Besides introducing several high performance products, Fenesta has opened customer experience studios across nine cities, and is offering same day installation service, informs Saket Jain, Business Head, Fenesta Windows
How has the Indian fenestration industry evolved in recent years?
Fenestration has undergone a drastic revamp all over the world, and the trends are fast catching up in India as well. Wood and aluminium still remain the popular material of choice, however, acceptance of uPVC windows and doors is showing a steady increase primarily because of their key merits such as energy efficiency, fire, wind, and moisture-resistant, aesthetic, long lasting, thermally and acoustically insulated, and customization. In fact, uPVC is gradually strengthening its foothold in the country, and with many brands operating in this category, its usage is increasing.
What are the challenges in this industry?
One of the biggest challenges in the past decade has been customers' perception that conventional windows are stronger than the modern uPVC windows. The other challenge is the unorganized market. Since there is no standard for windows and no standard manufacturing practices in India, a lot of customers go for cheaper windows of local unorganized fabricators and brands, which follow no standards. But these windows fail in the long-run, as they cannot withstand the Indian tropical climate and the variance in temperature and wind pressures across geographies.
What growth opportunities do you envisage for Fenesta products?
Fenesta pioneered the concept of uPVC profiles at a time when wood and aluminium were the pre-dominant materials in the country. We have seen the market and consumer behaviour changing over the years. Customers now do a lot of research on the options available in the market before making a purchase decision.
At Fenesta, we try to understand customer needs and the need gaps, and develop our products and services accordingly. For instance, to meet the needs of institutional customers, we recently launched a new series of products and designs, which have got a very positive response. We have grown faster than the market and in double digits.
What is Fenesta's marketing strategy?
Our marketing team is working on a 360 degree brand marketing strategy, and we are expanding our reach across geographies, and have forayed into overseas markets as well. We have nine signature studios operating across nine cities namely, Gurgaon, Noida, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Pune, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, and Kolkata. A first-of-its-kind in the windows industry, these studios are experience centres for customers as they enable better visualization of interior solutions, with life-size displays and an extensive display presentation of product designs. Besides this, we have more than 100 partner showrooms and mobile studios covering upcountry markets. Fenesta's all-India reach covers more than 147 cities, with four factories, and a strong sales & service force of 300+ executives.
What gives Fenesta a competitive edge over other brands?
Besides product innovations like villa window, hurricane bar and rain tracks in windows, we have launched a same day window replacement service, which enables a customer to get old windows uninstalled and new Fenesta windows installed in the same day. So no more nightmares of coordinating with multiples vendors and masons and no security and safety risk of open apertures. We have launched this service in Delhi and Mumbai and will soon launch in other cities as well.
What are the strong points of Fenesta products?
Fenesta has a range of products that suits the fenestration requirement of superior architecture. Our custom–crafted doors/windows made of uPVC offer durability, security, aesthetics and functionality, and are very low on maintenance. They have the finest hardware and options of choosing special glass.
Fenesta has recently introduced a range of doors that provide durability, strength and security. Their insert panels are of a hard skin of uPVC with core filled with foam for high insulation, and their surface design and colour can be customized for a more contemporary look.
Our Villa Windows are the only uPVC casement in the world with a twin sash, a bug mesh and a grill built into the system. They are engineered specifically for Indian conditions to protect interiors from insects and theft without sacrificing ventilation, making them a complete solution for Indian homes.
Fenesta high performance windows and doors are extremely weather resistant, not prone to termites, and do not fade even under sustained exposure to sunlight. They add an architectural dimension to homes and keep out street noise, dust and pollution, rain and wind with their superior insulation and airtight sealing. With its heat insulating framing material UPVC (a poor conductor of heat with a very low U value), double glazing or even triple glazing solutions, and air-tight seals, all the windows and doors offer perfect insulation against the outside heat, resulting in lower energy consumption and reduced air conditioning costs. These windows are also environment friendly as uPVC is a recyclable material.
