National Windshield Repair Association and Auto Glass Safety Council to Consolidate

The National Windshield Repair Association (NWRA) and the Auto Glass Safety Council™
(AGSC) will consolidate into one group, effective January 1, 2019. Though technically not a merger, NWRA will dissolve and its membership, standards and work products will be welcomed into the newly formed Windshield Repair Division of the Council.

“We are delighted to be able to bring the memberships of both organizations together,” said Troy Mason, NWRA president and a member of the boards of directors of both organizations. “We found that there was a significant overlap in services and a redundancy to some of the things both organizations were doing. Speaking as one stronger voice also helps all of us.”

“A good third of our memberships overlapped already,” says AGSC vice president Jean Pero. “We are thrilled to have the entire auto glass industry under one umbrella. It will enhance the services we can provide as well as our clout.”

Mason addressed those who are “repair-only” members and do not do replacement.

“There will be a place for all our members in the new organization. The formation of the Windshield Repair Division will allow all members, including those who do repair only, to have a voice,” Mason said. He added that the ROLAGS and other standards will become part of the new organization as well.

Both memberships will receive more detailed news about the consolidation in the near future.

Windshield Patent May Change Repair

Four Mexican inventors are attempting to change the direction of automotive windshield breaks. The team, with Ford global technologies in Michigan, has worked on a way to create a defined break for laminated windshields that directs a break outward. They filed for a patent in July 2016, and were granted a patent in June of this year.

Their design incorporates a break line with an outward path; the main goal is to provide a way out of the vehicle from the inside in the event of an emergency. As the break line is directed outward, it resists breaking inward, according to the patent, which then allows it to provide higher levels of protection to vehicle occupants.

“While laminated glass provides a number of significant safety benefits, it should be appreciated that it can make it very difficult to escape from the interior of a motor vehicle when the doors of the vehicle have been rendered inoperable. …[our] laminated windshield incorporates a break line engineered to break outward toward the outer glass layer thereby allowing one to actually break the laminated windshield in order to provide an emergency escape route from the motor vehicle,” according to an excerpt from the patent.

Novus Glass Adds New Franchisees

Novus Glass has new franchisees in Nebraska, DJ & Becky Dannar. The Dannars are the new owners of the Southwest Nebraska franchise, formally run for the past 25 years by the Ross family.

“We want to continue the same great service that has been provided to these customers, as well as make relationships with new customers,” DJ Dannar says.

The Dannars have extensive experience in providing quality customer service. “We love that Novus allows us to be involved and interact with customers from all the communities in the area,” Becky Dannar says.

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