Geanova 2020 - The GEALAN magazine

GEALAN
REINVENTED
ISSUE
#02/
2020/2021
IT’S BETTER
WHEN IT’S DIGITAL!
GEALAN’S COMMUNICATION COMPASS
Ones and zeros differentiate
communication, but do not automatically
make it better.
Only good communicators will
communicate well digitally, too.

This detached house,
designed in the Cubist
style, is situated on the
Catalonian coast. The
pool is accessed via
a large lift-slide door
from the GEALAN S
8000 system range.

| CONTENTS |
6
Cover story
It’s better when it’s digital!
Competent, concrete,
consistent: GEALAN
shapes communication.
10
“We go the extra mile”
Sales Excellence
transforms Sales
into a completely
new discipline.
14
Industrial culture
change
Investment time for
GEALAN Polska as it
prepares for the future.
20
Prezydent Rafał
Hussars from Rzgów:
From warehousing
profiles to turning pro?
24
Having visions of
the future without
being a visionary
In the GEALAN
Production Unit in
Tanna, digital systems
perform important
control functions.
30
The latAIRal thinkers
Fresh ideas for
fresh air:
how GEALAN Product
Management is
rethinking ventilation.
29/37
GEANEWS
Climate protection,
online offers,
showroom
inauguration:
GEALAN news
at a glance.
34
Film, television,
windows Interview
with Wolfram
von Bremen
38
A kingdom for
a system
The Netherlands is a
very special country
for windows.
GEANOVA paid
it a visit.
45
Ambitious newcomer
Koen ter Hogt wants
to get ahead at
GEALAN and drive the
organisation forward.
46
Imprint
GEANOVA. GEALAN REINVENTED | 3

Ivica Maurović, Spokesperson
of the Management
Board
Managing Director – Sales,
Marketing and System
Development
Tino Albert,
Managing Director –
Technology and Finance
GEANOVA. GEALAN REINVENTED | 4

| EDITORIAL |
Dear readers,
Thanks for picking up a copy of the new GEANOVA
– packed with interesting GEALAN stories related
in words and in images.
2020 has been a year of change for GEALAN,
during which the organisation has driven forward
a number of transformation processes. A new organisational
culture, reinforced by our corporate
values, and a healthy mix of experienced and
young colleagues, are guarantors of our sustainability.
GEALAN is synonymous with trust, open
communication, team spirit, appreciation and professionalism
in cooperation; these factors are the
bedrock of our success.
Digitalisation and new technologies go hand in
hand with the continued development of our colleagues.
Experience and new skills intertwine and
increase the knowledge potential of every single
GEALAN employee and our organisation as a
whole. Thus, we have again increased our organisation’s
competitiveness and have contributed to the
successful development of our business partners.
2020 is a year that we will remember for a long
time. The COVID-19 pandemic hit us hard. But it
also demonstrated how important it is to be able
to adapt to a new reality. This is a skill that we have
developed and fostered in recent years: meeting
new challenges with the right responses. The
health of our employees is our topmost priority
and we were able to fully protect it. At the same time, we succeeded in maintaining
a high degree of customer satisfaction.
The year was a rollercoaster ride, with highs as well as lows. At the end of October,
our cumulative sales were better than in the previous year. But what is
even more important than robust metrics is the fact that we remained firmly
focused on our strategic priorities and our vision during this rollercoaster ride.
Employee satisfaction, growth on the back of innovative products, positioning
in all the markets relevant to us and increased process efficiency with a clear
focus on quality and service guided us through the crisis. Today, we can assert
that we have used the year to become a better company for all our stakeholders.
We have established cooperative alliances with industry partners, universities
and consultants and have increased our knowledge base, taking it to a
new level. Agility is the new standard, which we are increasingly applying to
our projects, to communication and to our management style. Our passion for
innovation is something that we maintain – even in times of crisis. This is the
only way to ensure the sustainable development of our company.
We would like to express our heartfelt thanks to those of you are supporting
GEALAN’s development. And for those of you who are considering whether to
get to know GEALAN better, we encourage you to do so! We aspire to inspire
people, and we will continue to work hard to realise this vision.
We wish you an inspiring time with GEANOVA!
GEANOVA. GEALAN REINVENTED | 5

| COVER STORY |
It’s better when it’s digital!
GEALAN communicates digitally
with partners and planners: that
much is clear. Ones and zeros
differentiate communication,
but do not automatically make it
better. But people who are able
to successfully transfer analogue
communication skills to the digital
world certainly do. Because only
good communicators also communicate
well digitally.
It’s better when it’s digital. It is better to be able to research information quickly
on the internet than to wade through dictionary entries. It is more practical to
receive emails in next to no time than to wait for the post to arrive. It is much
nicer to stream your favourite series as and when you want to than to have
to wait a couple of days. Everything’s got to be done right here, right now.
Digitalisation is fantastic; it is all the rage. And then Linda Muck (42) says: “More
important than the fact that we communicate digitally is how we communicate
digitally.” While digitality is the preferred approach for the GEALAN Group
Manager – Communications and Public Relations, it is not an end in itself.
Her day starts at home with internet radio and a quick look at Instagram and
Facebook while she drinks her first cup of coffee. Once at the office, she checks
her e-mails, scrolls through LinkedIn and accesses her to-do list in Jira. Linda
Muck lives, thinks and works digitally. But the strategy that she and her team
are pursuing for GEALAN is not tantamount to blind enthusiasm for everything
digital, but rather a very considered approach to every single platform.
“For example, our website does not merely present GEALAN as an organisation,
it really helps people get what they need. A user will only give us their
attention if there is something in it for them. That’s why we work with a good
content management system that keeps the website dynamic.” Every time a
user accesses the website, they are taken to the answers they seek and are also
offered the opportunity to find out more about GEALAN, whether as a fabricator,
a planner or an end customer. “MYGEALAN provides system information,
test certificates and our planning software Planersoftware 2.0 for download.
The closer the relationship with GEALAN, the greater the access permitted.
We respond to questions with information that is available on our website and
nowhere else.” Immediacy is the prime capability of digital GEALAN communications.
This immediacy also applies to social media: GEALAN maintains three channels
– Facebook for communication with end customers, LinkedIn for industry
contacts and XING for recruitment. Facebook is important for the company’s
image as well as for marketing – for example, to show new products in display
campaigns in a targeted manner to those who are specifically interested in
windows. “In some instances, Facebook understands user intent better than
Google does; it knows exactly who is currently in the process of building or renovating
and looking for windows.” GEALAN uses this information. GEALAN posts
on Facebook and LinkedIn twice a week – neither overstating nor understating
GEANOVA. GEALAN REINVENTED | 6

the organisation’s case – and makes it a point to always post regularly because
this increases interaction. “On Facebook, we are displayed next to babies and
kittens, but we do not adapt to the medium in terms of the form of communication
used; we do not use smileys or slang.” GEALAN remains professional,
even in the midst of cat-centric content. The newsletter, which appears twice a
month, plays an important role in maintaining contact with partners; it features
the GEALAN property of the month, company news and seminar invitations.
Even classic advertising is no longer found in industry-specific magazines, but
rather in the organisation’s forays online. Digital events are also gaining importance:
the GEALAN Future Forum is a completely digital live event, featuring
a virtual tour of the Production Unit in Tanna and video chats – planned
by an international team and with the aid of agile project management –
“All of this is new and exciting”.
Linda Muck believes that it is important to define
priorities in digital communication. For example,
deciding against the use of Snapchat or
TikTok because these platforms are currently
not regarded as being suitable for GEALAN.
“Doing a lot, but not doing it well is not an
option; we prefer to continue to pursue
the right strategy.”
Good content invariably underpins corporate
communications. Considered and
intelligently formulated content supplies
users with the information that they need in
the most concise manner possible – and presents
compelling facts and figures about GEALAN. A particular
focus is on B2B decision-makers: “Today, 60 per cent of these
are mill ennials who are completely at home on the internet”,
says Linda Muck. Content is tailored to them. Looking closely
at whom to approach is the second capability boasted by her department.
These days, getting messages out to the public means working on various
platforms as well as behind these platforms: GEALAN uses search engine optimisation
(SEO) and search engine advertising (SEA) to be found as well as
to ensure that its brand name is well-positioned. The company works with
keywords that the target group uses in its searches, tracks the GEALAN webpages
that users are accessing and the actions that they perform. A report
is provided once a month – a mountain of figures that need to be analysed.
“I am a huge fan of numbers”, says Linda Muck. The American and Scandinavian
cultural studies graduate previously worked for a Berlin-based start-up
and a virtual administration office, and was then single-handedly responsible
for the entire online advertising operations for a London-based company that
manufactures innovative adhesives. “When you’re given that kind of responsibility,
you’re completely immersed in the detail. Even now at GEALAN, we look
at what works and what doesn’t and make the necessary adjustments. I am
generally a fan of doing and understanding things for myself, and checking
under the bonnet myself. Also taking the time to apply Google Analytics and
capture the resultant nuances. We know what’s behind every single number.”
GEALAN capability no. 3: to know every detail about digital communication
channels.
Linda Muck spreads GEALAN messages
around the world, not with a megaphone, but
using highly-targeted and carefully selected
methods.
GEANOVA. GEALAN REINVENTED | 7

GEALAN doesn’t just apply expertise internally, it is also generous in its dissemination
of this expertise. An example of this is architectural consulting: GEALAN
supports architects from the early planning stages by providing information
on the windows trade – and even this in an increasingly digital environment.
“Of course, we live in a world of digital planning”, says Head of Architectural
Consulting Peter Czajkowski (57). “This starts with the publication of dimensions
and special releases as PDFs and extends all the way through to the generation
of data for virtual construction planning using Building Information Modelling
(BIM).” But the most important tool that shapes communication between
architects and GEALAN is the in-house planning software Planersoftware 2.0.
It can be used to plan windows together with insulating properties, sound
insulation, protection against burglaries and statics. Is this a communication
medium? Not really, but it is increasingly becoming one: “We are constantly
cramming new digital solutions into the software – which naturally also results
in more questions”, says Czajkowski. “Windows have become complicated and
planners do not deal with these issues on a daily basis; they simply need some
advice.” A current preoccupation is sound because increasing numbers of
neighbourhoods in noisy surroundings are being developed for exclusive, residential
construction; GEALAN’s Planersoftware 2.0 has responded with a new
module that can assess sound insulation. The structural analysis of glass
and the inclusion of the ArchiCAD planning program (in addition
to Revit) are the next steps. “Architects seek our support when
they have questions, and we provide a rapid response.”
Consulting, data exchange and communication that leads
directly from the question to the answer: these are the key
principles of GEALAN Architectural Consulting.
“The overarching vision remains the same: the window planner
works with BIM, the manufacturer takes the measurements
on-site using laser technology, the data package is sent
via the planning software to the Production Unit, which
feeds this directly into the processing machines”, says
Czajkowski. Apart from anything else, using a fully digitalised
chain would save time. A measurement module,
a sound insulation module and exposure of the building’s
structural shell to load – steps are already being taken towards
further developing Planersoftware 2.0 in these directions. “At the
same time, we are also improving our augmented reality tools. For
example, we can demonstrate what the building looks like with profiles
in different colours.” Each of these steps needs to be supported by communication.
GEALAN capability no. 4: having experts in-house who do not
just know the facts, but also know how to explain them.
As simple and direct as a tin can phone:
GEALAN offers its customers a direct line to the profile pro.
Digital communication channels are fantastic, but what is
more important is that there is someone with expertise on
the other end.
GEANOVA. GEALAN REINVENTED | 8

Naturally, the coronavirus pandemic has accelerated digital communication –
and GEALAN is no exception. Video conferences have been around for a long
time, but now they are actually routine. GEALAN does not simply use them as a
back-up solution, the organisation sees the potential behind them, also in terms
of knowledge transfer. “The GEALAN ACADEMY bundles all of our activities in
the area of training and development for our customers and distributors”, says
ACADEMY Head Martin Lutz (56). “The first pillar is constituted by product seminars
in which we share information about our profile systems. The second pillar
is building physics – sound insulation, burglary protection, fall protection, etc. The
third pillar is constituted by law, i.e., construction standards. Overall, we offer an
updated seminar programme each year – and this is also becoming increasingly
digitalised.”
10 a.m. on a Friday is webinar time at GEALAN. “At first it felt a bit strange talking
to a camera instead of an actual audience”, says Peter Czajkowski, who is himself
a lecturer, “but it has now become a matter of routine.” “It makes it much easier
to offer customised seminars”, emphasises Martin Lutz. “Say one of our partners
needs detailed information about a profile system, or German construction
tendering and contract regulations, DIN, the guidelines for flat roofs – that’s no
problem: we put together a customised webinar packet for that partner with everything
that they need to know. This can be made available much more quickly
digitally, even at an international level. But we can also get in touch with our partners
in real time and respond to queries directly via a chat function.” A learning
management system that works on-demand and gradually
provides verifiable qualifications is already being planned,
just as the GEALAN ACADEMY is being expanded to encompass
the internal seminars’ space: the digitalisation of
learning content facilitates both.
All theory is abstract. GEALAN seminars work as well
as they do because the lecturers are familiar with practicalities.
Because Peter Czajkowski has designed profiles.
Because Martin Lutz has installed windows. We are not interested
in talking in circles, but in providing answers that seminar
participants can apply in practice: this direct line to the expert is what
makes the GEALAN ACADEMY’s digital communications’ drive so successful.
This is GEALAN capability no. 5.
Digital communication is a path that is becoming increasingly important
for GEALAN, but it is not an end in itself. The goal is still good communication,
which is only possible if the transmitter and recipient are on the same wavelength:
if a social media post triggers something in the user, if a planner receives
precisely the answer needed to move on to the next step, if a lecturer speaks so
vividly that it lights a spark in the audience. Knowing precisely who one’s counterpart
is and what information they need, and speaking so capably and clearly
that the message is truly driven home: these communication skills are nothing
new. But GEALAN is successfully applying these skills to the digital world, to new
media and innovative communication channels. And that is why it’s correct to
say: it’s better when it’s digital!
GEANOVA. GEALAN REINVENTED | 9

GEANOVA. GEALAN REINVENTED | 10
Made it to the top?
All that means is that the next
peak is already in sight. Christian
Kämpf hikes, runs, skis
and rides a mountain bike.
He knows how it feels to take
the next step, even when
things get tough. This energy
is what sets him as well as the
entire GEALAN Sales Team
apart.

| SALES EXCELLENCE |
“We go the extra mile”
There is a special relationship between
GEALAN and its customers. This is also
due to Christian Kämpf (41).
He helped develop Sales Excellence –
a way of re-conceptualising the sales
function: The status quo and stagnation
are things of the past. Kämpf
embodies dynamism, action, motion.
Christian Kämpf was 25 and just about to finish his Industrial Engineering degree
when he received an irresistible offer: in his practical experience semesters
at Hof University of Applied Sciences, he had worked as an intern in
Strategic Purchasing for Lufthansa Technik in Hamburg. The smart student had
made an impression; he was among the best in his year in the company’s
Technics Talent programme and was sent to the Sales Department in Los Angeles
for a year to complete his second practical experience semester and his
thesis. Now, Lufthansa wanted him to remain in a permanent role in Los Angeles.
Working for a renowned company, negotiating with important customers,
jetting around the world with a golden ticket, enjoying Saturday barbecues
in Santa Monica, skiing on Big Bear Mountain on Sundays. An offer to work in
Hamburg would also have been on the table. You’d have to be mad to refuse
this offer. Christian Kämpf declined and joined GEALAN in Oberkotzau instead.
Needless to say, this man has an unconventional mindset.
“Working for a company like Lufthansa or Audi or Porsche is great for the ego”,
says Kämpf. “But they are huge corporations with heaps of fantastic people
and you are responsible for just a tiny area. I thought it might also be exciting
to play a role in a smaller, up-and-coming company where I perceive the link
between my work and the results achieved. Where I can exercise greater flexibility
within a team.” Opting for GEALAN was a decision in favour of movement.
Kämpf’s career in Oberkotzau quickly took flight. As a commercial trainee, he
was exposed to a number of departments, helped to work on the restructuring
of Purchasing, familiarised himself with Product Management and Administration,
switching to Sales as Assistant to the Managing Director and taking
responsibility for Bulgaria, his first sales region, then becoming the Group
Manager for Southern Europe and ultimately the Divisional Manager for one
of three sales areas – all of this in a dizzying four years. Today, Kämpf is responsible
for GEALAN’s sales activities in the “sunshine states” of Portugal, Spain and
Italy as well as Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, and also for the Sales
Department of the French subsidiary. Prior to the onset of coronavirus, he was
almost permanently on the road, travelling across Europe for two or three days
a week, fluently switching between English, French and Italian. He was constantly
in motion, driving initiatives of his own accord: he now works together
with the Sales Team to develop Sales Excellence, GEALAN’s path to better customer
relationships and greater growth.
“We asked ourselves: What do our customers actually want? Do we call on
them often enough? What happens in the meetings that we have with them?
GEANOVA. GEALAN REINVENTED | 11

If we spend two hours with a customer, are we robbing them of two hours of
their time? No, there has to be added value not just for us, but for the customer,
too!” Sales Excellence is not simply a programme, it is a philosophy and starts
long before a sales representative arrives in person at a customer’s location.
GEALAN first takes a very close look at every customer – the market conditions
to which they are subject, what they do and don’t buy and why – so the first
step is purely analytical. “In Sales Excellence, we have now developed tools so
powerful that we can simply press a button to see how a customer is developing.”
Then come the critical questions: what does this customer need to develop
in an even better manner in their market and how specifically can GEALAN
help the customer in this quest? “Simply driving to the customer’s location and
talking about complaints, problems and inflated prices or telling anecdotes
about this or that person for hours and hours? This is bullshit and something
that no-one has time for”, says Kämpf. He wants his employees to get in the car
and visit customers only once it is clear that this will generate added value. “We
don’t just hold pleasant conversations and say, “Here is the new window profile;
enjoy!” We have long since stopped just arriving with products and prices and
can even do better than to bring new ideas to the table”, says Kämpf. “We arrive
with entirely integrated concepts.” Launching joint projects – that is the core of
Sales Excellence: what can GEALAN achieve in conjunction with its customers?
Which are the market developments, which GEALAN can see coming down
the line that the company should adapt to now? Sales Excellence redefines
service: “Service does not just mean delivering products on time and ensuring
they pass quality control because, quite honestly, that’s something anyone
can do.” GEALAN goes further, gets window manufacturers moving and guides
them into uncharted expertise, product, market and service territory.
Is GEALAN smarter than its customers? “No!”, says Kämpf with emphasis. “There
is no one who understands their business better than customers themselves.
But we have a different perspective, perhaps slightly broader, perhaps somewhat
more European.” GEALAN takes advantage of the perspective afforded by
its position as a systems supplier with global operations – firstly to give its customers
a perspective as an external party. Many are glad to be able to discuss
their strategy and their market prospects with experienced industry experts.
“After all, who else can they do this with – their spouse? Their brother or sister?”
Secondly, GEALAN is able to provide a comparison: something that may have
worked for companies with a similar structure could also work for this customer.
This is information that window manufacturers would otherwise find almost
impossible to obtain. Thirdly, GEALAN sees a variety of aspects: “How customers
can differentiate themselves from their competitors, e.g., by bringing out other,
better products, with the unique selling propositions offered by GEALAN acrylcolor,
STV ® , IKD ® or by expanding to a new market segment, such as passive
house-certified products. We acquire the right distributor for such a customer,
demonstrating how to provide better training for their Sales team and how
to focus the efforts of their Marketing Team. We arrange for customers to visit
Oberkotzau together with their resellers, show them our Production Unit in Tanna,
explain what we stand for and why we are the best at what we do. We have
also provided support by devising company names, logos and slogans; fundamentally,
we are interested in everything that makes customers more successful.”
Kämpf makes an impassioned case for Sales Excellence. “A few months ago,
our Sales Manager for the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary is calling on
a large, important customer. The Managing Director is glued to his mobile the
whole time and is not really paying attention. Our Sales Manager asks: “What’s
up?” To which the customer replies, “Sorry, but we
are currently having huge problems with quality.”
“Maybe I can help you”, says our employee. He then
arranged for the customer to travel to Oberkotzau
where he spoke about process management with
our Quality Manager, who showed him how we deal
with complaints. Ultimately, our customer was presented
with a solution – a true success story. Is that
strictly our business? Absolutely not. Yet we still do
it? Absolutely!” Kämpf wants this kind of thinking,
this shift in perspective, this empathy for every single
GEALAN customer.
Sales Excellence creates momentum – and then
never stops moving. “We cannot simply believe
that customers will implement new concepts and
approaches independently. Our Sales Associate
has barely exited the premises with their idea,
when problems arise with a machine or on the
construction site or with an invoice, and the good
idea has already been forgotten. There is nothing
worse than inspiring a customer and then not
meeting expectations.” That is why GEALAN works
very closely with its partners on the implementation
of new concepts. Kämpf terms this “execution”.
This process unfolds in accordance with specific
timelines. Step by step: when does something
need to be done? It can take time, it can be tough
and it can become difficult. “It doesn’t matter”, says
Kämpf; “we go the extra mile.”
Whether it be a micro- enterprise, in which a father
and son build windows together, or a key customer
who orders profiles worth millions of euros, whether
it be the Hungarian market in which GEALAN is
already the leader, or the Spanish market in which
the company is a relative newcomer, whether customers
are already on our books or are completely
new to us makes no difference to Sales Excellence.
“Growth is what counts. We want to constantly
be growing everywhere and we want to outperform
the competition, otherwise we will not have
achieved anything.” Kämpf’s team is completely
committed to this “do it now” mentality.
All the energy, all the drive that sets Sales Excellence
apart notwithstanding, Kämpf fosters and expects a
certain manner when dealing with customers. Arrogance
and aggressiveness are out of the question.
“We are on an equal footing with our customers.
We do not force anything onto them; instead,
we offer them options. We want to be their trusted
partner.” The same is true for the Sales Team itself.
Kämpf is not a lone warrior, but rather a dedicated
GEANOVA. GEALAN REINVENTED | 12

team player and he stresses how he benefits from
the intelligence and commitment of his employees
on a daily basis. When he explains Sales Excellence,
he always – without exception – uses the collective
“we” form. “Sure, I get a kick out of acquiring a new
customer that we have been chasing for years. But it
is even more satisfying to observe that we as a team
are on the right path, that what we have undertaken
just comes together one day and that we are carrying
out our work with absolute passion!”
Sales Excellence is the Holy Grail of GEALAN Sales
and is so ingrained in the minds of the team members
that it makes GEALAN something special – a
fact of which Kämpf is firmly convinced. “This is
something that cannot be copied.” Sales Excellence
also works exceptionally well: internal surveys show
that GEALAN customers are very satisfied. A good
result? No, because results, finish lines and backslapping
do not exist. Sales Excellence is a work in
progress. That path, once embarked upon, is neverending.
It leads to new horizons. Make a difference:
this has certainly been the case for Christian Kämpf
during his tenure with GEALAN.
He lives with his family in his dream suburban
house – built in the Cubist style, puristic and boasting
large glass façades. The window (GEALAN, of
course) gives onto a view of greenery. The jogging
trail starts right behind the house, Untreusee Lake
in Hof, the biking routes of the Fichtel Mountains
and the ski slopes of Vogtland are not too far away,
and the work commute takes seven minutes. “This
is quality of life, in my opinion.” In his private life,
Kämpf has arrived. But with GEALAN he has started
out on an exciting, never-ending journey.
The desire to make a difference
is what brought Christian
Kämpf to GEALAN 15 years ago.
And it continues to drive him:
“I am convinced that we can
draw upon our strengths even
more; there is still a great deal
to be done.”
GEANOVA. GEALAN REINVENTED | 13

Łódź
Łódź, with a population of close to 700,000 residents, is Poland’s third-largest
city. Pre-industrialisation, it was home to barely 1,000 people. In the 19th
century, the textile industry redefined the city of Łódź; in 1904, there were 546
factories with 70,000 workers. Textiles are still produced in Łódź today, but have
long since taken up residence in buildings other than the impressive edifices
constructed by entrepreneurs like Izrael Poznański. The dilapidated machinery
was removed from the halls of his factory, which was extensively renovated
and reopened in 2006: the Manufaktura is Poland’s largest shopping and
leisure centre and features the Vienna House Andel’s Łódź Hotel. This is where
GEANOVA met with Janusz Tyczyński and Krzysztof Domagała, Managing
Directors of GEALAN Polska.
GEANOVA. GEALAN REINVENTED | 14

GEANOVA. GEALAN REINVENTED | 15

Janusz Tyczyński (55)
• Degree in Process Engineering at the
Technical University of Dresden
• Administrative Director of a Polish
construction company in Germany
• Since 1993: Tenure with GEALAN in Poland
• Since 1997: Member of the GEALAN
Polska Managing Board
GEANOVA. GEALAN REINVENTED | 16

| GEALAN POLSKA |
Industrial culture change
The headquarters of GEALAN Polska Sp. z o.o. are about ten
kilometres away from the Manufaktura in Łódź, in the town
of Rzgów. Just like the nearby metropolis, GEALAN Polska is
in constant motion, with many changes currently in progress.
The company was founded in 1997 – on the initiative of
Janusz Tyczyński, who had joined GEALAN four years previously
as an independent sales representative: “I was the
only one here. It was the period after German reunification,
with long queues at the borders and complicated customs
clearance processes holding sway. I convinced those responsible
in Germany that the business would only work if it
had a local warehouse.” Łódź, in the heart of Poland, was the
chosen location – at the intersection of motorways still at
the planning stage. “We continued to wait for those roads for
more than ten years, but we developed much more quickly:
our sales virtually doubled year on year.”
In 2004, GEALAN Polska started producing its
own window profiles with three extruders (today,
there are sixteen). “We did not have any extrusion
specialists, so we had to learn the process from
the ground up. In consultation with our German
colleagues, over time we built a team with a huge
amount of expertise. Many of our original members
of staff are still with us today. This is also due to
the fact that we have always strived to create good
working conditions.” Poland’s labour market has
changed dramatically. “The employer faces particular
challenges when seeking to fill vacancies in
the Production Unit”, says Tyczyński. “We are making
changes to the workstations, communal areas
and even parking facilities so as to make the job
and any tenure with the company contemporary,
comfortable and interesting. This draws people to
us and shows those employed with us that we are
constantly on top of things.”
For years, windows – particularly simple windows in
large apartment blocks – were replaced throughout
Poland. Then came colour requests – and
GEALAN delivered: “Our unique selling proposition
with acrylcolor profiles, in Poland and throughout
Europe, helped us acquire customers and beautiful
properties.” Thermal insulation is important
now and Poland is experiencing a sustained residential
construction boom, with the trend towards
larger windows. And, once again, GEALAN is playing
a trump card: “Our STV ® bonding technology
permits large elements to be created, even in
colour. The market is demanding these solutions.”
The extensive product range is another factor that
has contributed to success: in a survey published
in March 2020 by Forum Branżowe, a trade journal,
Polish window fabricators ranked GEALAN in 3rd
place. “GEALAN is considered a German brand,
and German products have a good reputation.
GEANOVA. GEALAN REINVENTED | 17

Quality and technical features have proven themselves, and that puts us at
an advantage. But in Poland, a local presence and local investment are also
looked on very favourably; flexibility, delivery capability and market knowledge
are all key factors.” GEALAN Polska sells window profiles only in Poland.
And, since Poland is Europe’s leading exporter of windows, profiles from Rzgów
near Łódź are installed almost everywhere in the world – for instance, in the
USA and Australia. Innovative products and a dynamic market have permitted
GEALAN Polska to chart a continuous growth trajectory. When the company
was founded in 1997, external sales, once converted, amounted to less
than two million euros. In 2019, the figure stood at 37 million euros. More than
200 employees and 120 active customers make GEALAN Polska the GEALAN
Group’s second-largest production facility.
2019 saw the launch of construction and renovation projects with an investment
volume of five million euros, creating capacity for further growth. A new
hall was constructed for logistics, with the old warehouse being renovated
for profile lamination and equipped with automatic feed tables and stacking
machines that relieve the burden on employees. The area previously used for
lamination is now available for extrusion. The extrusion
hall, which is easily accessible from all plants,
gives onto a sound-proofed shredding room in
which scrap profiles are crushed for recycling. The
shredder is to be filled using an automated system.
The water supply was converted to a system with
new pipelines and frequency-controlled pumps. It
saves water and energy and measures and regulates
the temperature of water and glycol centrally.
“We are also expanding the communal area”, says
Krzysztof Domagała, “and we are redesigning the
staff walkways – from the car park to the changing
room and then on to the workstation; they
are becoming more direct and safe. This may be
a relatively minor consideration, but it allows us
to implement one of the requests of our employees.”
GEALAN’s brand new car park is considered
a green space, and two new water tanks (with a
GEALAN Polska’s new
warehouse: the 12,500
square metres of space
houses 2,800 containers
with profiles and 665 containers
with base frames
for lamination.
GEANOVA. GEALAN REINVENTED | 18

capacity of approx. 2,000 and 750 cubic metres, respectively) store rainwater
so that it can be fed into the public grid. The roof of the new logistics hall is
ready for the installation of photovoltaic systems.
GEALAN Polska is investing around one million euros in software for administration
and logistics, a further half a million in IT infrastructure – networks,
terminals, scanners and charging stations for camera-enabled, electric forklifts.
Barcodes are replacing paper: a warehouse management system (WMS)
is optimising picking paths and minimising error rates due to detecting and reporting
incorrect shelving or items. “Previously, new colleagues had to become
familiar with what products look like, what they are called and where they are
located. Now, they are guided by the system. This makes it possible to comply
with customers’ individual packaging specifications and enables customised
picking.” GEALAN already uses the WMS in Germany, as it does a SAP ERP
system, which is also currently being introduced in Poland. This will simplify inter-organisational
transactions between the parent company and the subsidiary,
professionalise the dialogue with customers and link the Administration,
Sales, Production and Logistics Departments internally. “We talk to our people
on a regular basis: they find SAP and the WMS to
be solutions that improve their everyday activities.
What is important to them is an emphasis on technology
and terminals instead of lists written on
paper. Automation, digitalisation, communication:
people want to move forward and leverage these
opportunities that are afforded by state-of-the-art
technology.” But, for all this progress, Domagała
has not quite finished working on his investment
plan: he is planning to spend the next half a million
euros on a fifth laminating machine and a new
compressed air system that will halve energy use.
Janusz Tyczyński has initiated, supervised and experienced
numerous developments in his 27 years
with GEALAN. He considers the current step forward
to be the “greatest milestone. Logistics, EDP,
IT – I can honestly say that we will be accelerating
our performance drastically, taking us from 10 to
100 kilometres per hour in terms of systems and
opportunities for customers and employees in
the future. We will attain a completely new level
of achievement, we will become better and more
effective; we will increase benefits accruing to the
market and will be able to offer interesting jobs.” In
the 19th century, it was the textile industry that got
Łódź moving. Today, GEALAN is striving to be the
innovative engine of the future of industry.
Krzysztof Domagała (40)
• 1999-2004: Degree in Business Administration and
Food Chemistry at Łódź University of Technology
• 2009-2010: Postgraduate degree in Logistics
at Łódź University of Technology
• 2011-2012: Postgraduate degree in Production
Six Sigma at Łódź University of Technology
• 2018-2019: Postgraduate degree in Plastics’
Technology at Poznań University of Technology
• Since 2005: Production Planner, Coordinator –
Work Preparation Planning at GEALAN Polska
• 2009-2010: Head of Logistics
• 2010-2020: Divisional Manager
– Logistics and Production
• 2021: Accession to the GEALAN Polska
Managing Board
GEANOVA. GEALAN REINVENTED | 19

GEANOVA. GEALAN REINVENTED | 20

| HUSARIA RZGÓW |
Prezydent Rafał
There are countless corporate football
teams. Colleagues often meet
for an informal kickabout after work.
But establishing an official club,
which is registered and has officials
and gaming operations, is a gutsy
step and therefore one that is infrequently
taken. At GEALAN Polska, a
couple of the boys from the profile
warehouse took that step.
The Hussars were a Polish cavalry established to fight off enemy troops. In 1683,
they defeated the Ottoman army at the walls of Vienna. The Winged Hussars
were generally outnumbered in battles. They remained undefeated for 125
years, a fact that reflects their tactical superiority. GKP Husaria GEALAN Rzgów,
which has existed for four years, is named after the elite cavalry. Rafał Stachurski
is its President: “When I started working for GEALAN in 2005, the company
employed quite a few people with whom I used to play football when I was a
child. From 2007, we started training once a week and taking part in six-a-side
football tournaments. We have been a proper club, with members, an administration
and me as its President since 2016.”
The community football club (GKP) started at the very bottom, in Division B of
Poland’s Eighth League, in 2016. In 2019, during their third season, the Hussars
managed to gain promotion to Division A. “We would like to finish the 20/21
Season mid-table and then move into the Seventh League.” Going into the
winter break, they have not yet achieved their stated ambitions, and are currently
ranked 11th. “How high up the League tables the team can go depends
on financial considerations, but that’s not something we think about. We play
for enjoyment, not for money.”
Rafał is 40 and played in goal until 2019. His idol is Gianluigi Buffon, his favourite
team FC Liverpool – and Bayern Munich, but only because of Robert
Lewandowski. “And in Poland, Widzew Łódź. I attend every game, even when
it’s difficult to get tickets.”
GEALAN sponsors team Husaria. Five players currently work in GEALAN’s Logistics
Department.
GEANOVA. GEALAN REINVENTED | 21

Einstein1 is the Digital Start-Up Centre on the Hof
University of Applied Sciences’ campus. It supports
the development of digital business ideas, helps
with financing issues and connects founders with
business, science, education and politics.
GEALAN supports Einstein1 by way of sponsorship
and stimulus. The new Einstein1 building was inaugurated
at the end of 2019; the first floor features
windows from the GEALAN-KUBUS ® system.
GEANOVA. GEALAN REINVENTED | 22

GEANOVA. GEALAN REINVENTED | 23

| DIGITALISATION |
Having visions of the future
without being a visionary
To maximise the quality of its
window profiles, to ease the
burden on Production staff and to
conserve resources, GEALAN uses
innovative inspection systems in
its Thuringia plant: cameras and
lasers continuously monitor profile
contours and surfaces. Tablets
have replaced forms and reports
consigned to paper.
In the future, the expectation is
that production lines will be able
to monitor themselves.
Extrusion is a complex process in which various masses or materials are heated
before being passed through a shaping tool. Extrusion is fascinating – also
because, in theory, it is an endless process. Material feed, temperatures and machine
parameters need to be perfectly attuned to one another, otherwise the
extruded strip tears off or presents defects that warrant scrappage. GEALAN
uses extrusion to create around 750 different window profiles with complex designs.
Checking their quality during operation is an impossible task for humans.
Previously, samples were taken at defined intervals, laboriously prepared for
various measurement methods and finally checked. The centralised and seamless
visual inspection of the profiles now takes place in a silver drum, through
which the profile strip passes after an extrusion line of 20 to 25 metres. In the
drum, lasers visualise the profile contours, eight cameras record the laser structure,
image pixels are converted into dimensions and matched against the protocol
on file for the respective product. The tolerance range is between 0.1 and
0.3 millimetres. The machine operator views the display to check whether all the
values are in the green range in real-time. If they are in the yellow range, readjustment
is required; if they are in the red portion, there is a real problem.
“Continuous monitoring is a huge advantage”, says André Göll, Group Manager
– Tool Maintenance. “It relieves the burden on employees, who virtually never
need to perform any manual measurements any more. It saves time and minimises
rejects, thus reducing waste, because it provides information in real time.”
Information that production managers, shift managers and quality assurance
managers can all access. Remote maintenance and configuration are possible.
“We can also use the technology to adjust the machine once it has been set
up to extrude a new type of profile with appropriate tools. This start-up process
can take two to three hours, during which the machine setter constantly makes
adjustments before the machine is deemed to be ready for production. The inline
inspection immediately shows the impact of a change in parameters, and it
reduces legwork and start-up times.”
In 2017, GEALAN became aware of the PIXARGUS in-line measuring system.
After joint workshops and a positive feasibility study, a pilot system became
operational in mid-2018. Six of the forty extrusion lines in Tanna are now
equipped with non-stop monitoring capabilities, while ten others remain to
GEANOVA. GEALAN REINVENTED | 24

GEANOVA. GEALAN REINVENTED | 25
Relentless, tireless, eagle-eyed:
the PIXARGUS in-line
measurement system
uses lasers to make profile
dimensions visible to cameras.

André Göll (47), who has
worked at GEALAN for 26
years, describes himself
as a “child of extrusion”.
He is responsible for the
condition and performance
of the extrusion
tools.
be similarly equipped, representing an investment
volume in excess of one million euros. Since the
autumn of 2020, GEALAN is one of the first users to
also measure internal profile contours and coating
thicknesses, applying PIXARGUS ICSM (Inner Cross
Segment Measurement) technology. But, despite
high-tech solutions, manual quality assurance
checks cannot be fully replaced; samples continue
to be taken, checked and archived for purposes
of quality management. “Our products are
innovative; they need to comply with insulation
values and break-in protection specifications. In
the past, there was just the one main profile without
a seal; these days, there are coloured profiles,
a recyclable inner core, various seals in different
positions and up to 25 dimensions that need to
be checked. Work has become much more demanding
for employees. This innovative measurement
process helps to ease this burden and
we can produce efficiently so as to remain competitive.”
”Installing the in-line dimension measuring system
was supposed to be a prerequisite for developing
a self-regulating extrusion system”, says Göll: “That
is our vision.” The system already exists: extrusion
is in progress, and the system’s hardware and software
both work. The only thing that is missing is
the network connection between the extruder, the
calibration table and the flue, enabling data to be
exchanged between the components and the machine
control system. Robert Lingner heads the research
project: “Extrusion involves activities that are
difficult to automate, particularly during start-up.
But a communicative control system can supply us
data that point to potential automation. So, what we
are trying to do is to identify automation opportunities
and to transpose into software those that we
have identified.” At present, a tear in the profile strip
causes a major blockage, a so-called “elephant’s
ear”, which arises at the extruder’s outlet and can
cause it damage. Automatically triggered control
commands can stop the flow of material and prevent
the formation of elephants’ ears. “We are developing
a cutting-edge machine concept, which
can feed, in sections, into existing systems. We will
not implement continuous automation. Not now,
anyway.”
Dialogue is important to Lingner – at an internal level
– with colleagues operating the machines, and – at an
external level – with suppliers, with process engineers
and at trade fairs. In collaboration with Hof University
of Technology, GEALAN has virtually eliminated
paper from its Production Unit; machine operators
and fitters receive orders and tool information
on a tablet, which they also use to send feedback.
“I consider GEALAN to be a pioneer. The University
visits us with interested parties to show them how we
have digitalised operating data-logging.”
Cameras are similarly trained upon the products
that pass through the laminating machines
in which profile strips are finished with decorative
film: under direct, special LED lighting, the SMASH
Profile ISRA VISION profile inspection system analyses,
in real time, the surface of the film applied
and draws attention to irregularities. The machine
operator decides whether a strip needs to be removed
and recycled, and can make readjustments
GEANOVA. GEALAN REINVENTED | 26

1) 2)
3) 4)
Manually checking the inner and outer contours of a
window profile is laborious and time-consuming:
1) Remove a roughly 30 cm-long profile piece during
ongoing production
2) Cut a narrow sample pane to size with a mitre saw
3) Buff the edges of the sample to prevent
measurement errors caused by splintering
4) Use the Vernier caliper to take measurements
5) Various projector measurements, data capture,
scanning
5)
The in-line measurement system precisely and
continuously monitors the profile geometries without
the need for sampling.
GEANOVA. GEALAN REINVENTED | 27

to the machine, if necessary. “The aim is to detect
small air bubbles under the film, as well as adhesive
residues and incorrectly cut edges”, explains
Head of Lamination Reiner Abel. “We have around
90 different decorative films – coloured, embossed
or smooth – that are used to create roughly 30,000
different items. Every structure reflects differently;
the system is specifically adjusted to every single
profile/film combination.” Around twenty metres of
window profile are laminated per minute – a speed
that makes it difficult for the human eye to detect
errors. ISRA VISION does not release employees
from the obligation of carefully checking the lamination
result; instead, it supports them in this process:
“The system does something that the human
eye can also do, but it does this continuously and
under perfect conditions. And it does nothing else.
Colleagues, on the other hand, have more to do
than undertake visual inspection.” The assessment
of window profiles was a new business segment
for ISRA VISION; SMASH profiles were configured
specifically for GEALAN and installed in three of ten
laminating lines at the start of 2020. “We are investing
in this innovation to ensure quality and to prevent
costly complaints. Defects are generally only
detected if the protective film covering the laminat-
ed film is removed, and this usually happens only
after the finished window has been installed.”
Cameras, self-regulating machines, lasers, computers
– support that the workforce first needed to
get used to, but which they now appreciate. Robert
Lingner states: “If we have to switch anything off for
maintenance or for an update to be applied, that
question soon pops up: “Hey, when can we use our
tablets again?” Humans will not become obsolete
because even these cutting-edge systems need
to be configured and require support. “The world
of work is changing”, says André Göll. “It is becoming
more comfortable but also more technically
demanding. At the same time, the demands on
our products are constantly increasing. We want to
grow with technology and our permanent staff.”
Robert Lingner (39),
Mechatronics Engineer,
joined GEALAN in 2018,
entering the organisation
laterally from the
automotive industry. As
Deputy Head of Extrusion,
his responsibilities
include digitalisation and
automation.
Reiner Abel (59) has
been the Group Head of
Lamination at GEALAN
since June 2020. He was
previously employed as a
Printing Technician in the
packaging and automotive
industry.
GEANOVA. GEALAN REINVENTED | 28

| GEANEWS |
GEALAN takes
climate protection
seriously
The Administration
Department in Oberkotzau
and the Production Unit in Tanna are powered entirely
by green electricity, generated by wind, sun, biomass
and geothermal energy. GEALAN is an industry leader
in environmental protection and strives to continuously
improve its ecological footprint, observing the
practices of resource conservation and recycling to
achieve this. The switch to renewable energies saves
close to 18,000 tonnes of CO 2 every year.
GEALAN is growing
The new office buildings and the modern canteen
in Tanna are complete. The Production Unit has also
increased in size, adding 5,000 square metres of additional
outdoor storage. The employees in Oberkotzau
have access to a new car park with 250 spaces, also
incorporating charging stations for electric cars.
The innovative window systems experience
GEALAN ROMANIA has opened a new showroom in
Bucharest. Visitors experience GEALAN solutions for
windows, doors and ventilation over an area spanning
300 square metres, and the GEALAN ACADEMY
presents its seminar programme in this space. New
ideas in new spaces: seems appropriate.
GEANOVA. GEALAN REINVENTED | 29

Michael Militzer has
experience in the electronics
industry. He studied Industrial
Electronics, completed
advanced training as
a Computer Scientist,
completed a degree in
Business Administration and
spent ten years working
as Sales Engineer for a
microphone manufacturer.
He has been Product
Manager at GEALAN since
2017.
André Wünsche has a
commerce background.
After receiving Business
training, he completed
an Industrial Engineering
degree, joined the GEALAN
Product Management
team in 2007 and was then
appointed to Group and
Divisional Manager roles in
2011 and 2013, respectively.
Andreas Linke has a
solid understanding
of architects; after all,
he is one himself. After
completing his degree in
Architecture, he worked
in technical sales,
completed an Industrial
Engineering degree and
moved to GEALAN in
2007. He was appointed
Group Manager in
Product Management in
2013, and has remained
in that role since.
GEANOVA. GEALAN REINVENTED | 30

| PRODUCT MANAGEMENT |
The latAIRal thinkers
Tilting your head or turning GEANOVA? It
is often a shift in perspective that creates
ideas and solutions. A turning away from
routine formats, from everyday perspectives
– into the unknown, to pastures new:
GEALAN product managers change things
up because that’s the only way to innovate.
They develop ideas till products emerge
and develop products that are crowned with
success. Innovative ventilation systems, for
example – an expedition.
Like a sailor, endlessly scanning the horizon, GEALAN keeps scouring its market’s
horizon. Until something appears that is interesting enough to warrant
taking a closer look. “Extracting ideas from markets is a classic product
management task”, says André Wünsche (42); he is Divisional Manager within
GEALAN’s Product Management Department, a seven-member team. “We
analyse business areas, draw upon our own ideas and innovation processes,
specifically ask customers what they need and consider the direction in which
we as a company want to proceed, where it is that we see potential.” Ventilation
has potential. The market is growing because energy standards are rising
because health and comfort are becoming more important, because of legal
regulations and because of the pandemic. Ever more densely packed building
envelopes require intelligent ventilation solutions; every new building must
have a ventilation concept. GEALAN’s Product Management Department is
constantly working on innovations, yet ventilation is something special – “because
we are disruptors in a completely new industry”.
To plot a course to the new goal, the direction must be clear. Obviously, GEALAN
does not simply invent a new product and then allow itself to be surprised by
the manner in which the market responds. Quite the reverse: the market determines
GEALAN’s inventions. “Product marketing does not start with the market
launch; it starts right at the very beginning and is a common thread all the way
through”, says Andreas Linke (42), Group Manager – Product Management. “We
also seek to hold discussions with our customers at a very early stage and maintain
that dialogue. Our customers’ opinions feed directly into development.”
Product Management gathers information from all sources – trade fairs, the internet,
industry publications. “We have comprehensively analysed the market”,
says Wünsche: “Which technology is involved in ventilation solutions? Which
services are involved? Which price points are we dealing with? We delved very
deep.” There are so many different ventilation requirements that, instead of
offering just one solution, GEALAN offers an entire range of products.
The name of this range – GEALAN-CAIRE ® – stands for Controlled Air Regulation,
while also merging the terms “Care” and “Air”, as GEALAN is focused on
healthy air. The core product will be the GEALAN-CAIRE ® smart – the innovative
ventilation solution that stands out because it sits in the frame. The compact
fan unit is integrated directly in the window profile – an innovative feature. An
active, electrically-powered solution, CAIRE smart is new territory for GEALAN.
GEALAN-CAIRE ® flex is the entry-level solution in the CAIRE range and is the
only passive system. GEALAN-CAIRE ® MIKrovent adds three fans of different
GEANOVA. GEALAN REINVENTED | 31

sizes to the range, which are fitted on the wall and
are able to provide ventilation, while windows remain
untouched. Whether simple or high-end, new
build or renovation: the CAIRE range has the right
solution.
Product Management paints a picture of the new
products and everything they can do, as well as
the market areas that they cover and their development
costs all the way through to the defined
target price. A Business Model Canvas visualises
the business model. This is the roadmap, but the
destination is still a long way off.
One thing is clear: GEALAN does not develop
ventilation in isolation, but within the framework
of cooperative alliances. “We have spent a lot of
time looking for the right partners”, says Wünsche.
“Trust and credibility are key. Once we have made
a decision to go with a development partner, we
are rock-solid.” This is where Product Management
begins to draw upon its greatest strength, just as
it does across the entire development process:
communication. Getting the right companies on
board while also winning the company’s own crew
over to the product only works if dialogue remains
open and transparent.
The new ventilation product also marks the first
time that GEALAN will be making use of agile
methods, such as Scrum, in Product Management:
“The method was developed for software, but
we are building hardware”, says Product Manager
Michael Militzer (38), “so we have adapted Scrum
in accordance with our requirements.” A team is
being established, in which all departments are
represented – from Production through to Sales,
Application Technology and Logistics. “This lets
us consider everything from different perspectives.
There is a great deal of discussion – but it’s
much better to have this at the beginning rather
than at the end when you can no longer make any
changes.” The benefit: everyone knows precisely
why the product is the way it is. But, for Product
Management, agile primarily means quickly giving
customers a benefit accruing from the product.
Even if not every detail has been finalised yet: early
on, they assess whether the CAIRE program meets
their requirements. And it does: the feedback from
the pilot customers is positive.
The GEALAN Product Management
Department advocates
new products and new ways of
thinking. The Department supports
GEALAN innovations from the
idea through to market launch –
and beyond. Ventilation, for example:
what intelligent ventilation
systems look like is not a thought
that comes to you out of thin air;
an entire market must first be
analysed. Wünsche, Linke and
Militzer see themselves primarily
as network facilitators; they bring
external and internal partners together
and they guide, moderate
and support innovation processes.
The result? A breath of fresh air at
GEALAN and in buildings!
When physically producing CAIRE smart, GEALAN
relies on rapid prototyping. The first prototype is
ready to go as soon as possible. A special moment
for every product manager. “It’s a really good feeling”, says Michael
Militzer. “I can pick up the fan, connect it, control it – and everything works:
fantastic! I did not yet know how many other prototypes we would be seeing...”
An outsider would say: a host of problems need solving along the path
to the market-ready product. GEALAN Product Managers say in unison: “Problems?
That’s development!” To them, the need to clear an obstacle from the
path doesn’t make things difficult, just interesting.
Air flow directions are perfected, operation is optimised, USB ports and browser
application are discarded and various WLAN interfaces are tested. The final
result is a market-ready plug-and-play solution: CAIRE smart is a unit that is
operated via the GEALAN HOME app, developed in-house and offering a solution
as straightforward as a Sonos speaker. But the app also means: GEALAN
will offer complete, first-level product support; the Customer Service Centre
GEANOVA. GEALAN REINVENTED | 32

will respond to users’ queries directly. At the same time, the app means that
a slew of new legal and privacy issues will have to be dealt with: how do we
ensure the secure handling of user data? How is update-capability designed?
GEALAN draws upon the legal expertise of Hof University of Applied Sciences.
“The commercial law professors asked us whether we were aware of what we
were facing”, says Wünsche. “We answered: “Yes and no. But we are doing it
anyway!”” Data security is a top priority for GEALAN, and is integrated within
the entire product concept. Detailed patents, BIM-capability – questions arise
everywhere. Before CAIRE smart can even enter mass production, clarification
is needed as to how it can be safely packed and transported – as well
as discarded; Product Management also has to deal with environmental law.
Engineering a new ventilation system? This opens up more new construction
touchpoints than one might think when looking in from the outside. As Andreas
Linke says: “The trick is to never lose sight of the vision, despite all that.”
At the same time, Product Management devises the manner in which ventilation
is communicated externally, an important part of product marketing.
“We always have to communicate at exactly the right moment: whom do we
want to target as customers; how do we want to approach them; what are the
benefits of the product; how are they positioned?”, says Linke. “We work very
closely on this with our Marketing colleagues and prepare detailed briefings.”
Customers are window manufacturers and window distributors, but the target
group also includes architects and planners. “These are the decision-makers in
the planning process and they determine the ventilation concept to be implemented
in a building.” As a result, the GEALAN Architectural Consulting service
plays a key role. CAIRE smart needs to be incorporated into architects’ planning
programmes: a new ventilation tool is being added to GEALAN Planersoftware
2.0 so that architects can plan directly using GEALAN-CAIRE®. End customers,
who constitute another target group, are never far from our thoughts: they are
also bound to want to conveniently effect Smart Home-enabled ventilation.
“The issue of ventilation is multi-pronged”, says Linke. GEALAN is selecting two
employees to immerse themselves in this and form the Smart Home and Ventilation
Sales Team.
Internally, Product Management is ensuring that everyone knows the role
they play in the ventilation business segment. The domestic and international
Sales divisions need to be readied for the new products, the Customer Service
Centre needs to know that to do if a customer asks why a yellow LED light is
flashing on the ventilation unit. To make sure that this is the case, the Service
Department receives comprehensive Support Guidelines. “We have held well
in excess of 100 training sessions”, says Wünsche. “It is very important to understand
this point: everything we do is tantamount to teamwork with the specialist
departments. We develop, coordinate, manage projects and put everything
together, but the technical work takes place in the various departments – in
engineering, material development, etc.”
GEALAN has commissioned the production of around a dozen injection moulding
tools for the serial production of CAIRE smart. “This involves electronics and
sensors on a large scale, a high-efficiency heat exchanger, the powerful fan inside
and extensive know-how”, says Wünsche. “Our partner builds and checks
the fan unit and packs it in a box before sending it to us.” In Tanna, GEALAN
produces a specially designed support profile and ships it, complete with all
air flow and mounting accessories. In the end, CAIRE smart is easily installed by
window manufacturers.
After a development time of two-and-a-half years,
GEALAN-CAIRE ® is celebrating its market launch.
Is this the end of the expedition? No, just the end
of a single stage. “We are now faced with customer
questions to which we need to provide answers”,
says Wünsche. “We will need patience, manpower
and persistence until GEALAN-CAIRE ® has fully
launched on the market”, says Linke.
So, when is a Product Manager satisfied? “When we
can look down on good sales figures”, says André
Wünsche, “When our products work and the market
and industry respond positively – that is our
lifeblood.” Andreas Linke says: “Ventilation is certainly
a prominent issue, but it is precisely this variety
and this sort of challenge that I love about my
work.” GEALAN has filled in another blank spot on its
map and learnt a great deal. “The most important
experience for me was our interface function”, says
Michael Militzer. “We brought a whole range of partners
to the table. It was really enjoyable!”
While the three are not yet talking about it, they
have long since started preparing for the next ‘expedition’
together with their team.
Ventilation has never been more important.
Modern building planning needs to promote
health wherever it can: offices and public
buildings need innovative spatial concepts,
usage strategies, distancing, contact-free
solutions – and intelligent ventilation systems.
GEALAN-CAIRE ® products ventilate offices,
business premises, schools, hotels and private
residences. They measure the quality of a
room’s air and ventilate either via full automation
or as defined by the user without opening
windows; they filter the outside air and remove
harmful particles; they are silent during
operation and meet the highest energy standards.
GEALAN-CAIRE ® means: healthy, clean
air in every space... Breathe easy!
GEANOVA. GEALAN REINVENTED | 33

| INTERVIEW |
Film, television, windows
Wolfram von Bremen has been a
consultant at Köhninger GmbH, an
Augsburg-based consultancy, for
ten years. Prior to this, he worked
as a director and produced series,
feature films and commercials
for seventeen years. The 51-yearold,
born in Munich and raised in
Hesse, studied Business Administration,
Media Studies and Organisational
Psychology in Munich
and Film and Television Direction
in Ludwigsburg and Los Angeles
in the 1990s. The qualified coach,
teaching Systemic Professionalism,
has moderated a number of
workshops for GEALAN, which culminated
in a qualifying management
development programme.
Which productions were you responsible for as a filmmaker?
There were a few feature films, but they were of more interest to a specialist
audience. Most people are familiar with the popular “Verbotene
Liebe” and “Unter uns” soap operas, which I supervised for a number of
years. I also helped produce the SOKO series, and RTL used to have a
programme called “Anwälte der Toten”, which was the first forensic doctor
format to be aired in Germany.
From directing to coaching – how and why did you make the move?
Everything that employees in the normal world take for granted is
non-existent in film and television. Anyone can be fired on the spot;
there is no social welfare safety net. The working conditions are completely
unlike the red carpet that you see on television. Around ten years
ago, while working on a management project for an energy services’
provider, I got talking to consultants and coaches and found that I was
interested in what they do and how they look at structures and systems;
I felt I would like to do something of this kind, too.
Which approach do you follow in your consulting initiative?
We go further than numbers-driven consultants who flourish Excel tables
and written notes on how organisations can be improved. We consider
this to be an initiative that has people working together; relationships
exist between these people, and these relationships lead to a certain
configuration. This is where we initiate changes.
Which kind of changes, specifically?
Let’s take communication. We take a look at real-life scenarios and try to
work out what the participants have experienced. We try not to consider
communication as speaking and responding, but – instead – we focus on
the process of listening. This needs to be practised, as it is no trivial matter.
Anyone can listen, right? That’s not true. Focused listening is a considerable
challenge. Three people sit down and argue about who holds
the best opinion and things get loud: this is something we would like to
change by asking: what is this actually about? Can you explain your point
of view to me? I will summarise what I have just heard and then you can
tell me whether I’ve understood you correctly. These are nuanced undertakings,
working on human behaviour. In this respect, what we do is
personally challenging.
GEANOVA. GEALAN REINVENTED | 34

GEANOVA. GEALAN REINVENTED | 35

Can you provide another example?
A manager has failed in the attempt to modify
a work process because there was a lack
of willingness to implement the modification
in their team. Admitting defeat, conceding to
other managers that their own instructions
encountered resistance, is asking a great
deal; it is a situation that requires trust and
openness. We work in small groups, re-enact
the story, chart the relationship graphically
and try to develop measures for improvement
in this manner.
What do you believe sets an agile company apart?
A company is agile if it can make its internal
processes more flexible, but particularly
if it can increase flexibility in relation to the
market. If it can respond to market requirements
with rapidly changing deals and innovative
services and products. Agility often
means changing entrenched, hierarchical
structures and responding more flexibly than
before.
Let’s take an agility scale of 0 to 10 and add a temporal
axis beginning with 2017, when you started
your consulting work at GEALAN. How would you
rate the development of the company?
As an organisation, GEALAN is very efficient.
There is a high level of adaptability to customer
requirements, and indeed always has
been. I would say that three years ago we
would have been rated, at most, 1 to 2 out
of 10, and now we stand at 5 to 6 out of 10.
The managers, the staffing of the business
segments, the handling of established structures...
Quite a bit has happened. But the
question itself was not really the right one to
ask. Because this is a classic, medium-sized
company in which nothing less than a cultural
change has been – and continues to
be – initiated. This is not something that will
happen overnight.
So... has GEALAN taken a step forward?
Absolutely. While I may have played a small
role in this, the driving force is the management.
There is a great deal happening here on
a number of fronts.
development of the business divisions and business processes now focuses
more heavily on the customer. What does our product contribute
to the house as the final product? How can we position ourselves? From
what I have observed, this consideration has generated more and more
movement over the past three years.
Is there an area in which GEALAN is a pioneer and where it can be considered
a role model for others?
Management is very open to new approaches. Often, and particularly
in very large organisations, I find my work to be somewhat akin to
being in a submarine. On the navigation bridge, they have decided to
now get consultants in to do their thing, but they reserve the right to decide
whether they will take the same approach further down the line. At
GEALAN, all of management – the entire system – is involved.
Does an open corporate culture also accommodate the openness to say,
“We are not perfect?”
Viewing deficits as areas of development rather than as deficits, the
mindset of getting back to work and improving: these are what I consider
to be GEALAN qualities. Anyone who is perfect or sells themselves
perfectly no longer has any scope for improvement. Such a person has
to work at presenting and maintaining this perfect image across the
board. That is exhausting. Presenting an exaggeratedly positive corporate
reality involves a huge amount of work that someone has to do, at
which point this person is then not able to generate any added value for
the company. That is not helpful.
You have previously worked in conjunction with GEALAN directors and divisional
managers. What message do you have for the workforce as a whole?
I believe that this process of cultural change gives every employee
the opportunity to individually improve their own effectiveness within
the company. Change offers the opportunity to develop, to work with
greater precision, to somewhat more accurately define the needs I have
in terms of my work and to access more topics that are my sorts of topics,
while I can hand over others that are of less interest to me. And so
it is that change processes involve everyone across the entire business.
Which film or television series could GEALAN be?
Practically every good series relates tales of failure, of lies and deception
and the dark side. In line with this, “Six Feet Under” was quite a funny, very
successful series, broadcast at the start of the 2000s, about a small, family-owned
company operating in a strange business segment (funerals),
and successfully overcoming challenges, albeit unconventionally. “Lost” is
another series that comes to mind, slightly darker, perhaps, but the heroes,
stranded on a desert island, prevail, with great cunning and guile, and
defeat their enemies with a great deal of improvisation.
What is driving this positive development?
Previously, the company serviced the established
market and satisfied established
needs. The entire consideration of the
GEANOVA. GEALAN REINVENTED | 36

| GEANEWS |
Gold for BIM
GEALAN advances virtual building
planning using BIM (Building Information
Modelling), and is commended
for this initiative: 2020 sees Heinze,
the leading portal for the construction
industry, presenting the Gold
“Architects’ Darling Award”
in the “Best BIM range of
data products” category
to GEALAN.
For the high-calibre jury,
consisting of representatives
of international
architecture firms,
GEALAN is one of the “darlings in the construction
industry” with the most coveted BIM solutions in
the industry.
New products
Sensor-based GEALAN-SENSE ® burglary protection
systems are completely new additions to the market.
Sales of the innovative GEALAN-SMOOVIO sliding
solution tripled in 2020, and the trend points to further
growth. The new, sleek GEALAN-LINEAR ® profile system
is currently in its pilot phase and will celebrate its
market launch in 2021.
GEALAN bears responsibility
As a new member of the VinylPlus industry association,
GEALAN is staunchly committed to producing PVC in an
even more sustainable manner and to recycling it more
comprehensively. GEALAN is also the only company in the
industry with EMAS certification:
as part of the EU’s environmental
management system, GEALAN
discloses its data on energy
consumption, waste, emissions,
etc., each year and subjects its
environmental commitment to an
external audit.
GEALAN-SENSE ® GEALAN-SMOOVIO GEALAN-LINEAR ®
GEANOVA. GEALAN REINVENTED | 37

Alblasserdam
Covering just 41,500 square kilometres, the Kingdom of the Netherlands is
a small nation within the EU. But it is a territory that is extremely important to
GEALAN – and it even has its own window profile system.
The Dutch know exactly what their kozijnen (window frames) should look like.
Window aesthetics, window presentation, window installation:
GEANOVA visited this small country that is so very special when it comes to
windows.
GEANOVA. GEALAN REINVENTED | 38

GEANOVA. GEALAN REINVENTED | 39

| REPORT |
A kingdom for a system
Traditionally, wooden windows are
a popular option in the Netherlands.
GEALAN and its Dutch
partners have been able to create
innovative PVC windows that look
like wooden windows. Holland
is appreciative of this: since the
introduction of the S 9000 NL
system in 2017, GEALAN’s sales in
the Netherlands have grown by
around twenty-five per cent.
“We are the only systems provider that supplies very wide window profiles with
a 120-millimetre installation depth and a central seal”, explains Mark Beukert
(51), Head of Sales – Benelux. Besides the window geometry, the timber joint
look is key for typical Dutch aesthetics: the profiles are not welded together
with a mitre join, but rather at right angles (photo on page 39). “S 9000 NL
was developed in a series of cooperative alliances with our largest customers.
Because they had their say and were given the opportunity to help with the
design, they fully support the product.”
One of these development partners is HEBO Kozijnen B.V., which has been
manufacturing wooden windows in Hengevelde since 1980. Norbert Kuipers
(53), who took over the management of the company from his father Marinus
Kuipers in 1988, moved into PVC window production in 2007. From the very beginning,
HEBO has worked exclusively with GEALAN profiles. “My father opened
a bridal fashion store in 1964. He employed 120 seamstresses, who produced
600 wedding dresses every week.” As an aside, Kuipers Senior founded the
construction company Hengevelds Bouwbedrijf – HEBO. “Luckily for me, my
dad was focused on bridal fashion. HEBO was his hobby. I was able to further
develop this hobby. In 1980, we had 30 employees engaged in window construction;
now, we are one of the top 10 PVC window manufacturers in Holland.
A hobby does actually cost money...”
Buying a wedding dress is an unforgettable and, ideally, unique experience.
This experience is embedded in the HEBO DNA, which Norbert Kuipers
brought across to the window industry: selecting and ordering windows
should also become experiential. In 1989, he set up a showroom. “This was a first
for Holland.” The showroom continued to grow in line with customers’ expectations
in terms of an authentic experience until it was ultimately transformed
into an impressive presentation hall. Now HEBO’s taking it up a notch: the
beleveniscentrum (adventure centre) is a three-storey new-build in which no
two windows within the façade are alike. Customers experience variety in real
time and can respond to different window types and designs. And, behind the
façade, a true experience awaits customers: a cinema viewing, billiards, Play-
Station and a cooking event. “Most people buy windows once, maybe twice in
their lives”, says Mark Beukert. “HEBO attracts people and inspires them. They
GEANOVA. GEALAN REINVENTED | 40

GEANOVA. GEALAN REINVENTED | 41
Dynamic, determined,
inspiring: Norbert
Kuipers is a doer with
clear ideas and – if
need be – a tape
measure in his hand.

have their questions answered and experience a
sexy product. HEBO understands that it is selling
emotions, not just windows.”
A major strength of HEBO is the prefabricated
construction principle advocated by the founder
of the company: HEBO windows reach the construction
site fully assembled – including hardware,
handles, roller shutters, fans, etc., integrated
in a wind-proof and water-proof wooden frame,
ready for installation as a unit. While most windows
in the Netherlands are only glazed once they reach
the construction site, glazing is also part of HEBO’s
complete prefab assembly in the factory. Norbert
Kuipers says: “My dad always used to say: working
indoors is the way to go. Arrive in the morning, leave
in the evening, no bad weather, always nice and
warm, plied with good coffee and soup, too; that’s
how you can build quality. We successfully applied
this philosophy to the PVC segment thanks to our
experience with wood. We were able to manufacture
PVC windows and matching wooden frames
for transport and installation. Prefab is a perfect fit
with Holland because houses here are built around
the windows, while in Germany, houses are built with
holes into which windows are then installed.” Convenient
indoor assembly at a permanent workplace
during regular working hours: this is the pitch that
HEBO uses to attract qualified staff to the window
construction segment; it solves problems in its factory
before they get the chance to arise at the construction
site.
HEBO employs around 240 members of staff. One
of these employees is Erik Oude Engberink (36),
Managing Director with the company since 2015,
and previously Project Manager in a construction
company for twelve years. “I have come across
many window manufacturers, but none like HEBO.
The familial feeling that you have here is typical of
HEBO. Everyone has a voice and can make suggestions;
teams are given trust and responsibility.”
Engberink is the GEALAN point of contact at
HEBO for issues relating to product development,
IT projects and logistics. He praises the transparent
relationship with the German profile supplier
and the constructive culture of open debate: “The
extension of the S 9000 system for the Dutch market
was a huge achievement – both for GEALAN
and for HEBO. But together, we managed it well.”
GEALAN and its
customers – Mark Beukert is
familiar with both perspectives.
He was engaged as Production
Manager with a window
manufacturer, then worked as
a GEALAN Sales Representative
and is now responsible for
GEALAN Sales – Benelux.
HEBO windows are fully
preassembled in-house.
The wood frame-bordered
windows are despatched to
the construction site, where
they are easily and quickly
installed together with the
frame.
GEANOVA. GEALAN REINVENTED | 42

GEANOVA. GEALAN REINVENTED | 43
The concept:
experiences.
The implementation:
impressive.
The aim is to make a visit to
HEBO’s beleveniscentrum
unforgettable. The concept
is starting to take shape.

Every week, HEBO manufactures around 450 PVC
and 250 wooden windows. Five years ago, equal
numbers of wooden and PVC windows were
produced. “The trend towards PVC will continue.
Young people don’t want to spend their free time
painting windows! They dream of holidaying in
Aruba.” HEBO plans to maintain its wood production
and further expand its PVC production.
“Our customers want to keep moving forward”,
says Mark Beukert. “They see opportunities inherent
in innovative products, approach us with ideas
and are open to hearing ours.”
• Transcarbo has taken advantage of a GEALAN USP and
sells over 60 per cent of its windows with acrylcolor.
• KUFA is a special window profile, developed by GEALAN
for renovation purposes and is easy to install. The Dutch
market offers great potential for renovation solutions.
• ALKU is one of the first GEALAN customers to fit its
windows with the WinDo Flow data chip.
Customers who consider themselves partners and enter into partnership
with GEALAN with the aim of creating something new and becoming better
together are one of the reasons why recent years in the Netherlands have,
almost without exception, been years of growth for GEALAN.
Erik Oude Engberink in the
almost finished, new HEBO
bioscoop (cinema):
“The familial atmosphere
that comes straight from the
heart – to me, that’s typical
of HEBO.”
GEANOVA. GEALAN REINVENTED | 44

| FOCUS |
Ambitious newcomer
GEALAN is a success in the Netherlands, generating around 19 million
euros in sales per year, more than one euro per resident. But that’s not
enough for this man: Koen ter Hogt (26), Sales Consultant at GEALAN since
August 2020, sets out an ambitious goal: to become the number 1 system
provider in the Netherlands.
Koen ter Hogt studied
in Enschede, he has an
MBA (Master’s in Business
Administration) and started
his professional career at
GEALAN.
A German course and a five-week induction at
GEALAN in Germany – Koen ter Hogt’s summer
was intense. “The blending plant, coextrusion, lamination,
logistics – I took a very close look at everything.
Every day was precisely planned, every hour
accounted for. I think that this punctuality is typically
German; it’s a very good experience for me.”
After a further three weeks with window manufacturer
HEBO, Koen ter Hogt now manages around
twenty GEALAN customers in the Netherlands so
as to continue to grow with them. He presents new
products to them and acts as the link to the German
headquarters. “Naturally, new customers are
important, as are window manufacturers that do
not yet work with GEALAN profiles. I want to use
our strengths to win them over.” Besides digital
solutions, he believes these strengths lie predominantly
in the S 9000 NL system developed for the
Dutch market and in acrylcolor: “The hard, coloured
surface is unique. In Holland, the preference
is for large, sturdy windows, whereas elsewhere,
large glass panes are in demand. We have a complete
system for typical Dutch windows.”
A young newcomer, fresh out of uni? The response
is positive. A breath of fresh air, a different perspective,
innovative thinking... Many of the older hands
believe that’s a good thing. “GEALAN’s slogan is “Innovation
mit System” (Systemic innovation). This is
in line with young people’s aesthetic. I am grateful
for the opportunity; I am very ambitious... I want
to do a good job and take responsibility.” And become
the market leader? “I think that’s possible because
the Netherlands has a motivated team with
a variety of characters working together. GEALAN
has technically sound products and is focused on
the customer. We want to continue growing and
become the market leader.”
GEANOVA. GEALAN REINVENTED | 45

| IMPRINT |
GEANOVA’s publisher:
GEALAN Fenster-Systeme GmbH
Hofer Strasse 80
95145 Oberkotzau
www.gealan.de
info@gealan.de
Telephone: 09286 77-0
Management Board:
Ivica Maurović, Tino Albert
Commercial Register: District Court of Hof, HRB 702
Authors:
Maria Brömel
Götz Gemeinhardt
Photographs:
GEALAN Fenster-Systeme GmbH
Götz Gemeinhardt
HEBO Kozijnen B.V. / Inge Rupert
Martin Lauterbach
We wish to thank the Restaurant Le Barrage Alblasserdam, the Vienna
House Andel’s Łódź Hotel and the GKP Husaria GEALAN Rzgów team.
Cooperative alliances:
ISRA VISION AG
Joanna Krysiak
Isabella Najuch
Netzwerk – Digitales Gründerzentrum GmbH
PIXARGUS GmbH
Robert Tänzel
Printer:
Druckerei Schmidt & Buchta GmbH & Co. KG (Limited Liability Company
& Limited Partnership)
The pulp for the GEANOVA paper comes from sustainable forestry.
Circulation:
12,500 copies
Idea, layout and direction:
Götz Gemeinhardt
Reprint and use – including excerpts – only with written permission from
GEALAN Fenster-Systeme GmbH
GEANOVA. GEALAN REINVENTED | 46

A total of 276 owner-occupied
flats on the former border strip:
the windows for this residential
complex in Berlin-Treptow were
fabricated using profiles from
the GEALAN S 9000 system in
conjunction with GEALAN STV ®
bonding technology.

www.gealan.de
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