Auto Window & Mirror Replacement Portland ME

If you thought glass installation would be a simple, trouble-free profit center, think again. Properly replacing glass is just as complicated as properly repairing collision damage.

By Tony Passwater
9/1/1998

If we think we have it bad … tough competition, controls by others outside the industry and liability exposure, just look at the glass industry and its world.

Afterward, be happy you're in the collision repair business!

Unfortunately for us, the glass industry is going through what our industry is apparently heading toward. Consolidation will ultimately affect pricing of our services, decrease our repair turn around times and increase competition of convenience.

To think … some time long, long ago, the retail list price for glass was really the retail list price for glass.

If you're thinking about doing your own glass work and you've weighed all the factors, I have two statements for you. If you answer "true" to both, then it probably is a necessary strategy for your future:

1. Your volume of glass work internally and/or externally makes this venture profitable.
2. No one in your area has the proper skills, or they don't provide you quality service.

   Business Decisions
   Taking on glass installation would be no different than any other business venture. You need to have a reliable and competitive wholesale source, a staff with the proper skills and certifications, up-to-date tools and materials, and the time to properly manage the busi...