Roto Inside 26 (EN)

| 9 Hooramco Modern window comfort for Iran ■■ PVC After completing their mechanical engineering studies, five young Iranians started searching for an interesting proposi- tion. “We wanted to open our own factory, making products that as many people as possible in Iran could benefit from,” says Reza Kazemi, one of the five friends and now the CEO at Hooramco, which was founded on 28 October 2008 in Tehran. “At the time we had no money and no expe- rience to offer, only a lot of enthusiasm and optimism,” laughs Reza Kazemi. “Therefore, we initially started trading in PVC windows. This enabled us to get to know the market and the products available and to get the necessary capital together in order to set up our own production facilities. We were also driven by a desire to prove what a team of young people in Iran were capable of and what we would be able to implement on the basis of a good education. And I believe we are not the only ones who are extremely satisfied with our method of proof.” Increasing energy costs drive demand Around 60 employees work at the modern Hooramco production facilities just outside Around 60 employees work at the modern Hooramco production facilities just outside the gates of Tehran, producing windows and entrance doors made of PVC that are generally fitted with double glazing. After finishing their mechanical engineering studies, five young Iranians founded the company Hooramco in Tehran on 28 October 2008. Four of them are pictured here (from left): Jalal Shahrbani, Reza Kazemi, Zeinolabedin Ahmadi and Mohammad Reza Parsamagham. the gates of Tehran, producing windows and entrance doors made of PVC that are generally fitted with double glazing. “In Iran, energy costs are also rising and homeowners are increasingly interested in ways to save with a better insulat- ed building shell.” Roto – the suitable system for every window Today, the majority of Hooramco’s windows and entrance doors are fitted with Roto hard- ware technology. “From the very beginning, we only wanted to use Roto because we prefer high-quality technology and also prefer to obtain all solutions for each window type from one source. Whether it be a sliding window, or a tilt-and-turn window, whether it opens inwards or outwards, Roto offers us the right solution and our trading partner Satian provides first- class service.” In 2008, Hooramco became a customer of the hardware dealer Satian, which was founded in Tehran in 2007 by Alireza Sedghinsab. Twenty-two employees service around 800 Iranian window manufacturers. A great need for consultation on-site Fifteen staff members are employed at the central administration offices of Hooramco in a business centre in Tehran, and 120 more are employed in sales offices throughout the coun- try. “There is a considerable need for modern windows in Iran. According to estimates by the Iranian Ministry for Industry, Mining and Trade, Anniversary celebration at Sint-Pieters-Leeuw An informative day at Jolux Windows ■■ Event In 2002, 42-year-old Chris Plantefève founded one of the first PVC window production companies in Belgium, in the small town of Sint-Pieters-Leeuw near Brussels. Addition- ally, in 2012, he began production of aluminium components. However, Chris Plantefève has been running his own company since 1988.The 25th anniversary of the company’s establish- ment was celebrated with employees and customers on 29 August 2013. He spoke to Roto Inside about a significant day in all the halls and rooms of his company. “We have intentionally shown what makes us what we are today,” explained Chris Plantefève and goes on to explain why: “Our customers are very interested in the technological progress of our products. For this reason, we organised guided tours through all of our production areas and presented our latest innovations.” A few months after the anniversary celebration, owner Chris Plantefève considers the following to be particu- larly valuable: “On that day, many customers gained insights to supportive arguments in our favour, along with ways in which they can differentiate between the windows of the competition and high-quality Jolux windows in a sales pitch. During the anniversary celebration, we succeeded in praising the past, as well as inciting the desire for future achievements. I am very proud of that.” A company with substance He should certainly be proud of the continuous growth of Jolux Windows. Today, in Sint-Pieters-Leeuw, around 11,000 windows and 1,500 doors are produced annually, using PVC in a variety of designs and colours. Aluminium production turned out a total of 1,000 windows and 200 doors in 2013 alone. Chris Plantefève has been working with Roto for fifteen years in all production areas. “Over so many years, we have not once regretted choos- ing Roto,” says Johan Eeckhout, Technical Manager at Jolux. “The service has always been great and today we don’t even Chris Plantefève was pleased to show off his modern production facilities to guests during the course of the anniversary celebration. Chris Plantefève manufactures PVC windows in the small town of Sint-Pieters-Leeuw near Brussels. start working on a new project until we have spoken with Roto.” Roto Customer Consultant Karel Vanderweeën is also satisfied with the long-running partnership. “The management at Jolux knows how to ensure a quality-oriented, sustainable company development. New developments at Roto are always of interest to Sint-Pieters-Leeuw and they are usually used within a short period of time, like the recent Roto NT for aluminium windows. Expertise of window manu- facturers in Iran Elham Shekarriz, responsible for marketing and sales in Iran, and Arash Tandorost, technical consultant, have been working together for Roto on the Iran window market for many years. More than 3,000 manufacturers in the country produce PVC windows. Nevertheless, every year, modern windows replace only around 1 to 3 per cent of the 83 million metal windows that are still usual components in existing buildings. “But this rate will and must increase, since energy costs are steadily rising in Iran as well,” explains Elham Shekarriz. At the same time, new construction in the country exploded in 2013 by 37.7 per cent compared to the previous year. Seventy per cent of Iranians live in their own property. the windows in only ten per cent of all buildings meet the desired technical standard. At the same time, some 1.5 million new apartments are required per year to ensure that the next generation has sufficient space to establish their families. Therefore, the chances for very good development by Hooramco are perfect.” Advancing into the group of leading companies In five years at the latest, if things go accord- ing to plans laid by the company founders, Hooramco intends to be one of the five largest window manufacturers in Iran. According to Reza Kazemi, what makes the company successful is both the quality of the products and the transparent pricing and sales strategy. “Our customers consider us a completely serious and reliable partner. Delivery reliability, after-sales service – there are a whole range of characteristics with which we are able to differentiate ourselves positively above the market average.” From the point of view of Reza Kazemi, this will soon be a good reason for customers outside of Iran to work with Hooramco. “In the domestic market, we have established a stable service and a qualitatively convincing production. This sets the foundation for our own export department. We now intend to found one and will attempt to locate customers in neighbouring countries.”

Roto Inside 26 (EN)

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