The fenestration industry in India has gone through a sea change in the last few years. What started way back in the 80s and 90s by the erstwhile Indian Aluminium Company – INDAL and pushed by other Aluminium majors – Jindal, Hindalco and others, seems to be maturing now.
In the late 80s and early 90s, INDAL started taking keen interest in the fenestration industry and brought in Hydro, the global leader in Aluminium Building Systems. The JV Indal Hydro Extrusions Limited took off well with the launch of DOMAL. The JV lasted till about 2000. Hydro decided to stay back in Building Systems but backed out of extrusions. In the mean time, INDAL was taken over by HINDALCO.
The period 1990 to 2005 was an interesting phase. DOMAL was the only Aluminium systems company in India with a unique model of authorized fabricators with imported machinery and technical know-how to supply good quality Aluminium windows. DOMAL’s popularity attracted other Italian system companies – AluK and Metra. AluK tied up with an Indian contractor, Alupro, in Bangalore while Metra couldn’t find a successful partner. Alkarma in Delhi was the first contractor to tie up with Thermosash, New Zealand, in the early 90s.
Being the most popular Aluminium systems company in India, DOMAL became the target of numerous people across the country. DOMAL has inspired a number of companies till date and even today DOMAL is the most popular series that has been duplicated and imitated. Hydro brought in not only Aluminium Systems but also leading machinery companies – Emmegi and FOM to India. Around the same time LGF, Italy entered India. Some of the leading Aluminium contractors started investing in machines to enhance their production and provide quality systems. Permasteelisa – the largest aluminium contractor, during that time, entered the market as a JV partner with ECIE in Bengaluru and eventually set its own operation in Hosur. The LGF distributor started marketing popular Italian hardware too. Alutec from Italy, too entered the market in the early 2000s.
The Aluminium Building Systems Industry began to evolve 2006 onwards. In 2005, Elumatec – the world’s leading machinery company, started operations in India. This attracted a lot of European Aluminium and UPVC companies to India. Reynaers came to India and set up their office in Pune in 2006 followed by Schueco in Bengaluru in 2007 and Sapa in Mumbai in 2008. With this, the popularity of System windows emerged. People started talking of European hardware, Euro Groove, Wind loads, Testing and standards. Some leading Indian fabricators started designing their own systems based on Euro groove. Lesser known European Systems like EFP also entered the market.
Today, India is at cross-roads – whether to adapt to European System Companies or to develop on its own. One segment of companies says ‘why reinvent the wheel, let’s adapt’. Some of them feel they need to develop new technology as per local conditions here. Some System companies like Schueco have developed new systems for the Indian market. Some feel they should first develop their own standards, and then systems would follow. Instead of following EN, AAMA, ASTM, or others, we need standards and codes for Aluminium Building Systems. These codes will help System Companies in designing, developing or adapting systems for the Indian Market. Without this, the dilemma will continue- whether to adapt or innovate!
I would go with the option of development of indigenous standards for use of material and design for aluminium building and fencing systems. Our climatic, economic and use norms western designs and norms is probably the prime cause of failure of aluminium to take of well in this sector in India. If we do not have the intellectual and attitudinal norms and strength to research and develop indigenous designs and norms- then- why only look west- there are excellent tropical designs in China ,Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Australia etc. too !
Hi……….
Thanks for sharing your info. I really appreciate your efforts and I will be waiting for your further write ups thanks once again.
Dear Mr. Pani,
Very true. Indian Industry needs it’s own standard.
The Industry has joined hands and formed an association – Indian Facade and Fenestration Association – IFFA of which I am one of the Founders. One of the first steps we have taken is to stream line the standards for the Indian Industry.
On 31st of August 2013, there was a meeting with the leading extrusion companies and system companies in India alongwith the Management Committee of IFFA. Mr. Rajat Agarwal – Bhoruka Facades has taken the initiative to get the Extrusion industry together and streamline the standards. Thanks to Rajat’s efforts we have now received a comprehensive list of standards followed by Extruders. IFFA technical team will wet it and discuss further. I will post further updates on this soon.
Thanks,
Satish
Thank you.
It was very informative as i am doing study on extusions.
anil