Digitalisation in the window industry

It goes without saying that windows and doors are also becoming digital with the use of sensors and actuators. New technologies with added value will spread rapidly and lead to disruptive changes. Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for processing user and customer data in particular, voice control, 3D printers, objects and items for everyday use with sensors and Internet connectivity (IoT) as well as Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) will lead to substantial changes. Analyses of successful online business models demonstrate that savings in costs along with simplified processes and interpretation of customer and user data result in enhanced added value.

Online sales opportunities can enormously expand the sales radius of competent, innovative and flexible companies. Those who can do something special and presents this skill via search engine optimisation (SEO) on the Internet, can acquire customers worldwide. This may benefit handicraft enterprises capable of solving complex problems — this cannot be copied. In the windows sector, this could include windows and building elements with a combination of design and sophisticated functions such as high level of thermal, acoustic and burglary protection.

Entry into digital technologies is not a cost related issue, but a problem of the scarcity of time available with managers and entrepreneurs. The reason for this is that in medium-sized and handicraft enterprises, the entrepreneur is operationally deeply involved and occupied by various management tasks. Rethinking is needed here and digitalisation must be accorded top priority before tasks can be assigned to service providers or employees. Companies have to form networks and cooperate more closely with universities, institutes, associations and software providers.

According to a study, the companies can be divided as follows into medium-sized and handicraft hierarchies [1]:

• 10% of the companies will become pioneers concerning digital development of skills and corporate application ("early innovators"),
• 40% of the financially healthy companies will presumably mushroom in time, but still be successful as latecomers in the trend of digitalisation,
• 50% of the companies will remain in denial for a long time until they are no longer competitive at all or are "forced to digitalise" by market developments.

In essence, digitalisation means nothing more than the creation of digital "images" of physical objects and events as well as analogue communication (language). This data can be collected, saved, analysed and used. In connection with computational and analytical methods (algorithms) patterns are recognised, for which then, actions are defined and executed automatically. Compared to human actions, this is incomparably fast and low-priced. In this way, data becomes an important basis for new businesses. It is not surprising that powerful online portals have evolved, which use the physical resources of others and only organise the facilitation of supply and demand (Uber, airbnb, Flixbus, Verivox, ebay and many others). As soon as one portal is established and gets accepted in a given product area, the rules change fundamentally.

Today, the majority of human beings order products and services online. The purchase of durable and complex products such as windows and doors, however, is still a matter of trust for many, and personal contact is desired. In the process, competent consulting combined with installation is important. In particular, the functional correlation of assembly and building elements as well as the availability in case of complaints and faults is a decisive argument in favour of a local purchase. This is why manufacturers, dealers and installation companies with personal contact to the customer have good opportunities compared to online shops.

Nevertheless, purchase of windows and building elements via good online shops gets established provides a strong competition to traditional sales. The same rules apply to online sales as those applicable to analogue sales. A detailed explanation of product and technology, focus on reliability and quality as well as offering professional installation are decisive arguments in favour of purchase. Professional window buyers such as construction companies, building element dealers or real estate companies are already using web-based order processing today. Hence, relevant web interfaces are integrated in the majority of window construction programs, which can be used by industrial customers and dealers.

For all online purchases, the purchasing behaviour is also highly influenced by the simplicity of the ordering process as well as information, comparison and evaluation portals. According to a research study conducted by Splendid Research, online evaluations are important for 67.4% of the buyers for the information and for 63.8% of the buyers for purchase of a product. The higher the price of the product, the more pronounced is the need for information. In the windows industry, however, most of the websites of manufacturers and dealers are still far from the level that purchasing portals or Amazon offer. Window manufacturers and dealers who invest here and work actively with customer feedback and reward such feedback, can position themselves successfully.

The construction and expansion sector is characterised by customised design and the degree of standardisation and serial pre-production is lower than in other sectors, which means that there are many interfaces, information gaps and work-intensive processes. The efficiency potential of digitalisation for work organisation, material logistics and installation is estimated to be 30% to 50%. Many digital services are aimed at automating the interfaces and information flow with digital measurements, control of CNC machines as well as simple documentation of production and installation. The windows industry is well positioned here because powerful software programs are available that support all necessary processes ranging from offer, planning and production up to installation and maintenance. Compared to the use of different software products (island solution), interfaces are no longer required and continuous transfer and use of data is simpler.

In the expansion sector, "smart home" products provide additional boost towards digitalisation. Companies and specialists who have to grapple intensively with controllers, sensor systems, Internet connections, etc., can also offer new digital products and services successfully. However, what remains difficult include the interfaces to the planners, clients and other subsystems.

For the windows industry, there are applications that contain CAD functions as well as consistent and secure use of design data without interfaces and information gaps. Even geometrically demanding window and facade geometries and conservatories can be designed and manufactured with these 3D CAD planning tools. Standard profile systems or customised construction details can be used, which can then be implemented time and again in all projects, and which automatically adapt themselves to the respective dimensions and angles. The software can generate three-dimensional views for presentation to clients and planners (augmented reality) as well as create production data with glazing and profile lists and cutting data, which can be transferred directly to a CNC machine.

The design and planning of buildings has been carried out with the help of CAD software for more than 25 years now. But up to now, the necessary data of building materials and building elements have been missing at the beginning of the planning, so that many adjustments and changes in the work planning became necessary. Now there are a lot of advantages with enhanced IT systems, faster computers and cloud based data storage. This costs can be reduced considerably, for example because higher costs due to deviations from standard dimensions lead to increased waste or details have to be replanned. BIM offers a data model, which ideally supplements the existing CAD systems. Geometric data can be supplemented by comprehensive information to building materials and components, for example, shape, colour, possible dimensions, technical function and much more. This provides significant benefits to building owners, general contractors, building component manufacturers and planner:

• Better flow of information, since interfaces are omitted,
• All stakeholders can access current data centrally at any time ("single source of truth"),
• Quick adaptation of the existing planning and simultaneous information for the project stakeholders,
• Defined workflows with potential for ongoing optimisation and faster decision-making processes
• Greater transparency across all processes, time and quantity planning, and thus, project costs,
• Fewer errors, because geometric and functional conflicts emerge much earlier in the 3D planning process (collision management),
• Greater level of detail at an early planning phase optimises the planning process and minimises the risk (no more detailed planning at the construction site),
• Comprehensive information is available for efficient and sustainable management of the building when updating the data until acceptance.

In the construction and expansion sector, the several interfaces, information gaps and administrative processes consume large amounts of time and money. Efficiency potential with work organisation, material logistics and installation are estimated to be 30% to 50%. With the European Construction Products Regulation (CPR) coming into force, obligations for technical documentation have been defined for manufacturers in order to prepare a declaration of performance (DoP). The manufacturer has to specify the correct characteristic values at his own responsibility and needs test certificates, design descriptions and documents of the factory production control (FPC) for this purpose. With the declaration of performance, the manufacturer declares conformity with the product standard and legally certifies compliance with technical properties and characteristic values such as thermal insulation, sound insulation, air permeability, resistance to wind load or resistance to watertightness.

The construction and real estate sector consume large quantities of energy and raw materials (grey energy) for the production and utilisation of buildings. In the amendment of the Construction Products Regulation (CPR), the "sustainable utilisation of natural resources" was consequently included as the seventh "essential requirement". "[…] It must be possible to recycle the building, its construction materials and parts after demolition" [...] Environmentally friendly raw materials and secondary building materials must be used for the structure." The regulation foresees an evaluation to be carried out by an SPD. At the same time, the importance of certification systems for sustainable building (LEED, BREEAM as well as BNB, DGNB) is increasingly rising, which makes it meaningful to prepare data that provides the necessary information. This is why manufacturers of building elements are obligated to determine the relevant data and product information and to hand them over to the building user, who needs these data for the period of use, conversions or disassembly. Hence, a secure long-term storage of the data is necessary.

Automated EPD Creation

The preparation of an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) is like a mosaic for several items of data have to be determined from different areas, e.g. the materials used (frames, seals, fittings, glazing, etc.), production, transport and installation. This enables statements on the environmental impact of a product, for example on energy consumption, greenhouse gas (CO2) or water consumption. To support manufacturers of windows, facades, doors and gates etc. even with the preparation of product specific EPDs, ift Rosenheim has created an EPD tool, so customised EPDs for manufacturers, products and projects can be created at the click of a mouse on the basis of product-specific or project-specific data.