ANALYSIS: The small projects require the orientation to foreign markets

Faced with the need to restructure the activity in 2014 on a market segment characterized by the lack of large projects which require the installation of aluminum / steel thermal insulating joinery and / or curtain walls, skylights and other special constructions, the managers of companies operating in the manufacturing branch of such elements are forced either to limit the few opportunities currently existing in the non-residential construction sector, for which they must "fight" in extremely fierce competitive conditions or to move towards the realization of works in other countries of the European Union. For 2015, it is estimated that the profile market could be easily marked by a reversal, while the previous 12 months have witnessed a relatively sustainable development in the volume of construction works with other destination than that of residence, where aluminum thermal insulating joinery and curtain facades are primarily used. Another trend that could be visible in the current financial year is that the aluminum windows began to be preferred also by the single-family housing segment. In order to illustrate some of the prospects for the producers of aluminum and curtain facades, it must be stated that, just as in the previous 12 months, they will adopt a prudent business strategy based on maintaining their activity and, hence, the same sales parameters from 2014, if the aggregate financial results were relatively satisfactory at the end of December. However, the operators who have had a depreciation of revenue and / or profitability will continue to deal with a difficult situation and will have to apply restructuring measures for this year as well. However, it is recommended that, given the lack of predictability of the joinery sector, currently estimated at nearly 300 million EUR (in its entirety), whatever the problems faced by firms in the industry, the management policies should rely on the reality reflected by statistics. According to INS, during the period between the 1st of January until 31st of December 2014, the volume of construction works decreased by -6.7% on unadjusted series on a year-to-year basis (the only one for which the provisional information is available).