The National Windshield Repair Association (NWRA) recently held a series of meetings in Reno, Nev., prior to the opening of Auto Glass Week™.
Among these was an exploratory meeting to determine the interest in developing a standard to identify windshield quality. Though there was quite a bit of discussion about scope and purpose, the group agreed to flesh them out further before deciding to form the committee and create such a standard.
Another NWRA committee, the ANSI Break Identification Standard Committee, also met. It has been working on an ANSI standard, which will be known as ANSI/NWRA/BIS 001-2015, for quite some time. The goal of the new standard will be to develop a system to classify the type and location of breakages in windshields and automotive glass.
“We are developing a simple grid system to identify where breaks are. It will incorporate sunroofs and sidelites and even backlites, in the event there is a laminated back glass,” said NWRA president Jeff Reddell.
The committee also discussed how to deal with multiple breaks on a windshield, as well as how to classify certain types of damage.
The main topic of conversation for the Repair of Laminated Auto Glass Standard (ROLAGS™) Committee was resin testing protocols.
“For small manufacturers, there is a real cost to testing,” noted Troy Mason of TechnaGlass.
Offering a European perspective, new member Patrick Collignon, director of WIZZIQ, added, “Everybody can go and say to insurance companies these are the tests … these are legal … the criteria is legal. It is done by third parties and that is recognized in by the industry. There is full credibility. No insurers can give more value to one company’s resin other another.”
Committee chair Keith Beveridge of Novus said there will be further exploration of testing and other changes to the Standard in the future.
