Environmentally friendly windows and doors

Rooted in the Trentino area of northern Italy, from which it draws its strong culture of environmental friendliness and sustainability, Alphacan is the Italian leader in PVC u-systems for doors and windows. Mr Luciotti, its CEO, talks to Barbara Rossi about his company and two new very innovative lines: IN’ALPHA70 and PRESTIGIO.

Alphacan, led by the Bonetti family, began operations in the early 1970s as a manufacturer of PVC profiles for windows. It then started working through the Profilia and Fersina brands and finally became a business unit of the Alphacan group.

Now Alphacan designs and produces a complete range of PVC frame systems, which includes profiles for windows, French windows, shutter systems, entry doors, sliding doors and special fittings. Many important projects have been completed thanks to its products, which are made of special PVC-u mixtures properly enriched with highquality components, all strictly in compliance with Italian and European regulation.

Mr Luciotti says, “Over the years we have developed and consolidated our business on the target markets of Southern Europe, strengthening our exports, which today can count on an organisation able to fulfil the needs of the main operators in the sector, as well as those of the final users. Thanks to our modern set-up, the potential of our production department and assets such as skilled staff who work in synergy and with passion, Alphacan truly represents Made-in-Italy quality and design; these are the distinguishing features which make our systems for PVC doors and windows internationally renowned.”

Alphacan is always at the cutting-edge and its aim is that of developing new sustainable models, continuously increasing the efficiency of external shell construction products, resulting in buildings with reduced energy consumption.

The Alphacan Group has five plants in Europe and a highly specialised and skilled staff of 750 people. It is part of the Kem One Innovative Vinyls division and has two R&D Centres, as well as a production capacity of 80,000 tonnes of PVC profiles a year.

Alphacan S.p.a. is the Italian division of the group and manufactures and distributes profile systems for PVC doors and windows all over the world. The Italian company mainly operates on its national market, but in the last few years it has increased its exports, significantly growing in Southern Europe, the Balkans and Latin America.

Since its very start, not only has Alphacan been the leader in Italy with regard to the PVC profile market, but it has also been the first company to launch PVC window profiles in South-East Asia, an area characterised by a tropical climate with high humidity and extreme temperatures. The Alphacan profiles have now been installed for more than twenty years, and are tangible evidence of their unequalled resistance and reliability over time.

IN’ALPHA70 and PRESTIGIO

In terms of innovation, Alphacan has recently presented its new IN’ALPHA70 and PRESTIGIO systems for PVC windows and French windows. The technology on which these new systems are based is called biomimesis. The Alphacan researchers have taken this approach, inspired by biological structures which are inherently resistant and insulating, in order to develop and patent the IN’ALPHA70 and PRESTIGIO lines, insulated and reinforced with longitudinal fibreglass. The profiles of the new IN’ALPHA70 system have textured surfaces, with many innovative colours and shades, which are extremely stable and resistant to the effect

of atmospheric agents, while also offering an excellent thermo-sound insulation performance. They are suitable for use in both new buildings and in renovations and comply with UNI EN 12608 requirements (as does the rest of the Alphacan range), as well as being adaptable to different architectural styles. IN’ALPHA PRESTIGIO combines the performance and design of Italian frames with a special commitment to environmental friendliness, obtained by combining the construction simplicity of its components with the high thermal insulation level of the frame, which is even higher thanks to the internal foaming process developed by the Alphacan research department.

“PVC is a non polluting, environmentallyfriendly material, which requires a limited amount of energy for its production and does not use up natural resources. Furthermore, PVC profiles are durable and non-toxic, as well as being totally recyclable. It’s not by chance that this very same material is used for food containers and in medical environments. A study conducted by the University of Barcelona has ascertained that over an entire life cycle windows with PVC profiles offer lower CO2 emissions than those made with other materials such as wood, aluminium and glass. For all of these reasons they are widely used in Northern Europe, but haven’t still reached the same usage levels in Italy, so there is a lot of potential for growth. The windows and doors that use our PVC frame systems offer excellent protection and insulation, giving the opportunity of achieving up to 40 per cent savings with regard to heating, high levels of sound insulation and low maintenance needs. Our frames are very easy to install and represent the best that the market can offer, in terms of performance and materials, as well as with regard to the innovative technologies employed in their production and the certifications held.” n

www.chimar.com WE MATCH THE COLOUR FOR ALL YOUR

PLASTICS PROJECTS SINCE 1984.

CHIMAR SRL - Via E. Majorana, 24 - 35010 CADONEGHE (PD) Tel. +39 (0)49 888 52 11 - Fax +39 (0)49 888 52 88