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W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 17 J U N E 1 , 2 0 1 5 where there's a deeper legacy of environmental regulations in place," he says. "Now you're starting to see that in China, too, because of the tremendous pollution problem they have." In a large building, low-e glass translates into big cost savings, as it can help keep heat in during the winter and out in the summer. e same is true in residences. Edel says the cost per kilowatt hour in Europe is about 25 cents to 35 cents, while Edel, who still lives in Ohio, pays about 6.5 cents. "e payback on this investment is directly related to what it costs to heat or cool your house," he says, noting that U.S. customers still tend to be more commercial than residential. "e market for energy-efficient glass has expanded dramatically in the residential area, but initially it was driven by the large commercial buildings," he says. "Certainly when you look at a skyscraper that is pure glass, your financial payback on that energy management is a lot higher than a couple windows on a house." "Architectural glass is our bread and butter busi- ness," he says. "We target all three regions [the United States, Europe and China], but obviously success in China is critical to be able to grow the company. We need to stay above GDP growth rates." He believes that even in its small, specialized industry, the company can sustain double-digit growth in the 10%-20% range year-over year. Behind the scenes Edel can't name any buildings with windows made using Soleras' sputtering targets. "ere's six to eight major glass producers in the world. We sell to them. ere's no linkage as to who they sold their product to for a project. ey produce thousands of square feet of glass," he says. He says a lot of companies produce sputtering targets, but only a handful of significant suppliers globally have the technical capability to produce sputtering targets for architectural glass. ree are in the United States, with two on the West Coast and themselves in Biddeford. Heraeus in Germany is his company's biggest competitor. What distinguishes Soleras is product perfor- mance, Edel says. "For sputtering targets for the architectural glass markets, we're the largest market share supplier in the world. But that's because our largest facility is in China." Making higher energy-efficient windows is tech- nology-intensive. e simplest low-e window starts at a single stack, which typically comprises five to seven different layers, each of which could have dif- ferent composition and target materials. Very high- performance, low-e windows have a triple stack, or up to 21 layers. Building up the layers can get very complicated, very quickly. e uniformity of the coating is controlled by magnetic fields in the system, Edel explains. "What enables a good producer to produce a triple layer is the ability to control the uniformity," Edel says. "We make the equipment that can do that." He says that while China may have 30 producers of architectural glass, only two can make triple-layer glass, maybe five or six can make double-layer glass and then the rest make single-layer glass. U.S. and European glass makers can make triple-layer glass, because they otherwise couldn't survive in those markets, he says. With glass panels becoming larger for both architectural and display use, being close to the customer is a must. "A lot of cost in this industry is driven by transporting the glass," he says. Edel adds that the architectural glass market is a good, sound market with long-term growth, but the company in 2011 did expand into coat- ing materials for television displays and touch screen displays. "ey're using large rotary coaters for TVs, and they're also cutting down a large glass sheet into 50 smaller windows," he says. "e idea is you get the economies of scale by driving a high- throughput, large-area process." ough very high tech and in Maine, Edel has been able to recruit experienced people through industry connections. Edel, a former Honeywell executive who wanted more hands- on work, looks for people in large companies who want more decision-making ability, but at a small company that is stable and profitable as opposed to a startup. "We've managed to bring in people who have an interest in what the area's lifestyle brings, and typically they've worked at larger companies and like that smaller company feel," he says. Lori Valigra, Mainebiz senior writer, can be reached a t l va l i g r a @ m a i n e b i z . b i z a n d @ LVa l i g r a MAINE MARITIME MUSEUM Washington Street • Bath, Maine • -- www.MaineMaritimeMuseum.org Sponsored by: On view June 6 to November 1, 2015 Join us to experience the captivating stories of Maine people who work on the water, near the water, and behind the scenes in their vital role to forge Maine's place in global maritime lore. This exhibit documents why the men and women of the working waterfront are celebrated for being the best, building the best and making the best of a rewarding and, at times, difficult way of life. Making the Best Of It: The Spirit and Work Ethic of Maritime People Opening July 26, 2015 The authentic story of Maine's most iconic fishery… from trap to table. Courtesy Bowdoin College Lobstering & the Maine Coast

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