Happy New Year—and Big News from Detroit

2011 has come and gone, and here we are embarking on a New Year. I actually am seeing some optimism in the industry, and hope you are as well. Hopefully you read our recent industry outlook in which industry officials shared their thoughts on 2012 and what may happen to the auto glass industry in the year ahead.

I usually spend my lunchtime reading the news (go figure, huh?) and today a pretty exciting headline caught my eye immediately: Detroit Automakers are (Finally!) Making Profits. According to CNN, this is the first time the Big Three have seen profits since 2004—eight long years ago.

I am hopeful that those who made their predictions just a few short weeks ago for our glassBYTEs.com™ report might be even more optimistic now—as I certainly am.

I saw this headline shortly after I read an optimistic email from Guardian Industries’ Earnest Thompson, informing us of a visit to the company’s manufacturing plant this week by a Michigan Congressman. (You can read all about that visit and the topics discussed here.)

But, despite the major headlines, I’d like to know what you’re seeing in your market—is business up? Do you predict a rebound this year? Do you think more and more drivers will be hitting the roads again—especially with gas prices getting slightly more stable? (I always am hesitant to say that; the current $3.13 per gallon (unleaded) in our area certainly is not a deal, but is down from last year.)

Also, there’s been quite a bit of discussion on our forum about the effective date of the Allstate move to Safelite—which occurred on January 3; Safelite spokesperson Melina Metzger tells glassBYTEs.com™/AGRR™ magazine the transition is expected to be complete by the end of the week, and that shops “will not experience significant process changes when working on Allstate claims.”

What are you seeing in your area? Any major changes since the switch? Please email me your thoughts on this and the year ahead at pstacey@glass.com.

Happy New Year!

P.S. I received some nice comments on the holiday video I posted in my last blog—so here’s another; a personal favorite as we enter the New Year. This time, enjoy some Barry Manilow as we welcome 2012!