In light of tragedies occurring in Boston, MA, and West, TX last month in which explosions caused loss of life, injury, and damage to property, Madico’s SafetyShield Premier Partners (MSPP) training event took on additional significance.

Specially-selected partners and customers from around the world gathered at our St. Petersburg manufacturing facility for a tour, and at the Tradewinds Island Beach Resort in St. Pete, April 30 to May 3, for training on Madico’s SafetyShield products. SafetyShield window film and anchoring systems are designed to mitigate damage caused by shattering glass in any disaster, either natural or man-made.

Aside from the coincidental timing of our MSPP training, held subsequent to the Boston Marathon bombing and the Texas fertilizer plant explosion, the tragedies served to underscore the importance of building safety and security, and brought on a heightened interest in glass breakage and mitigation solutions. Tampa Bay-area TV station WFLA aired this news story on the MSPP training event:

(news story video here  http://www.wfla.com/story/22132394/st-pete-company-makes-bomb-blast-resistant-window-film)

No nation in the world is immune to the threat of hurricanes, earthquakes, or a terrorist bombing, and Madico’s guest list for the MSPP training reflected the global nature of the hazards posed by shattering glass. The Premier Partners who joined us in St. Petersburg hailed from Romania, Cameroon, Egypt, Brazil, Dominican Republic, Indonesia, Singapore, and the United States. And counter-terrorism expert Simon Trundle, a frequent consultant to United Kingdom government agencies both before and after terror attacks, was on hand for a Wednesday morning presentation on bomb blast mitigation.

In an age when senseless bombings and natural disasters combine to pose ever-increasing risk to people and property, Madico Window Films is proud to offer the SafetyShield solution as a way to help lessen the damage these events inflict. We thank the SafetyShield Premier Partners for their attendance and their interest in partnering with Madico in the effort to reduce the damage caused by shattering glass.

News coverage of MSPP training

Madico Safetyshield Premier Partner Training 2013

GSA 2013 presented opportunities for governments, security professionals and security product/service suppliers to interact and share information and experiences in order to develop solutions to protect their infrastructure, people and sovereignty against acts of terrorism.  We hosted eight VIP meetings with attendees from the government, military and law enforcement from Singapore, Korea, Malaysia and the Philippines. Madico Window Films exhibited in the USA Pavilion as the sole film company. 

SafetyShield and specifically the MSPP global network were showcased in the booth.  The show yielded 54 leads, including the 8 VIP meeting leads, across a broad geographical base including Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand, Korea, Malaysia, China, Indonesia, Jordan, Dubai, USA, and Holland.

Policies established by the leadership of the European Union call for a decrease of 20% in primary energy consumption by their countries by 2020. Belgium-based EWFA talks in the European Energy Innovation article about what window film is, how it performs, and most important, the ways that film can reduce solar heat gain and, in turn, reduce energy consumption. Window film is “technically, economically, and functionally feasible” to provide these reductions in accordance with Article 7 of the EU’s Energy Performance of Buildings Directive.

Energy efficiency, and the increasing perception that window film is a prime source of such efficiency, are ever-more pertinent topics of discussion not only in the U.S., but around the world. Madico Window Films commends and supports EWFA’s effort to publicize the role of window film in Europe’s energy conservation initiatives.

Madico Window Films strives to provide useful tools and resources to our valued dealers and customers. As part of that continued effort, we are happy to introduce our new professional automotive film installation videos.  These videos cover a basic method for installing rear and side view automotive window film.  While, many techniques can be used to install auto film, we have chosen to demonstrate one basic, universal method.

These videos also feature the tools necessary to properly complete a professional installation.  These tools are available at your local Madico Service Center and can be ordered by calling our US toll free number at 888-887-2022.

The automotive installation videos are available for viewing on our new Madico YouTube channel – MadicoFilms. Stay tuned for additional training videos that we will also be uploading to our YouTube channel!

The Madico team would like to thank Shawn Fawcett of Apollo Window Tinting in Trinity, FL for serving as our installing dealer in the videos.  We always enjoy working with our dealers on these types of exciting projects!

If you want to learn more about professional window tinting, please call us at 888-887-2022.

Madico Window Films is proud to announce that we will be exhibiting at the International Window Film Conference and Tint-Off™ 2013 (IWFC) September 18-20 in our hometown of Tampa, Florida.  We will also be taking advantage of the show’s close proximity to our manufacturing facility and offering tours of the Madico factory to interested dealers.

The IWFC was first held in 2000 and in 2011 the International Window Film Association signed on as the co-sponsor of the event, along with Window Film magazine. The IWFC was created to provide an educational venue for film technicians, company owners, managers and suppliers to come and learn from one another as well as industry experts.

The IWFC is an international event providing an unmatched learning experience to all who are involved. In addition to the seminars, the event is host to the International Window Film Tint-Offs™ – two divisions, an automotive and architectural, are held to showcase film technicians’ applications.  A trade show floor is also present where attendees can mingle with manufacturers and suppliers; see the latest products available; and take part in demonstrations from some of the top industry installers.

To register for the event click here. Early bird registration ends May 31st!

The International Window Film Conference and Tint-Off is co-sponsored by Window Film magazine and the International Window Film Association.

We look forward to meeting with our valued dealers at this year’s show. Please plan to visit the Madico Window Films booth!

Madico Window Films is pleased to share the press release below from the International Window Film Association (IWFA) regarding the recent enactment of the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 which now allows for tax incentives for energy efficient home improvements, such as window film. 

Washington, D.C. – January 15, 2013 – Congress has just given American homeowners a chance to keep more of their hard-earned money with tax credits for energy efficient upgrades planned for 2013, or made in 2012. Window Film is eligible for the tax credits approved by Congress and the tax incentive can cover up to 10 percent of the cost of the installation of window film to a maximum of $500, states the International Window Film Association (IWFA).

“We are delighted that Congress recently enacted a bill, titled the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012, that includes tax incentives for energy efficient home improvements, such as installing window film,” said Darrell Smith, executive director of the nonprofit IWFA. “To make people more aware of this great opportunity we are sharing this news through our Facebook and Twitter pages and we are also offering a free consumer booklet so consumers can learn more about window film,” he added.

“While the “greening” of our homes is a high priority, most of the new energy-efficient technologies require significant investment to reap long-term benefits, but window film has been shown to be a most cost-effective means of improving energy performance,” said Smith.

As a long-term and cost-effective solution for saving energy, window film qualifies in the legislation as part of a building’s ‘insulation envelope’. It can reduce energy consumption from solar heat gain in summer or reflect interior heat back inside in winter, while allowing in natural light without the negative impact of UV exposure. Consumers should check with their window film installer or manufacturer to make sure their product qualifies under the law.

For more information on window film’s many benefits the IWFA offers a free consumer booklet available that can be found at: http://www.iwfa.com/ConsumerInfo/IWFAWindowFilmBooklet.aspx

About the International Window Film Association
The International Window Film Association (IWFA) is a nonprofit organization of window film dealers, distributors, and manufacturers that facilitates the growth of the industry by providing unbiased research, influencing policy and promoting consumer awareness of the many benefits of window film. Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

Madico has a number of architectural film options that qualify for the tax credit. To find out which specific films are eligible in your area, please refer to the climate zone map, here. If you have any questions, please contact us at windowfilm@madico.com.

Madico Window Films are designed to solve specific issues and concerns for our customers.  From providing a more comfortable driving experience to reducing the heat and glare coming through a home or office building’s windows, we strive to provide products that make a difference in our customers’ day to day lives. Often, special uses are also discovered for our films that go beyond their initially intended purposes.

Madico’s Amber 81 film was originally designed as an automotive tint. While no longer sold as an automotive film due to a shift in consumer preferences for car tint coloring, it is now commonly used in the medical field*, technology based clean rooms, and for photography purposes. It is an amber colored window film designed to block UV light into the low visible light region.  UV light starts to transition to visible light around 380nm and a standard clear or lightly tinted window film will block over 99% of energy up until that 375nm.  Madico’s UV Gard film blocks up to 380nm.  However, there are a number of medical and clean room applications that require additional blocking from 380nm to 400nm, where UV and visible light are both present.  Amber 81 provides excellent blocking throughout the 400nm range, with transmission below 10% all the way up to around 500nm. In situations where this type of extreme UV light blocking is required, the film is applied to all sources of light within the room such as windows, fluorescent lighting and even lasers.

The amber color of the film gives it this extra blocking capability, as opposed to our clear UV Gard film, which blocks transmission up to about 390nm and then increases to around 85% across the 400nm range.  UV Gard is better suited for museums and historic venues where only valuable furnishings need to be protected and a colored window film is not desired. The graph below shows the transmission of Amber 81, UV Gard, and a standard clear film through the UV and visible light regions.

Amber 81 is suitable for interior use and is covered by our standard 7 year warranty against film defects. 

*Before using any product to address health issues, a medical professional should be contacted to ensure that the product will in fact block the radiation necessary.

As 2012 comes to an end, Madico Window Films would like to thank our valued customers for their business and loyalty throughout the year. We hope you have enjoyed our blog entries as we have strived to keep you apprised of the latest happenings at Madico as well as the window film industry as a whole. Staying connected with our customers is a top priority of ours and we have enjoyed reaching out to you through this innovative platform.

Madico Window Film’s Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Jeffrey Plummer, has these words to share as we wrap up the year, “2012 has proved to be quite the eventful year for Madico Window Films!  Not only have we had a record breaking year in terms of film sales, but we have also had the opportunity to spend a significant investment on improvements to our factory in St. Petersburg, Florida. If you have not visited us in the past, or in the past year, I invite you to do so now. Our emphasis on continuously improving the quality of our products has never been higher. 

“In the past year, we have opened new service centers in Windsor, CT and Houston, TX to better meet the needs of our customers. We have also continued to make available our fastest growing product line, Wincos IR Automotive film, and appreciate all of the positive customer feedback we have been receiving on this product. 

“The close relationships that we share with so many of our customers, is what makes Madico a truly unique organization amongst our industry. We thank you for the opportunity to provide you with the quality products needed to grow your business and look forward to an exciting 2013!” 

Happy Holidays from the entire Madico Window Films team!

Window Film Magazine recently recognized our efforts and dedicated an article to highlighting our facility’s upgrades for their readers.

Excerpt taken from Window Film Magazine:

“Madico Window Films is committed to quality improvements and plans to continue additional upgrades in the near future,” says Shawn Kitchell, vice president of manufacturing for Madico. “We are currently striving to achieve the Class 1000 clean room standards for our manufacturing lines as well as installing automated conveying systems for material transport throughout our facility.  As is evident by the recent investment in our facility, we take producing the highest quality products very seriously and will never stop looking for new ways to improve.”

Facility improvements that will be completed during the renovation include the installation of temperature-controlled bulk storage tanks for adhesives and solvents, new high energy mixing equipment, an upgraded clean room environment, an upgraded on-line optical scanner, a new hard coat thickness measurement system, installation of on-line color and visible light transmission (VLT) monitoring equipment, upgrades to slitting machines, updates to drying and pollution abatement systems, new equipment  including a gas chromatograph to ensure proper adhesive curing and a particle analyzer to prevent contamination, and a total overhaul of the raw material receiving and storage facility including a cantilever racking system which reduces the risk of product contamination.

Requirements for JET certification extend beyond the successful completion of safety conformity tests; the manufacturing environment must also be compliant to a strict quality control process.  Frank Mannarino, VP of Specialty Films, states “Madico’s standard operating procedures and internal product performance requirements are established to exceed industry requirements. The JET Certification confirms our commitment to quality, performance and customer support.”

The PV industry is focused on Japan.  The region is poised for growth and is considered by many as the next great hot spot of solar installations over the next several years. The exciting opportunity is being driven by government issued “Feed in Tariff” programs announced early this year. JET, the Japanese certifying agency, verifies that specific module constructions meet the exacting long term performance requirement of the region.  Mannarino states, “JET certification for Protekt® is an added benefit to our customers worldwide who seek JET Certifications for their Modules, saving them time and money.” Madico’s global manufacturing operations include multiple sites within Asia, including Japan.