Category: News

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Madico Announces Company Reorganization

Madico Inc. (Madico) recently announced a company reorganization in its window film and specialty solutions segments.

Jeffrey Plummer, an industry veteran with more than 30 years’ experience, has been named the senior vice president and general manager. According to the company, he will lead its global window film division. Plummer will also manage all window film lines including Madico brands, Sunscape®, Safetyshield®, ClearPlex®, and Protekt®. In this role, Plummer will have responsibility for all sales and distribution including Madico’s nine North American service centers located throughout the U.S. and Canada.

John Storms, who has 23 years industry experience, has been promoted to vice president and general manager with P&L responsibility for the company’s specialty solutions business unit. The new division includes specialty film custom solutions for original equipment manufacturers (OEM) in a variety of industries including healthcare, aerospace and transportation.

David Kaliser has been hired into a newly-created position as the marketing and product innovation vice president. Kaliser was most recently Ingersoll Rand’s North America marketing leader for power tools and lifting businesses. In addition, he has more than 12 years’ experience in the window film industry having worked for Llumar in various capacities.

“We expect this company reorganization to turbocharge our product development processes and drive higher levels of innovation putting Madico in the best possible position for future success,” said Shawn Kitchell, Madico CEO. “We’ve had some challenges with the global pandemic, COVID-19, affecting all aspects of our business, but we expect these new strategies to improve our future outlook. During our 117-year history, we built our company on going above and beyond serving our customers, and we will continue to do that.”

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Industry Businesses Make Inc. 5000 Listing

Three film companies have made the Inc. 5000 list. The list looks at the fastest-growing companies in America.

Solar Art saw growth of 124% across three years and came in 3,110th place. The company isn’t a stranger to the list, as it’s placed six times, first appearing in 2012. Graffiti Shield made the listing for the first time and came in 3,133rd place. The company grew by 123%, according to the magazine.

Tint World Automotive Styling Centers (Tint World) made the listing for the sixth time and came in 3,611th place this year. The company was first recognized by Inc. 5000 in 2011.

“Prospective franchise owners recognize the value of investing in Tint World,” said Charles Bonfiglio, Tint World president and CEO. “Despite the events of 2020, we’ve continued to grow and are speaking with people every day that are interested in hearing more about our franchise system. The recognition by Inc. 5000 encourages us in our quest to the best automotive styling solution in the world.”

Companies that make the Inc. 5000 list are ranked according to percentage revenue growth from 2016 to 2019. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2016, must be U.S.-based, privately held, for-profit, and independent–not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies–as of December 31, 2019. The minimum revenue amount required for 2016 is $100,000, while the minimum amount for 2019 is $2 million, according to Inc. 5000.

To view the complete listing, click here.

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SEMA 2020 is Cancelled

The Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show will not be taking place this year. The association made an announcement this afternoon and stated COVID-19 and concerns about unavailable event facilities and services were the cause.

“While both event organizers and industry members have been working tirelessly to deliver an outstanding SEMA Show in November, mounting uncertainty has rendered continuing with the event inadvisable,” a portion of the announcement reads.

The association expects the decision will “bring much needed clarity to an uncertain picture and will help exhibitors, attendees and partners plan accordingly.”

SEMA recently conducted a survey which showed an interest in a possible virtual tradeshow with related live elements. The association stated it will be working with industry members to determine interest levels on specific alternatives.

“The SEMA Show is committed to furthering businesses in the automotive specialty equipment market, and to providing manufacturers and buyers with the best opportunity to connect, promote new products and discover new trends,” said Chris Kersting, SEMA president and CEO. “We appreciate the spirit, hard work and innovation our industry puts into the SEMA Show each year. While we are disappointed circumstances prevent us from hosting the Show in November, we look forward to getting everyone together in 2021 for another outstanding event.”

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OSHA Tips for Working in Extreme Temperatures

With temperatures soaring across the U.S., the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) reminds companies to protect workers during heat exposure, both indoors and out. In the window film industry, tinters are busy doing installations, and in window film plants they often deal with hot and muggy conditions.

Millions of U.S. workers are exposed to heat in their workplaces, says OSHA. Although illness from exposure to heat is preventable, every year, thousands become sick from occupational heat exposure, and some cases are fatal.

According to Elizabeth Dillion, Maxpro Manufacturing sales and marketing executive vice president, the company’s customers and installers alike mostly talk about drinking lots of water and getting plenty of rest at night.

Eastman’s Technical Services Team suggested tips for window film installers working in rising temperatures. Their tips include:

  • Having climate control in tint bays creates a more productive environment and allows installers to work in comfort. Portable floor units are affordable and easy to install. Dropping the temp in the bay by 10 degrees can make all the difference in installation outcome as well as team morale.
  • If your shop does not have A/C, consider running the car A/C while doing the back window to get some relief.
  • Wear comfortable, but professional looking clothing. Running shoes, shorts and branded dri-fit shirts will help to keep you cool and allow mobility as you climb in and out of the vehicle.
  • Cooling towels are reasonably priced and can make a huge difference.
  • If there is no fridge in the shop, keep a cooler full of ice for drinks or refreshing cooling towels.
  • Keep customers’ cars in the shade if possible so they are somewhat cooled off before pulling them in for work.
  • Drink a lot of water or Gatorade to help replenish. Limit energy drinks and sodas that can be dehydrating.
  • Take breaks when you feel over-heated and cool off in the showroom.

Additional safety tips include:

  • Holding a knife with sweaty hands can be dangerous. Use extra caution and dry your hands frequently if working in a hot bay.
  • Be careful of liners falling on the floor, which become very slippery and can create tripping hazards.
  • Also be cautious of extension cords. Sometimes installers let their heat guns lay on the cords therefore burning them and causing electrical shorts that can cause shocking.

Occupational risk factors for heat illness include heavy physical activity, warm or hot environmental conditions, lack of acclimatization, and wearing clothing that holds in body heat, according to OSHA.

Hazardous heat exposure can occur indoors or outdoors, and can occur during any season if the conditions are right, not only during heat waves, OSHA warns. Following are some tips on protecting against the heat.

For additional guidance on how to protect you and your employees from heat stress, click here.

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Customer Reviews and the Associated Challenges

Every film business knows the importance of having positive customer reviews, but some are finding it difficult to get feedback at all.

“I think we’re so used to the old ways of reviews. Traditionally people who have negative experiences tend to leave them on Google,” said Chandler Goodman, center manager of Alta Mere, located in Oklahoma City, Okla.

“We have had people that leave bad Google reviews just because,” said Les Helton, owner of Performance Window Tinting, located in Carrollton, Ga.

A few weeks ago a potential customer left a negative review of Helton’s window film business. The customer stated it only operates by appointment, which according to Helton is true, and that it is not available or open on the weekends, which Helton said is not true.

“One guy left a bad review and said we don’t work on the weekends. That was false because we’re open every Saturday and he didn’t give us the respect to even talk to us,” said Helton. “I never even talked to the guy, I think he may have gotten a recording at the shop that said we’re with a customer and please call us back to make an appointment, and he decided to leave the review saying we weren’t able to service him.”

Helton thinks these types of negative reviews are unfair to industry businesses because they weren’t able to speak to the potential customer. “That’s the bad thing about having advanced phones – people can hide behind them and it takes three seconds to leave a bad review of a company, and you don’t even know the customer or in some cases you haven’t even talked to them and it’s unfair to us in the business, because you can’t please everyone,” Helton added.

Pleasing Customers

Although it’s impossible to please every customer, the Goodman’s have used a system that has been successful for the past three years.

“We started using a new software shop number through the computer system,” Goodman explains.

The software, according to Goodman, sends a text message to the customer after their installation and reminds them to leave a review. Alta Mere has been using this software to “follow up” with their customers for the past three years.

“The texts give the customer the initiative to leave the review. It’s also a good option because it allows them to ask any follow up questions regarding their installation,” said Goodman. “This number is connected to our business, so our customers have direct access to me and my dad at all times.”

Discounts

Some window film business owners say they have had success in offering discounts as an incentive for their customers to leave reviews, but others disagree.

“I really don’t think that offering a discount means anything unless it’s worth it for your business,” Goodman said. “It’s tough because you want it to work out for each customer but there are many times when things are out of your control.”

Having and being reviewed is one of, if not the, most important resources the industry has, according to Goodman. He said business have to faith in their work and overall experience.

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