ALUKÖNIGSTAHL:Excellent, beautiful and sustainable solutions for Tirana’s towers and Albania’s construction projects. Safe and high quality.

BY RUDINA HOXHA & JOSE PINTO

AluKönigStahl does not stop a minute, it did not even during 2020 despite the pandemic. Driven by technology and innovation, this company of 150 years of partnership and quality, kept invented products that fit in various types of projects, thus enlarging the portfolio of products and its clients worldwide. In an exclusive interview with TRAILBLAZING MAGAZINE, Alexander Riemer, Head of Product Management Schüco at AluKönigStahl describes how this company travelled throughout 2020 and the new products it introduced to its clients. “AluKönigStahl started the “AKS Online Workshop Days” in the summer. Over the course of 24 online seminars, each about 1 to 1,5 hours, we reported on new products and on technical topics. This included questions on building physics, information on sun protection, our software solutions and, of course, we also exhibited new products,” Riemer told TRAILBLAZING MAGAZINE. He is happy the Albanian market is ‘devouring’ Schüco and Jansen products. “As for new projects, I can say that we are in the bidding phase in almost all the towers that are under construction in Tirana,” Riemer says, adding “There is also increased interest from private owners to install Schüco Brand Systems in their individual luxury villas!”

Read the full interview below:

How was 2020 for AluKönigStahl and how much did technology/ innovation come to your aid?

The company started 2020 full of enthusiasm and ideas. Like everywhere else in the world, information about Covid reached us around February and action was taken in all organisations. First and foremost, this meant cancelling planned events and transferring our activities online.

AluKönigStahl started the “AKS Online Workshop Days” in the summer. Over the course of 24 online seminars, each about 1 to 1,5 hours, we reported on new products and on technical topics. This included questions on building physics, information on sun protection, our software solutions and, of course, we also exhibited new products. The 24 topics were presented in both German and English.

In the case of sliding doors particularly, we expanded our product range to so-called

Panorama Design variants. These can be operated manually or motorised. Panorama means that aluminium frames are invisibly built into the wall and the central hooking areas are extremely slim. Many types can be built, according to the taste and wishes of the client: straight solutions, over-corner solutions, 1-rail, 2-rail and 3-rail installations up to 18 m wide. Particularly attractive are the “InWall” solutions, where the sliding doors retract sideways into the wall when opened and are then invisible.

In the field of façades, we introduced the new Schüco Unitized Dynamic Construction UDC 80 unitised façade series as of the end of 2020. Prefabricated façades consist of sub-elements that are prepared entirely in the workshop. The frames, which can weigh up to 1.5 t, can be quickly assembled on site one after the other and lined up one above the other so installation takes place in a short space of time. Particularly unusual shapes can be realised, such as diagonally mounted cross profiles, and it is also easy to shift panels sideways.

In the window sector, we presented the Schüco AWS 75 PD.SI series, a solution with particularly narrow frame profiles, for which a

special handle design is also available. As with the sliding doors, a point has been reached at which very elegant solutions can be built.

Most products can be electrified. Either one only checks by a magnetic switch whether the elements are open or closed. For windows and sliding doors, there are completely concealed motor solutions and for door systems, elegant access controls are possible with the Schüco DCS Door Control System.

We also presented ventilation units for room ventilation such as the Schüco VentoTherm Twist or the particularly sound-insulated Schüco VentoFrame Asonic. During light activity, a person breathes 20l of CO2 and 35g of water into the room per hour, and quantities are quickly produced that reduce the ability to concentrate. In summer, windows can be opened, but in the transitional months and in winter, such ventilation is very pleasant and beneficial.

The decisive factor for planners, architects and clients is that the elements look good when they are installed and that you see as much to the outside with as few frames as possible. For metal construction companies, the most important thing is that the constructions are easy to work with and easy to install.

The webinars were used by our partners and it was a surprise for us that so many employees from companies in all the countries we serve, took part. Because of that, we will continue that service. In connection to our online webinars, we should also mention the fundamentally enormous push in the field of digitalisation. For example, we have been offering our customers and partners our entire documentation online for many years - subdivided into information for architects and planners as well as for metal construction companies.

Schüco and Jansen offer calculation programs that can also control machines and thus enable the processing of profiles, thus improving the production quality.

This software is also the basis for the Schüco SPC product configurator. Panorama sliding doors and entrance doors can be configured in a similar way to how online configurators from the car industry work.

Other digital tools include BIM, i.e., the digital preparation of building projects. And the next steps will be EDI systems, which means direct ordering processes between our customers and us.

How successful has AluKönigStahl been in the Albanian market so far and can you mention any new projects for 2021 and beyond?

The Albanian market is quite unique and complex for doing business. AluKönigStahl has managed to be very successful in different referential projects.

I could mention a few iconic towers in the centre of Tirana, which have been developed using Schüco Brand Systems. The redesign of the National Stadium, reconstruction of the National Theatre and Assembly, the Rainbow Center and the new offices of the

Albanian Football Association. Also, Tirana Forever Green, for which I’d like to give my special thanks to Investor Mr. Xhaferi for entrusting us and our local Partner “Teha Construction”, to accomplish this wonderful project!

As for new projects, I can say that we are in the bidding phase in almost all the towers that are under construction in Tirana. We already started implementation of our systems in the Orion Business Center. There is also increased interest from private owners to install Schüco Brand Systems in their individual luxury villas!

Is AluKönigStahl planning to venture into any new markets in the near future?

AluKönigStahl is the license partner of Schüco and Jansen in the systems sector. For Schüco, we currently serve the markets of Bulgaria, Romania,

Hungary, Austria, Serbia, Bosnia

Hercegovina, Albania, Northern Macedonia, Kosovo, Moldova and

Montenegro, Slovenia and Croatia.

For Jansen, there is also Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

We always like to look beyond the borders, but there are plenty of interesting and challenging subjects in the countries mentioned.

What are the most significant market challenges in the steel and aluminium industry at present, and how is AluKönigStahl addressing them?

One of the special challenges of today is ‘resource-friendly’ material management. This means that components that are dismantled should be returned to the material cycle. Aluminium is a particularly valuable material here because it can easily be reused. Several Cradle to Cradle - C2C certificates exist for our series.

Another important topic is building certificates. Certificates are issued according to specific criteria on ecology, economy and human use, which provide a buyer with information on how carefully a project was developed and which materials were used. Corresponding certificates and web platforms have been created in this way, which planners already use extensively.

The most important requirement, however, is that in addition to the now much-used online meetings, we continue to have personal contact with our clients and partners. This promotes a good

climate for discussion and the health of all of us is maintained so we can return to a regular business life after the end of the Covid period.

Over more than a decade, what improvements have AluKönigStahl made to their existing products to achieve such high-quality products that can fit any type of project?

The special feature of Schüco and Jansen products - as also in the steel trade - is that, with all due respect to our competitors, our product range is far wider than that of any other supplier.

You can obtain all products you need in the building envelope from us along with the appropriate advice and counselling support, organisationally, technically and in terms of calculation and design. Our team deals with solutions for high-rise buildings, renovation solutions, private buildings, commercial buildings and solutions for schools, universities and hospitals. This includes fire protection, blast and burglary protection, bullet resistance, lightning protection and solutions for connection to building management systems.

If a solution outside of the existing catalogues is needed, our employees in the technical departments come on the scene. They deal with special solutions and project-specific elaborations. This can result in 30 -50 special profiles or items for just one particular project, secured and co-confirmed by Schüco and Jansen.

Only high-quality products offer a long service life, good function and are also a beautiful design with minimal or no requirement for maintenance. That is our credo.