Vetrex is Poland’s leading producer of premium class windows, doors and façade systems. It is a part of the LIEBOT Windows and Façade Group and this year it celebrates its 20th anniversary. Dariusz Balcerzyk reports.
Vetrex, a company from Rokitki, near Gdansk, offers PVC and aluminium windows and doors, as well as façade systems. “We have been producing windows for 20 years. During this time, thousands of investors and clients have trusted us and we have not disappointed them,” points out Daniel Malinowski, Vetrex vice-president.
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The company was founded in 1997 and was initially involved in the production of windows for the local market. However, its dynamic sales growth has resulted in the rapid development of the company. In 2002, it purchased 3.5 ha of ground in Rokitki, built a new production hall and offices, and finally moved there in 2004. Since that time, Vetrex has grown enough to offer its products all over Poland. It currently employs 350 people and its daily production capacity is estimated at more than 1000 window units. In 2016, its total annual sales exceeded PLN 100 million (approx. €24 million).
“The economic crisis that took place in Europe in 2008 has made us more aware of the need to strengthen our brand. After doing a lot of market research we decided to focus on the premium woodwork segment. This, in turn, resulted in the need to introduce a new quality of product, as well as providing a higher level of support for our partners. Over the next few years we have built a strong network of authorised dealers, which currently counts 80 points throughout Poland,” explains Mr Malinowski.
Important part of the group
This development was noticed by the Liebot Group from France, Europe’s largest producer of windows, doors and façades, which was looking for partners to develop its foreign sales. The Liebot Group consists of manufacturers specialising in providing woodwork solutions of the highest quality. It achieves revenues of €510 million, and employs people in France, Poland, Spain and Italy.
“We have thoroughly explored the Polish market and have chosen Vetrex because of its well-established market position, the quality and technological sophistication of its products, and the client trust it has built up over the years. We are also impressed by its transparency and its consistency in achieving its goals, resulting in the creation of a true European premium brand,” said Bruno Leger, CEO of the Liebot Group, in 2014.
“We gained an investor and at the same time a strong partner with whom we can see greater opportunities to expand our offer and improve our products,” adds Mr Malinowski. “The long tradition and prestige of the group obliges us to continuously increase standards. At the same time, being a part of the consortium we can dynamically develop and access breakthrough technologies.”
The company’s exports account for about 30 per cent of total sales, and are growing steadily. In the coming years, they should reach 50 per cent. Germany and Italy are Vetrex’s main foreign markets, followed by the Scandinavian countries, Luxembourg, Belgium, Switzerland, France and the Netherlands. “We do our best to properly plan our presence on foreign markets. Recently, we have established two local companies in Germany and Italy, each with separate sales structures. We adjust our offer to customers’ expectations, which are specific for each country: e.g. in Poland and Germany energy-efficient products make up 80 per cent of our sales, while coloured doors and windows, as well as renovation windows, are popular in Italy, and windows with monoblock frames are particularly popular in France,” explains Mr Malinowski.
At the cutting edge
Vetrex windows and doors are at the leading edge of energy-efficient systems. Meeting the European standards, Vetrex’s offer has the most laboratory-tested constructions. All its windows and doors are subject to specialist tests in notable research units, such as the Window Research Institute IFT Rosenheim and the Construction Research Institute in Warsaw, supervised by the Minister of Infrastructure and Construction. The company owns a professional laboratory with a chamber to test extra-large woodwork constructions.
Vetrex products are made using the most advanced technology. The factory is equipped with fully automatic lines for the production of PVC woodwork, which includes cutting and machining centres for PVC profiles and 4-head welding machines cooperating with milling and cleaning centres; it has a modern line to produce aluminium woodwork with a numerically controlled machining centre for aluminium profiles.
“We do not compromise on quality: we collaborate only with the best suppliers and we are focused on long-term cooperation, in which a low price is not the main factor for us,” points out Mr Malinowski.
In its 20th year of business, Vetrex is optimistic about the future: its sales network is growing, new products are being introduced, and the construction of a new factory has been finished; starting the next year, very modern doors will be produced in that factory. This is a good starting point for another 20 successful years in business.