer service says everything about the business.”

He defined “excellent” customer service as “the ability of an organization to constantly and consistently exceed the customer’s expectations.”

As Umble elaborated, “You can only meet expectations if you give the customer what they ask for. You can only exceed expectations if you give them something more …If you wait until they ask you for the ‘next generation’ [product], where did they get that idea? Maybe from your competitors.”

Legal Ease

Attorney Chuck Lloyd and Debra Nelson of Livgard & Lloyd provided an hour’s worth of business and legal tips sure to help auto glass businesses protect themselves.

Tips included:

• Putting financial controls in place no matter how trustworthy you think your employees are,” Nelson said. Even the best of employees sometimes make bad decisions, she said;
• Exploring Google, from free listings on Google Places to Google Plus business pages, to Google scholar’s option for searching patents and legal documents. “It’s amazing what’s out there for free,” Lloyd pointed out; and
• Collecting what you are owed, Lloyd stressed. “If you have a short-pay problem, you have to first admit that you have a problem,” he said.

Lloyd asked the audience how many times they’ve been told the customer has full glass coverage, only to find out that’s not true. You need to document your calls in some way because it’s the person who made the mistake – not you – who bears the responsibility, he advised.

Nelson suggested partnering with local police or fire department for a day of carseat safety, advertising that service and also getting out your name and positioning yourself as a community leader. “You want to make time for marketing, every single day,” Nelson said, adding, “It can be so much simpler than we think.” She suggested finding ways to make business and life intersect, like sponsoring a local baseball team or donating to a yearbook. On top of that, you want to be creative in your marketing to stay memorable.

“Make sure you have a written warranty for your work,” Lloyd said. “I’m saying ‘stand behind your work but make sure you have a written warranty that says exactly what that means.’”

Lessons for Leadership

Keynote speaker Captain Richard Phillips shared his remarkable story and lessons for strong leadership as the keynote speaker. In April 2009, the world watched and wondered at the ship captain who offered himself as a hostage to Somali pirates in order to protect the lives of his 20 crewmembers.

He began by highlighting to his rapt audience three key points he’d learned over the course of 33 years sailing, 23 years as a captain:

• You are much stronger than even you know;

• The only time that all is lost is when you chose to give up; and

• A dedicated professional team can overcome any obstacle.

He began with a lesson to which any auto glass business owner could relate, the importance of the adage: “Hope for the best, but plan for the worst.”

Phillips said he always told his crew he expected it would at some point be attacked by pirates, but felt they could handle it if they were prepared. To improve that preparation, he went over the required quarterly security reports, springing a surprise drill on that voyage’s crew. They found problems that they discussed, and then generated new safety ideas as well. “There was some grumbling about the drill … but a few days later the crew was very glad we took some time to prepare for the worst,” he recalled.

That was when, on calm seas, a small ship with four armed pirates caught up to the ship, despite evasive maneuvers, and boarded Phillips’ ship.

At that moment, he and the crew knew they were responsible for getting themselves safely out of this situation. “At sea, you don’t get to pass the buck,” Phillips said. “At sea, you get to learn firsthand how strong you are.”

From the start, he guessed that the pirates weren’t as practiced in their task as his crew because his crew performed their safety procedures nearly flawlessly while the pirates lost their ladder and sank their boat in boarding.

That practice also meant that the crew stayed in the safe room when the captain was ordered to call them to the deck, because they didn’t hear the safe word.

Ultimately, Phillips said, he knew the “best way to protect my crew, my ship and my cargo – and myself – was to get the pirates off my ship.”

Phillips recounted the harrowing account of being held as hostage on a lifeboat with the four pirates, not expecting rescue but staying focused on keeping hope, and remaining the pirates’ “adversary rather than a passenger,” never becoming simply a hostage. As the pirates played mind games and withheld water, he remembered, “I don’t think anyone solved their crises at sea by being panicked.”

After four days as a hostage, Phillips was rescued by U. S. Navy SEALs, whom he called the real heroes of the story.

He summarized his tale by sharing with his audience, “The one simple reason I’m here today … a dedicated team of professionals who did what it took.”

The Real Truth

Garrison Wynn, author of The Real Truth About Success, also spoke and provided suggestions for how different generations can work better together.

Wynn, who at age 27 was the youngest department head in a Fortune 500 company, knows just how challenging it can be for people of different generations to communicate their ideas and values productively to one another.

Wynn explained that top-performing CEOs don’t say “wrong,” they say “I don’t agree with you but I’m willing to listen.” A request for information can be the start of trust building, a key for effective leadership.

As Wynn explained, employees under 30 have been made to feel “heard” their entire lives—by schools, parents and friends—making it more important for this generation over others to feel that their ideas are being received.

“The pure power of making people feel heard,” Wynn said, is part of why some employees will stay with the same company, the same products, the same industry, despite tangible results.

Wynn also touched on some of the skills that employees under 30 bring to the table. “People under 30 have a gift for reading your sincerity extremely well,” he said, making it very important to communicated honestly to these employees. In addition, they believe that are multiple solutions for a single problem. The minute these youths hear “there’s just one way” everybody under 30 stops listening. Finally, there is a desire for prestige. “Can you make your young people who work for you look good in front of a customer, in front of each other? Can you explain something so clear and easy they can turn around and explain that to a customer?” Wynn asked.

Next year’s Auto Glass Week is scheduled for September 18-20 in Tampa, Fla.

CBS13 Reporter Kurtis Ming

The importance of proper auto glass installations and the Auto Glass Safety Council™ (AGSC) have attracted a great deal of media attention in recent months, with features on a number of news and television programs.One of the most notable reports was done by Sacramento, Calif.-based reporter Kurtis Ming of the city’s CBS13. Ming had received complaints from some viewers about shoddy work being done by a local auto glass company and sought to explore the issue.

“I was surprised to know anyone can be an installer,” says Ming. “In California, you must be registered with the state’s Bureau of Automotive Repair. I could cut the state a check today, fill out a few forms and then someone could legally hire me to install a critical part of their car. I’m not sure a customer would ever realize that.”

Ming also reviewed several reports filed with the Better Business Bureau about one company, Mike’s Mobile Glass.

“I read all of the complaints and saw a pattern. We decided we wanted to see first-hand the type of work this company was doing,” says Ming. “I reached out to [AGSC president] Deb Levy to see if she knew of anyone personally impacted from a faulty installation, which put us in touch with Jon Fransway. It’s important to put a face to any important story. Unfortunately, it was the face of Jeanne Fransway who lost her life. We then worked with Deb to find experts who could review our tape and point out the concerns if any, they had with the installation. [AGSC standards committee chair] Bob Beranek drove nine hours roundtrip to our affiliate in Minneapolis to help analyze our video and share his expertise.”

The station ultimately ran a report about the issue both in Sacramento and on Minnesota’s WCCO. The reports included an interview with Beranek, along with an undercover glimpse into Mike’s Mobile Glass’ work, an interview with Jon Fransway. In addition, the Sacramento report also featured Dan Povey, an investigator from the California Bureau of Automotive Repair, who briefed CBS13 as well as viewers, about what poorly replaced windshields can look like.

Ming, who led the investigative report, says he was stunned to find out that there are no records or agency that is keeping track of how vehicle deaths are the cause of a poorly installed windshield.

“I was also surprised to see state video that showed a windshield pop out four days after installation, just by slamming the door shut,” says Ming. “I was disappointed to know it’s next to impossible to know the scope of the problem. We reached out to our first responders who say there is no special box to mark on their reports when it comes to whether the windshield came detached from the vehicle in an accident. I’d like to know how many people have died or been injured from faulty installations. I haven’t learned of one agency in this country that can tell you.”

AGSC president Debra Levy was interviewed for a recent CBS report about the importance of proper windshield installations.

Just a few months after Ming’s report aired, Louisville’s Channel 11 Great Day Live featured an interview with Auto Glass Safety Council vice president David Rohlfing, along with a proper installation demonstration by Jamie Browning, the 2009 winner of the Auto Glass Technician Olympics. Holly Biller, vice president of media services for Key Communications Inc., publisher of AGRR magazine, also was included for her role as master of ceremonies for the recent Auto Glass Week event. The segment took the viewer partially through a windshield replacement following the Auto Glass Safety Council’s AGRSS® Standard and also featured the Auto Glass Technician Olympics—a competition based on the AGRSS Standard.In November, a CBS station in New York—CBS 2—also aired an investigative report about improper windshield installations detailing issues consumers need to watch out for when getting a windshield replaced. The story also focused on the death of Jeanne Fransway.Levy was also interviewed as part of the report.

Among topics discussed is the fact that the Council has moved from a few selected audits of random companies to audits of all companies. As a result of this, one company has, in fact, had its AGSC accreditation removed, indicating that this auditing move is better upholding technicians to the best industry practices.

Council members also commented on some of the changes planned for the year ahead. In 2013 the board hopes to roll out an additional segment for retailers, a marketing component to that will help retailers to fully realize the benefits of AGSC accreditation. In addition, it was announced that the AGSC board has voted to begin issuing continuing education units (CEU) credits to AGRSS-Certified technicians. Installers who have been certified will be able to keep that certification alive not only by taking another test, but also keeping up with those CEUs.