Aluminium Systems Segment
Production characteristics and major assets
The Aluminium Systems Segment, whose leading company is Aluprof S.A., deals with the manufacture and sales of aluminium systems for the construction industry, including: window and door systems, façade systems, internal partition systems, e.g. for shaping of office space, sun protection systems (roller blinds, or external blinds also known as screens), and also roll-up garage and industrial gates.
The Segment is committed to developing solutions that meet the requirements of sustainable construction. Its offer includes a number of modern products which, thanks to their high thermal insulation properties and innovative technical solutions, are used in public buildings which are awarded BREEAM or LEED certificates. Aluprof holds Environmental Declaration Certificates for window and door systems as well as façade systems. The EPD (Environmental Product Declaration) is an independent certificate recognised around the world that testifies to a product’s impact on the environment. It is awarded on the basis of Life Cycle Assessment, which should reduce the negative environmental impact of the product.
In 2022, the Segment launched the production of fire glass within the Glassprof company, which complements its offering of fire safety solutions for public buildings.
The production infrastructure consists of five plants with a total storage area exceeding 250,000 m2, equipped with modern and fully automated machines, four of which belong to Aluprof S.A. and are located in Bielsko-Biała, Opole, Goleszów, and Ogrodzona, while one belongs to Romb S.A. and is located in Złotów.
Aluprof has powder paint shops with highly efficient, fully automated lines equipped with quick-change paint booths, as well as vertical paint shops. The company relies on environmentally friendly solutions using non-toxic formulations and chromium-free aluminium processing. The entire painting process is computer-controlled, which guarantees stability and repeatability of coating parameters, including film thickness. The effective supervision of coating parameters has been confirmed with certificates by Qualicoat and Seaside organisations, as well as many powder coatings suppliers.
The Aluminium Systems Segment also comprises representation and sales offices as well as distribution centres located in Europe, including in: Germany (Aluprof Deutschland GmbH), the United Kingdom (Aluprof UK Ltd.), Belgium (Aluprof Belgium), the Netherlands (Aluprof Netherlands B.V), the Czech Republic (Aluprof System Czech s.r.o.), Romania (Aluprof System Romania s.r.l.), Hungary (Aluprof Hungary Ltd.), Ukraine (Aluprof System Ukraina Sp. z o.o.) and the United States (Aluprof System USA Inc).
Plant in Bielsko-Biała
Plant in Opole
The European aluminium systems market is characterised by a large number of players. The main competitors in the field of architectural systems in Poland include Ponzio, Aliplast, Yawal, and Aluron, while in Europe the segment competes mainly with well-known global brands, such as Schuco, Reynaers, Aliplast, Kawneer, and Sapa. Competitors in the roller-shutter segment are: Alutech, Alukon, BeClever, BuildingShutter, Heroal, Hosten, and Portos, and also Warema, Hella, and Roma on exports markets. The trend on Western European markets is largely based on aftermarket, i.e. refurbishment or replacement of older solutions, while in the Central and Eastern Europe, where aluminium solutions have not been popular due to their price, the newly erected buildings are driving the industry.
The Segment’s products are sold both on the Polish market, where approximately 60% of revenue is generated and on which it holds the leading position with a share estimated at approximately 40% for aluminium systems, and 60% for windows, doors and façade systems, and also on foreign markets, where the remaining 40% of revenue is generated. The main foreign markets are: the Czech Republic, the United Kingdom, Germany, Belgium, Romania, Ukraine, Slovakia, and Hungary, but also the United States, the United Arab Emirates, and Vietnam. Despite a very difficult economic environment – high raw material prices in the first half of the year and rising interest rates affecting the construction industry and resulting in ca. 4% decrease in sales volume, the Segment recorded very good financial results in 2022. The consolidated revenue of the Segment reached PLN 2,439,664,000 and was higher by 22% y/y. Domestic sales increased by 23%, and foreign markets sales were higher by 22% y/y.
Aluminium systems are manufactured from aluminium profiles, which are mainly supplied by the Extruded Products Segment, while approximately 20-25% are supplied by proven external suppliers, chiefly European ones. Additional elements of the systems are fittings and accessories, which are sourced in roughly 75% from domestic suppliers and the remainder from European and Far East suppliers. Main materials also include sheet aluminium, sourced in 95% from foreign suppliers in Europe as well as the Far and Middle East. The share of none of the raw materials, semi-finished products or materials suppliers exceeds 10% of the total purchases made by the Segment.
The Aluminium Systems Segment attaches great importance to continuous development and maintenance of the highest level of its products and services, as well as development of revolutionary new products including those made to individual orders. Ever-increasing building standards in terms of energy efficiency, low-emission properties, circularity of solutions and protection of people from the effects of fire and smoke, count among the most important expectations faced by modern architecture and these guide the Segment in its research and development work.
The drive to reduce the costs of buildings maintenance makes improving their energy efficiency particularly important. One of the best ways to achieve it is to design modern joinery solutions that improve the thermal efficiency of buildings. Further, the safety of public buildings occupants and property makes the development of fire protection systems a key factor. The systems have been constantly modernised and upgraded with a focus on improving fire resistance, extending structural strength, and streamlining engineering process to reduce labour intensity of production. An important element affecting the fire safety of buildings are aluminium and glass partitions. They are the ones that, in many cases, must meet the requirements of fire safety regulations regarding the prevention of the spread of fire and enabling safe evacuation of building occupants. Meeting the requirements often involves the use of fire-resistant glass. Therefore, in 2022 the Segment has expanded its offer and introduced Glassprof brand fire glass in its broad range fire-proof partitions and doors.
Very important in the achievement of the goal has been the Segment’s Research and Innovation Centre located in Ogrodzona (CBiI). The Centre operates based on the implemented ISO 17025 management system as well as a certificate issued by the Polish Centre for Accreditation, which confirms the high level of independence, impartiality and competence of personnel. The CBiI possesses, among other things, the largest test chamber in Central and Eastern Europe for testing the physical properties of curtain walls, as well as carrying tests in compliance with the American ASTM and AAMA standards, including seismic and thermal tests. The CBiI also performs mechanical tests of windows and doors as well as fire protection systems. The test furnace is capable of accommodating structures measuring 4.5×5 m.
The main development projects in 2022 included:
- development and launch of distribution of an innovative system of internal frameless glass walls with single or double glazing and doors. Complete tests of the system were carried out to obtain the European Technical Assessment;
- production implementation of garden pergola systems equipped with electrically controlled rotating lamellas and LED lighting, as well as integrated shielding systems;
- development of fire-resistant window and door systems, including the implementation of an innovative structural design for fire doors without fire inserts with 30-minute resistance;
- modernisation and development work for a series of window-and-door systems, to improve their utility characteristics, which includes significant thermal performance and aesthetics;
- production implementation of new curtain wall systems, intended, for example, for prestigious buildings in the Silesian region, the UK and the USA;
- construction works for the integration of façade and window systems with sun protection systems, rollershutter systems and screens offered by the Segment;
- construction and research work on safety-enhancing solutions for bullet-proof, explosion-proof and burglarproof window and door systems and façade systems.
The main investment projects of the Segment carried out in 2022 include:
- extension of the plant in Złotów enabling production capacity increase in the area of aluminium systems manufacturing by approximately 20-25%;
- vertical paint shop at the Bielsko-Biała plant;
- fire glass production line at the Ogrodzona plant.
The capital expenditures planned for 2022 in the amounts of PLN 162,000,000 were realised at approximately 60%, mainly due to the decision to postpone the plant construction in Złotów to the following year due to the economic downturn in the second half of the year, as well as high prices of construction materials and limited availability of construction companies, which adversely affected the estimated cost of construction. The remaining tasks had been completed.