Energy-efficient windows Inwido

ENERGY-EFFICIENT WINDOWS

Inwido is Northern Europe’s leading supplier of windows and doors, and a global leader in the design and development of energy-efficient windows. Industry Europe looks at the latest from the company.

Inwido is a well-established Swedish manufacturer of quality exterior doors and windows, both in wood and wood–aluminium. The Inwido Group has approximately 3800 employees in total, with 3000 in the Nordic region and the remainder located in Russia, Poland, Ireland and the UK. The company is owned by Ratos AB, one of Europe’s largest listed private equity companies. The group is responsible for over 20 major brands and enjoys market leader status throughout Scandinavia.

After a period of restructuring and consolidation in 2008, which involved product rationalisation and a new brand strategy for Denmark and Finland, the company is now expanding its operations. This has involved investing in new technology at many of its 35 manufacturing plants and subsequently making key acquisitions in Denmark, Sweden and Finland.

In 2012, Inwido made the decision to divest its Home Improvement business area in order to concentrate on becoming a European leader in windows and doors. The division has been sold to the private equity fund Priveq Investment Fund IV. This subsidiary sold a number of different interior products for the home.

Håkan Jeppsson, president and CEO of Inwido, said of the divestment: “Within Inwido, we are focused on becoming a European leader in windows and doors. We have therefore decided to divest this business area since it is purely a trading operation with a different business model that has no connection with our other operations.”

Innovation driving growth

Inwido operations are divided into four distinct market sectors; Inwido Sweden, Inwido Nordic, Inwido Europe and Inwido Accessories and Components. The company’s branded products are sold directly to consumers or via retailers and wholesalers as well as to manufacturers of prefabricated homes and construction companies involved in new-build developments. The company

maintains rigorous quality controls on all its products from construction techniques and costs to functionality, aesthetics and comfort. Inwido’s in-house R&D facility is dedicated to optimising the energy efficiency and sustainability of its products. For Inwido, this means taking technology to a new level to make it work in harmony with the people who live and work in the building. The company’s R&D department has also developed windows that have very low U-value and in future may even have built-in energy cells.

The company has always strived to be at the forefront of energy-saving window and door technology. Its windows are designed in such a way that they can be cleaned on both sides from within; these are known as ‘two-in-one’ windows. In the past, it has also worked with Pilkington Glass to produce a range of ‘self-cleaning’ windows and was the first company to market these in Europe. Its success is based very much on the quality of its products and its local presence in the countries in which it operates.

A company spokesman said: “We don’t just see a window as a window, but all the things that are surrounding it, such as security locks, blinds, safety devices and other practical accessories. Today we are seeing strong demand in the new-build sector and an increasing demand for low-energy consumption, eco-friendly products.”

Leading the way in sustainability

Inwido’s ambition is to offer its eco-friendly products to an increasing number of countries and to lead the way in innovative solutions in order to meet the growing eco-challenges facing the industry. It is therefore committed to maintaining contacts with leading research houses, architects and designers. For many years the company has held the leading position in the development of energy-efficient windows. Efforts to reduce energy dissipation from windows is a priority for Inwido, along with the ability to greatly reduce the U-value, which indicates how well a window or door prevents heat loss from a building, Inwido’s most energy-efficient windows have a U-value of only 0.7, compared to 1.2 for standard windows.

Inwido has also introduced ‘energy labelling’ for windows on a voluntary basis and follows the EU’s classification for household products to help consumers to make educated, sustainable choices.

Energy-efficient windows are a priority for the company and it expects that by 2020 its windows will be achieving almost zero consumption of energy. n