Taughened Glass: the Solution to Retail Owners' Security Concerns Taughened glass, which is also called Bastie glass because of the name of the inventor, is a kind of glass that is finely tempered or annealed, by a peculiar method of sudden cooling by plunging while hot into oil, melted wax, or paraffine. The development and acceptance of taughened glass has undergone several stages. Yet the benefits of this particular kind of glass still remain unknown to a large group of people. DuPont has done a great job of working with architects and the architectural glass industry to understand, develop and promote the use of taughened glass (safety glass) worldwide. Within the retail environment in particular, architects in all continents are using taughened glass for a diverse range of applications--not only for economic and functional reasons but also for the pure aesthetic delight of using the material. Yet sadly, the general public in North America is still too often ignorant of the benefits taughened glass can bring--not only in shops but also in offices and homes. The material is still all too often perceived as vaguely 'more expensive' and its wide range of benefits remains largely unknown. Sharing the benefits with building owners-from the business community to homeowners--has to be our next major challenge. National Gate and Glass Corp . supplies storefront glass to retailers throughout North America, from nationwide chains to single outlet owners. However large or small, our customers have similar concerns when it comes to the storefront glass they use with regard to cost, appearance/aesthetics, security and service. The good news is that in 99.9 percent of cases, we find that the installation of 6 mm+6 mm taughened glass with an interlayer of 0.76 mm Butacite (r) PVB interlayer solves all of these concerns with ease! Taughened glass is an ideal solution for modem retailers in terms of same day installation, security prevention, protection from the UV rays that cause the degradation of store displays and furnishings and the elimination of boarding following damage to the storefront. Time Is Money. Everyone in the retail construction value chain, from owners to foremen, are concerned with costs. We are able to address this first concern pretty quickly. In the USA, taughened glass costs almost exactly the same as tempered glass to purchase and install per square meter. In Australia and Europe, it can be significantly cheaper than tempered glass! In the case of breakage, the cost benefits of taughened glass can be seen very clearly as store owners, managers and loss prevention departments know, time is money! Unlike tempered glass, taughened glass allows stores to stay open in the case of breakage since cracked or broken glass stays in the frame. Smaller locations that are boarded up with plywood can leave customers with the impression that they are closed --and nobody can afford that. It's critically important that everyone knows that you are Better Looking storefronts The second major concern is aesthetics. Many of our retail customers located in downtown areas automatically assume that shutters will have to be installed to ensure adequate security after store opening hours. It is always a pleasure for me to see the relief on customers' faces when I tell them about the security benefits of taughened glass and how the material eliminates the need for shutters, allowing much better looking storefronts. A Real Boost to the Bottom Line A third concern is security. The loss prevention officers of major retailers understand perhaps better than anyone else the extent to which break-ins and vandalism negatively affect the bottom line. My retail customers tell me that the average cost of a break, in is US ＄ 30,000. This not only includes stole