Luc Vankemmelbeke (Deceuninck): The Future is a Window We Can Recycle for the Next Three Hundred Years

As one of the world’s leading manufacturers of profile PVC systems for windows and doors, as well as terrace, facade, and roofing systems made from patented wood and plastic material Twinson, PVC, and aluminum, Belgian Deceuninck operates in over 90 countries and employs more than 3,700 people. In Croatia, headquartered in Dugo Selo, it has been operating since 2004 and currently has production and storage facilities divided across three locations. By investing in a new modern facility with increased capacity, the goal is to integrate all activities, emphasizes Luc Vankemmelbeke, CEO of Deceuninck, a company whose construction products are all durable, easy to maintain, and fully recyclable.

What does the new facility mean for your business in Croatia and neighboring countries?

– This important step emphasizes Deceuninck’s firm belief in the growth potential of the countries in the region. Besides local markets, the factory in Zagreb is well positioned for other important markets. Our well-trained people with extensive experience in processes and products will move to this new facility.

You operate worldwide. How did you perform last year?

– Deceuninck is a truly global player. We are distributed across four main zones: Europe, the United States, Turkey, and developing markets, from Chile through Colombia to India. Why is this important? Namely, we are not the largest player in our market, but we are the most global. This means that the challenges of the continent or country in which we operate are often very different. The geographical spread of the Group is one of its strongest assets. To meet the needs of local markets, we strive to be an agile organization with an efficient and flexible industrial footprint. The availability of resources will remain crucial and requires flexibility to maintain the trust of our customers as their true partner. In 2021, our consolidated sales worldwide significantly increased – by 30.5 percent, reaching a new record of 838.1 million euros.

How do the economic, energy, and war crises in the world affect your business?

– There are two important aspects: availability on one side and price on the other. Regarding availability, we have never run out of resin; only some necessary additives were unavailable or difficult to procure, so we had to work with different formulas and operate differently in the factories. Delivery instability makes planning difficult for us, but pigments for colors have had the most impact. Simply put, we could no longer offer certain colors. Meanwhile, the market has somewhat stabilized, and we can assess it better. Besides availability, the price aspect is currently catastrophic. The price of our resin has more than doubled since 2021, which is significant. After all, it is the same everywhere; everyone is complaining, but in the end, we have only two choices: either stop producing or continue calculating. Compared to the circumstances ten to fifteen years ago, inflation is now present in the system, primarily driven by energy prices, labor, and increased transportation costs. Our generation has actually never experienced inflation; prices have not risen since 2000. And now they are: prices are rising, wages are rising. New construction will become more expensive, which is why I expect solid growth in renovations, partly due to subsidies. I believe the trend of building smaller houses, terraced houses, or houses with three families will continue. But that is also a sustainable evolution.

Since such conditions have also affected the business of your partners worldwide, how do you continue to collaborate?

– Of course, in a positive spirit. We seek long-term and deep partnerships, which in itself has value. We are in this business for the long term, just like our customers. We will have to adapt together to market changes, which will further strengthen our collaboration.

You are among the leading companies investing in environmental preservation. What measures are you implementing, what goals have you set, and what have you achieved so far?

– We already have a 100 percent recycled window: Phoenix. That is excellent in itself. The carpenter removes the old window, it is recycled in an energy-efficient manner, and we turn it into a new window. The lifespan of PVC windows is at least 35 years, and we can recycle them at least eight times, so three hundred years later, we are still making those same PVC windows. That is the future. Our ambition is to save old windows from landfills or incineration. In 2021, 17,400 tons were recycled in our recycling plant in Diksmuide, Belgium. We continuously invest in significantly expanding that capacity. We have also committed to setting emission reduction targets in line with the science-based net-zero initiative ‘Science Based Targets – SBTi’. Deceuninck has joined the ‘Business Ambition for 1.5°C’ campaign, a global group of companies aligning with the Paris Agreement’s goal to limit global warming to 1.5°C. We will reduce our CO2 emissions by 60 percent by 2030 and commit to achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions across the entire value chain by 2050.

Which of your products have you innovated?

– The ‘Elegant’ range for windows and doors, based on the uniquely developed iCOR principle, is the result of putting our core product design values into practice. This range is Deceuninck’s ultimate window concept: it can be 100 percent recycled and is the best available solution for steel windows and doors. It is the first of many window designs powered by Deceuninck’s new universal platform iCOR. This modular approach allows for the standardization of processes, resulting in a significant reduction in complexity. The extraordinary ThermoFibra technology replaces steel reinforcement in window and door profiles with structural glass fibers. The Elegant design and its 100 percent recyclability have already received international awards: the German Innovation Award, the German Design Award, and the ‘Red Dot’ Award.

What are the most important features of your products?

– There are many, but three stand out. The use of recycled material in our products: the average rate of recycled PVC used in production is 17 percent, and the rate of recycled material in 2021 by product type or brand for Elegant, Zendow, and Twinson is up to 30 percent and 100 percent for Phoenix. Our ThermoFibra provides even stronger insulation performance and is a unique technology developed by Deceuninck. Until 2012, PVC profiles were reinforced with steel, and in ThermoFibra, glass fibers are embedded in the profile. The two main advantages are improved insulation value, as the removal of steel reinforcement also eliminates thermal bridging, resulting in high insulation values, and the glass fibers strengthen the profiles more than ever, allowing for achieving the same performance with narrower profiles. There is also the high aesthetic value of our ‘Elegant’ range, which is indistinguishable from aluminum windows and doors. These products are elegant and slim and can be made in all colors and finishes.