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“Our unique business model is a first in this industry and has been the key to our success”

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Please tell us about your company Fenesta, and yourself? How long the company has been in this business in the Indian market?

Having pioneered the design, manufacture, installation and service of precision-engineered, 100% customized uPVC and Aluminium windows and doors, Fenesta is a part of Rs. 7771 crore, 1889 established, DCM Shriram Group. Fenesta has managed to harness a deep knowledge of the Indian market and global technologies to produce and install over 2.5 million windows. Furthermore, the diverse capabilities of Fenesta have helped launch distinctly innovative product series. Establishing itself as India’s no. 1 brand for windows and doors, Fenesta has a presence in more than 327 cities in India, Bhutan, and Nepal. With regards to myself, I joined DCM Shriram 21 years back and Fenesta 7 years back. I strongly believe that People are the biggest asset of Fenesta and I am proud of the Fenesta Team. I spend a lot of time in team connects, team building and team development.

What are the latest products that have been introduced in the market?

We recently launched the ultraluxury aluminium windows and doors systems, catering to all application needs of retail and institutional customers. The aluminium range enhances and diversifies the company’s product portfolio of UPVC windows and doors and internal and designer doors. Fenesta’s aluminium windows and doors deliver a minimalist, ultra-modern style statement while offering highquality, end-to-end solutions.

Through styles ranging from casement to tilt and turn to sliding windows, non-thermal break casement and slider doors, Fenesta aluminium windows and doors provide a premium design as well as diversity in application. What’s more, these products feature slimmer and sleek frames for seamless experience. Not surprisingly, Fenesta’s aluminium range sets the tone for creating brilliant spaces. We also launched our new range of Fenesta internal & designer doors. These elegant doors are made at state-of-the-art facility by using hybrid polymer – that combines the aesthetics of wood and the durability of polymer. These doors are resistant to termites, waterproof and require negligible maintenance. The doors do not expand or contract with temperature extremes that traditional doors are prone to.

Where are your products manufactured? Tell us about your manufacturing facilities?

We are the only company in India that manufactures its own UPVC blend and profiles. The PVC resins are sourced in-house from another division of DCM Shriram and are sent to the extrusion plant in Kota for manufacturing of a weather resistant special UPVC blend. The profiles extruded in Kota are then sent to factories across the country. The company has fabrication units in Bhiwadi, Chennai and Hyderabad, from where the final products are shipped out to customer sites across the country.

Our Aluminium Fabrication Plant is also located in Bhiwadi. No other company in India has control over the entire supply chain of window manufacturing and installation. It takes all-around expertise in extrusion, design, planning, fabrication, delivery, and installation to produce a world-class window or door.

Could you please tell us about a few of your latest prestigious architectural projects?

Some of our recent key projects include:

• DLF Crest, Gurgaon • Brigade at No 7, Hyderabad

• Prestige Lakeside Habitat and Prestige Falcon City, Bangalore

• Appaswamy Platina, Chennai

• Lemon Tree – Gurgaon, Pune, Udaipur

• Meringues Hotel Mumbai

How do you see the fenestration business evolving in India?

Fenestration business has evolved quite a bit since the launch of Fenesta. Earlier this business was mostly unorganised, however to some extent now it has got into an organised sector. It is expected that in future there will be more consolidated and organised players in this industry. Also, going forward, large windows will be the key for people, not just for natural light but for natural ventilation and view as well. Since people are spending more time at home windows will become essential in home designs.

What has been your organisation’s contribution in bringing about the current revolution in the façade and fenestration sector?

Fenesta is a brand of many ‘firsts’. Our unique business model is a first in this industry and has been the key to our success. Our state-of-the-art manufacturing, complete control over the entire supply chain, from the procurement of PVC resins to the in-house extrusion of profiles followed by design, fabrication, delivery, installation and after sales service. No one else in India offers end-to-end solutions other than Fenesta. Another of our firsts is a product that we launched in 2007, the villa window. It was the first window in the world to have a sash, bug mesh and grill all integrated in one profile.

We are the first to create a brand in the ‘Window Category’ and thereby opened the world of windows for Indian consumers. The tradition in India has been to call a carpenter home to customise the window at the site leading to a mess with no visualisation of the window before it is created. Fenesta had launched the first experience center for windows in the country where customers can touch and feel the product before making the purchase decision. Customers can walk into these experience centers and our trained design experts help them to design their own windows with colors and hardware chosen by them. Alternatively, customers can customise windows on their own using our Fenesta app. These windows are then manufactured at our factories and installed in customer’s house with no on-site mess. A totally hassle-free service.

What do you see as the main challenges faced by the fenestration industry?

The main challenge is the unorganised nature of the industry. There are many players and for quite a few, adherence to the industry standards is difficult which in a way brings bad name to the overall industry. As this is a new industry, the other challenge is that customers have to be made aware about the benefits of the factory made high quality product which means a lot of investment in marketing/awareness campaigns. Most of the industry players do not make this investment and therefore end up fighting for the pie of the same/incremental sized cake with just price as an offering instead of great quality.

Technical support, design and service support are very crucial for a market like India where there is a lot of catching-up to do in terms of international practices and standards. How and what is Fenesta doing in this regard to bring the International standards into practice?

As trends and technologies keep evolving across industries, consumers become more demanding. The fenestration industry in India is no exception. Present-day customers seek more vibrant, innovative and energy-efficient solutions for their interiors. These include doors and windows allowing proper ventilation and natural light while simultaneously blocking external sounds. Undoubtedly, acquiring customers in the era of hyper-competition is challenging. Particularly when customers are connected 24×7 with the Internet. As a result, they are constantly searching for better options and double-checking product claims. Therefore, salespersons need to be aware that some customers may have researched online about the products even before stepping into a fenestration company’s showroom. Fenestration firms should also go beyond the above to drive sustained customer satisfaction. Towards this end, technological tools can play a prominent role in augmenting overall customer experiences. VR Walkthroughs, AR-enabled12 apps, etc. can be used intelligently to ensure the same.

Fenesta is a one-stop solution for all your window and door needs. We help in your window design selection, measure each window aperture, design as per your needs, monitor production at state-of-theart factories, supervise installation and ensure after sales service. 365 Days Customer Support Trained manpower in each region and and a nationwide customer care centre serves a long and impressive roster of national clients, both institutional and retail on all 365 days of the year. To serve individual homeowners, Fenesta also has special service stations complete with installation teams and aftersales support, dedicated to each territory of a city.

How has the present pandemic situation affected the fenestration market as a whole and your company’s business?

The Covid-19 outbreak has caused a significant economic impact across industries in the world, and windows and doors industry is no different. The

initial months of lockdown and restrictions on movement, along with manufacturing operations caused a serious blow to the industry. The demand for products dropped in the initial months due to complete lockdown and reduced spending capacity of people, owing to job losses and pay cuts. In spite of the testing time and changing customer demands, our business reached pre-COVID volumes by July/August. New product ranges like Internal doors and Aluminium Windows & Doors are getting a lot of traction in the market. Post a slight slowdown in the initial phase, the renovation trend has picked up pretty well and sales of all the product ranges soared. A lot of customers are coming back to us considering that in these uncertain times, only we will be able to deliver and install the windows. This shows the strength of the Brand that we have built over the years. With the increased importance of safety during this time, more and more people prefer to stay indoors. This also means consumers will be more open to purchasing good quality windows and doors.

Tell us about your channel expansion strategies in the market.

With the rapid growth in the uPVC Windows & Doors industry in India, the brand endeavours to further increase its market shares and maintain its leadership position in future. The combination of an aggressive marketing strategy, variety of products and rapid retail expansion, including Tier 2 and Tier 3 markets, will help us reach our goal. The marketing strategy is fashioned such that it creates engagement, education and an experiential purchase for the customer. Currently, Fenesta has around 210 channel partners and we intend to grow this further.

Where do you see your company and the industry in 2025?

Increasing consumer expenditure on construction and renovation of commercial & residential buildings will drive Indian windows and doors market growth. Booming demand for energy efficient and impact-resistant housing infrastructure will lead the industry towards more innovative product materials. We do expect the overall industry to witness double digit growth in the short to medium term. Fenesta being the market leader is expected to improve its market share year on year. Overall, the window and door market shows very interesting and positive trends. We are happy as manufacturers and suppliers of windows and doors as it gives us huge scope in both new constructions as well as the renovation and replacement market.