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More light than shade in 2018
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ROTO GROUP INCREASED its performance , competitiveness and sustainability in 2017 - and is expecting ‘ good opportunities ’ for 2018 , according to its chairman Dr Eckhard Keill .
At the group ’ s 12th International Trade Press Day in Stuttgart , Germany , Dr Keill anticipated ‘ slightly prospering markets ’ in 2018 with a turnover increase of between 3-5 % for the group .
He predicted a total turnover for Roto of around 630 million euros , saying that the international construction industry was in ‘ slightly better shape ’ for the first time in years .
Construction was proving to be the mainstay of general economic growth in China , the upswing in the USA was continuing , and in Canada , the recovery of the industry was much better than predicted after two weak years . For Latin America , there was a renewed positive trend in Argentina in contrast with a construction industry that was slowing in Brazil and Mexico .
In Europe , the slight upwards trend was likely to pick up speed . The Euroconstruct research network was expecting an average construction growth of 3 % for its 19 member countries . In residential construction , Hungary and Ireland ranked highest while the UK , Austria , Germany , Finland and Switzerland were at the lower end of the scale . However , increasingly high prices for residential properties posed a risk to future demand .
POLITICAL RISKS
For international window and door markets , 2017 had been a year of stabilisation and consolidation . However , the risk of ‘ economic policies getting in the way ’ was worrying , with concerns such as fluctuating interest rates and extreme foreign policy changes from Russia to
Dr Eckhard Keill
Michael Stangier
Alexander Graf Lambsdorff
Turkey and all the way to Africa .
Former vice president of the European Parliament , Alexander Graf Lambsdorff , told assembled journalists that what mattered in these uncertain times was ‘ putting Europe back on track .’ He said he felt ‘ extraordinary regret ’ over the exit of the UK from the European Union but this ‘ definitively ’ did not signal the end of the EU .
HIGH LEVEL OF CAPITAL INVESTMENTS
Roto ’ s chief financial officer Michael Stangier reported that the group had made extensive capital investments . As part of a multiyear programme , just under 30 million euros had been invested in three focal points . These were a fully modernised logistics centre at the window and door division , a new roof and solar technology innovation centre , and the new Roto NX Tilt & Turn hardware system .
A targeted acquisition strategy had also served to consistently improve performance , competitiveness and sustainability .
However , there was ‘ extreme pressure on revenue ’ in the window and door technology division , based on a dramatic increase in the price of raw materials with a lack of availability at the same time . Quotations for zinc had almost doubled since the beginning of 2016 , while increases for aluminium and steel were around 40 % each .
Roto was unable to continue offsetting these ‘ exploding costs ,’ said Dr Eckhard Keill , and would have to ‘ adapt prices significantly .’
NEW TILT & TURN BENCHMARK
Roto announced that it would offer window manufacturers and installation companies Roto NX , a new Tilt & Turn hardware system for windows and balcony doors , from the beginning of 2018 . The new range would set standards of efficiency , security , comfort and design .
The company ’ s Roto NT Tilt & Turn range , premiered at the turn of the millennium , currently comprises almost 6,000 items . Around half a billion Turn- Only / Tilt & Turn sets have been sold in 55 countries since the company was founded . Important market launches had included , at the end of 2016 , the Patio Alversa universal parallel sliding and Tilt & Slide system .
On the roofing side , Dr Keill referred to the Roto Q roof window generation . The easy-to-install product received a positive response . In 2018 , Roto is launching additional products including the roof window Roto Designo R8 Quadro . It will be presented for the first time at the Dach + Holz trade fair in February in Cologne .
FUTURE ADDED VALUE AND THE SMART HOME
Roto is continuously expanding its range of future-oriented , Smart Home-compatible components with added value , according to Hartmut Schmidt , director of product innovation in the window and door technology division .
Electronic door closers from the Safe E Eneo series and the E-Tec Drive concealed electric window openers were examples that were already successful .
A further example was the burglar deterring TiltSafe function of the new Roto NX Tilt & Turn Hardware system .
Living with technology will become the norm but not everything that was technically feasible was actually useful to customers . There was a ‘ dark side ’ to the Smart Home concept , including lack of uniform standards , as well as unauthorised access by hackers , and a lack of software applications due to obsolescence or likely system failures in household products .
Windows and doors were not the driving force behind Smart Home solutions but must instead be able to work with any systems .
10 » JAN 2018 » CLEARVIEW-UK . COM