World player in fittings systems shows versatility in Kalsdorf near Graz
With attention to the climate higher than ever on the political agenda, companies are also making every effort to reduce CO2-emissions. A prime example of this is the Roto plant in Kalsdorf, Austria, near Graz. This was demonstrated during the eighteenth International Roto Trade Press Day of this global player in hardware systems for windows, doors and roof windows. A roof window with integrated infrared heating was among the world's first products there.
Of the many production plants of the Roto Group, the oldest and largest is in Kalsdorf. This plant in the Austrian state of Styria was already sustainable before anyone had ever heard of the term. "On our site, which is crossed by a small river, there are three of our own hydroelectric power plants for generating electricity. The oldest of these dates back to 1869," said Managing Director Christian Josef Lazarevic of Roto Frank Austria GmbH during his tour for the assembled European trade press. Anno 2023, the plant also puts sustainability into practice in other ways, including solar panels on the roof and a large solar park on the ground.
"A further milestone on the road to a sustainable future is our wood-fired biomass heating plant, which will be commissioned in early 2024," Lazarevic told us. "This will also make us much less dependent on fossil fuels, especially gas. All in all, this will provide a reduction of 2160 tons of CO2-emissions per year. And together, the sustainability measures account for about 50% of our production site's total energy needs."
Kalsdorf is not only the oldest and largest, but also the most versatile plant in the Roto Group. In addition to the complete product line of door hinges, all items in the door lock range are produced here. During the tour of the various production halls, visitors were particularly impressed by the extensive automation of production. Numerous advanced robots ensure that even the smallest production error is nipped in the bud and perfect quality is guaranteed. The company's typical "Deutsche Gründlichkeit" was also revealed when taking a look at its own test laboratory. In this International Technology Center, Roto customers can have their window and door systems tested, in particular evaluating the performance of lock and hinge sets. One employee demonstrated how a test system can be used to prove that a door meets the EN 1191 standard by opening and closing it automatically 200,000 times. This much became clear: when it comes to reliability and quality, the global player leaves nothing to chance.
On day two of the Roto Trade Press Day, the international gathering moved to a conference center in the heart of Graz. Here Dr. Eckhard Keil, Managing Director of Roto Frank Holding AG, shed light on the company's results of the past period. With a turnover surplus for the entire holding company of 2 percent compared to the end of September 2022, he expressed satisfaction, especially given the difficult situation in the construction industry in Europe and China, traditionally important sales markets.
"Roto has long been more than just a synonym for Tilt&Turn hardware, because manufacturers also value us as a total supplier in the areas of door hinges, locking systems and thresholds," complemented CEO Marcus Sander of the Fenster- und Türtechnologie (FTT) division. "For example, the uniqueness of Roto Patio Inowa, an intelligent hardware for hermetically sealed sliding systems, appeals to many large construction companies."
At the congress, it wasn't just words, but the trade journalists were also treated to a real world first: The Designo Heat, a roof window with an integrated infrared window. Head Christoph Hugenberg from the Roto Roof System Technology division explained that this innovation can be a real "game changer" when converting and renovating attics. Instead of having to laboriously lay heating cables in the attic and invest in heat pumps, this powerful infrared window can take over the heating function in the future, he claimed. On site, attendees could verify this by placing their hand on the skylight, which reportedly reflects 97 percent of the infrared radiation in the room. "This makes the Designo Heat, which will soon be on the market, an extremely cost- and energy-efficient solution that is also very environmentally friendly," Hugenberg said.
Another piece of news in store for Roto was that the company became the first skylight manufacturer to obtain the so-called QNG certificate for low-emission building products. "The practical advantage of this is that these products can be used without question in new construction projects that bear the state seal of approval for sustainable buildings, without the need for time-consuming verification," Hugenberg explained. "Special attention he also called for an easy-to-install cover frame for skylights available from 2024. "This product has been specially developed to harmonize rooftop solar panels and skylights aesthetically better with each other."
Closing the talk was Professor Dr.-Ing. Andreas Beck from the Institute for Thermal and Acoustic Building Physics at the Stuttgart University of Technology. His presentation dealt with the increasing importance of renovating window frames. Based on a study, he demonstrated how by renewing hardware and sealing of a worn-out window frame, significant energy savings can be achieved in homes. "A 'window upgrade' that restores the lost airtightness of a window can reduce heating costs by as much as 15 percent," he concluded.
All in all, global player Roto managed to convince during this press meeting how sustainability and economic gain can go hand in hand. That gives some confidence for the future of our planet.
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