REHAU: Pole position in the recovery race of the window industry

Rehau Polymer consolidated its position in 2013, being placed in the top of PVC systems suppliers for the window industry. Although the total sales reported by the company (including here the tubing division) registered a contraction from 44 million EUR, the revenue recorded in 2012, to 38 million EUR during the previous year, the results for the sector of professional systems for windows have been preserved, maintaining at the level recorded in the previous period, despite the difficulties encountered by the companies in the field. The company management is quite optimistic about the prospects of recovery in the current financial year, and all the forecasts indicate a return of turnover on an upward trend. The 2014 sales are expected to reach about 40 million EUR, out of which approximately 80% will be the share of systems for joinery. Although Rehau permanently improves the product portfolio with profiles that complete the existing series, a completely new system is not predicted on short term. Also the majority share in sales is still owned by the five-chambered Euro Design 70, it was noticed that the premium profiles (Euro Design 86 and Geneo) are placed on a clear ascending trend compared to the previous period. In what concerns the sales of joinery systems used to produce windows for passive houses, these totaled in 2013 about one million euro. Furthermore, the Geneo system is the result of decades of experience in plastics processing, combined with a high degree of know -how that Rehau has in this field. Products have been used successfully in a wide range of applications, from windows to doors for lifts. The profiles provide a high degree of dimensional stability, as well as a number of static features which were possible in the past only through renouncing at the steel reinforcement. Geneo has six chambers for isolation and a constructive depth of 86 mm. The heat transfer coefficient is 0.85 W/mpK, the current calculations indicating an economy of 76% of the energy consumed compared to a room where the heat transfer of the installed windows is about 2.7 W/mpK.