Opening Opportunities

CW identifies window and door systems with the biggest potential.

Overall demand for UPVC shot up in 2015 to about 51,000 tonne from 34,000 tonne a year earlier. Some of this off-take has been channelled to UPVC window and door systems; clearly, demand for UPVC is charting an upward trend.

At present, however, UPVC systems enjoy only about 10-15 per cent of the windows and doors market, reckons Mahesh Londhe, Technical Head, Veka India. Meanwhile, less expensive aluminium systems have cornered 40-45 per cent of demand; wooden systems occupy 30-35 per cent of the market; and steel systems make up 8-10 per cent.

Why aluminium is in demand!

Aluminium windows typically cost Rs 200-250 per sq ft as against UPVC window systems, which start at Rs 300-350 per sq ft. According to Londhe, “Aluminium windows are less pricy than UPVC systems because they are made of a standard metal alloy, which lends itself to limited handling – aluminium can be powder-coated or anodised. In contrast, UPVC systems come in a variety of compositions. Some profiles contain higher proportions of titanium dioxide to withstand tropical climatic conditions.”

Higher growth in the production of aluminium in India than globally and the overall low per-capita aluminium consumption figures here – 1.3 kg in India versus 12 kg in China, 28 kg in the US, 39 kg in Germany, and 7.8 kg globally – show that there is plenty of scope for growth in the uptake of aluminium systems.