Alusystem

ROMANIA’S DYNAMIC FAÇADE SPECIALIST

ALUSYSTEM

CU

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CONSTRUCTION

UTTING A dynamic, 16-year evolution has seen Alusystem rise to pre-eminence in Romania’s construction industry. Razvan Popa tells the façade specialist’s story Writer: Jonathan Dyble | Project Manager: Ryan Gray

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hrugging off the slight downturn of 2017 and 2018, this year has seen Romania’s buoyant construction sector once again capitalise on numerous tailwinds.

Take January and February, for instance. According to GlobalData, the country’s national construction works index grew by 4.8 percent yearon-year, while the new construction segment rose by 8.7 percent. Equally, this upward trajectory has been maintained as the year has shifted from spring to summer and now autumn, so much so that the industry is anticipated to grow at approximately 3.37 percent per year until 2023.

From the optimism surrounding a revival in public sector investments to financial commitments coming from the European Union, geared towards national infrastructure development, positivity is being projected across the commercial and residential segments alike.

“Romania has huge potential,” Razvan Popa affirms.

“The ambition of our architects and the quality of construction work in this country is truly amazing. In my eyes, it is like a pearl for Eastern Europe and investors can expect to see an abundance of opportunities emerging here in the coming years.”

Echoing GlobalData’s own bright outlook, Popa’s insight its similarly well informed.

Having led a fruitful career in Romania’s construction industry for more than a decade, he now stands as the Executive Director of Alusystem – a façade and curtain wall specialist that is thriving against this optimistic backdrop.

“Engineering runs in my family; I’ve been surrounded by the industry ever since I was a child,” he reveals, pointing to his degree in Civil Engineering.

“There’s nothing quite like the feeling of satisfaction you can get when workEME Outlook issue 32 | 3

ALUSYSTEM ing on a construction project from start to finish and seeing it come to life.

“The thrill never ends, particularly in the façade trade. When you talk about a façade, you talk about the image of an entire project. Because of this, all architects want to bring new ideas to the table – buildings are their business cards.

“It makes it an exciting, challenging, fast-moving industry to work in.”

DEFINING ESTEEMED PROJECT DELIVERY These animated attitudes are reflective of Alusystem’s own perspectives, a forward-thinking company that excels by bringing game-changing solutions to market in what is already an innovative environment.

From design to execution to installation, the company has established an esteemed reputation as a turnkey operator. Popa confirms: “Our main products include glass and ventilated façades, but nowadays most projects are custom, so we’re proactive in developing technical solutions to meet any architectural request.”

This ethos has seen Alusystem deliver a vast array of globally renowned projects to the highest standard across Romania over the years. From office blocks to a number of specialised projects including the Dolj Law Courts, Otopeni Airport and the Romanian US embassy based in Bucharest, the company’s esteemed portfolio speaks for itself.

“I think every project harbours something special, whether that’s glass characteristics, new technologies or a crazy quick delivery time. But yes, a few spring to mind that we consider to be particularly in unique,” Popa responds when asked about those that he is particularly proud of. “Global Worth Tower, for example, features the first glued spider façade in Europe that is more than 100 metres in height.

“Meanwhile, the Victoriei Office Building project includes the first unyielded 3D glass façade placed in two directions on the continent, and in 2008 we were the first Romanian company to install a unitised façade on Gemini Towers in Piata Presei Libere.”

Sika Romania Sika is a specialty chemicals company with a leading position in the development and production of systems and products for bonding, sealing, damping, reinforcing and protecting in the building and motor vehicle industries. Sika’s product lines feature concrete admixtures, mortars, sealants and adhesives, structural strengthening systems, flooring as well as roofing and waterproofing systems.

Our core competence – from design to process Sika develops bonding and sealing solutions in close cooperation with its customers in the facade and window industry. This means not only developing best-in-class technology solutions to match the customer’s technical and commercial requirements, but also ensuring appropriate performance throughout the design, prototyping, validation and full production phases.

Design and system engineering Application oriented adhesives and sealants, as well as innovative construction methods are currently in high demand, which calls for design and application support. At Sika Facade and Fenestration Competence Centres, the most suitable solutions are developed in partnership with our customers to achieve the targeted results. Ultimately, this means reduced production costs, greater product reliability, improved aesthetic appeal and faster turnaround times, adding value to the activities of Sika customers.

Technical service Sika technical service teams are located around the world, and are dedicated to providing best practice selection, validation and application of Sika materials.

Being located close to our customers, we provide fast and reliable project tests based on international or local standards.

Through comprehensive training sessions in local languages, Sika can assure optimum communication and understanding for the appropriate product application.

Furthermore, Sika supports the build-up of proper QA/QC procedures and systems complying with relevant standards.

Dolj Law Courts

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www.sika.com/ffi-downloads

Sika F&F SEALING AND BONDING IN FACADE AND FENESTRATION

With the Sika BONDING EXCELLENCE program, we raise the awareness of Quality with our customers but also within Sika.

The program offers a revised digital project management software, templates for audits, checklists and other literature such as trainings on one single source.

The new software offers full monitoring of the facade projects including educational level of our customers and our Sika sales force.

The basic idea of the program of BONDING EXCELLENCE is: Building confidence in the technology of structural glazing in facades, from design to process to the installed facade elements.

This is the message given to our end customers such as the building owners, architects and specifiers.

www.sika.com

•--- Structural glazing and insulating glass edge sealing •--- Panel bonding •--- Panel lamination •--- Panel reinforcement (panel strengthening) •--- Structural window bonding •--- Wet joint sealing •--- Joint membranes •--- Sika facade technologies •--- Sound damping •--- Anchoring •--- Online project management

ALUSYSTEM INSPIRING INNOVATION AND CREATIVITY This list of firsts somewhat stems from the firm’s acknowledgement of the importance of technologies, readily utilising, incorporating and investing in design software solutions and computer numerical control machines (of which it has three).

MANAGEMENT FOCUS

Q: How important are partner and supplier relationships to the success of Alusystem?

Razvan Popa, Executive Director: “The supply chain is the key to any project, empowering the brains that come from our in-house design team and workshop.

“We’ve spent a lot of time strengthening our relations with suppliers. Communication, planning and clarity are crucial to ensuring that projects run smoothly, and we’ve ramped this up since the launch of our own design department.

“Many years ago, we realised better prices can be obtained by efficiency and not discounts, and this mentality ensures both our own business and those of our partners and suppliers have flourished and will continue to do so in the long term.”

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Razvan Popa, Executive Director

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“Everything in our company starts from the design and you cannot perform without technology in the modern day,” Popa declares. “In order to come up with precision installation, for example, we scan the structure and use topometric measurements in order to avoid any errors.”

Equally, the Executive Director highlights Alusystem’s esteemed network of suppliers and unrivalled facilities,

including its Timisoara-based warehouse and Bucharest-based workshop, as pivotal parts of the company’s success since its founding in 2003. Yet, at the same time, he is quick to state that a core differentiator comes from its workforce.

“Alusystem’s greatest assets are its employees,” he states. “They bolster our competitive advantage and help us to stand out in this industry.”

This is not lost on the business, the

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company taking ample steps to ensure it provides its employees with the perfect platform from which they can flourish.

“We work tirelessly to create a working environment where our young employees can develop long term careers – careers where creativity has no limit,” Popa adds. “I myself have been here for 12 years now, since I was 22 years old, and this is a major reason as to why.

“Our strategic partners offer us training, for example, ensuring we remain on top of industry trends. And when hiring new talent, we look for curiosity – if our staff are curious, then not even the sky is the limit.”

INTERNATIONAL AMBITION Be it suppliers, investment strategies or a fiercely creative workforce, Alusystem has secured sound grounding from which it can continue to excel moving through 2019 and beyond.

The company’s existing portfolio will

Alusystem has delivered a vast array of globally renowned projects to the highest standard across Romania over the years. Pictured left and above.

1: Gemini Towers. 2: Riviera Cluj. 3: Otopeni Airport.

4: Bosch Cluj. 5: GlobalWorth Campus. 6: Equilibrium.

7: Openville Timisoara soon be accompanied by a number of ongoing developments, Popa pointing to the 3D modular façades that are being delivered for Globalworth and the loop system façade with printed glass it is developing for the AFI mall in Brasov as ones to watch.

“For the next year, we also plan to work on our operational skills and improve our performance, delivering quality in shorter timeframes at the lowest possible price,” he adds. “Larger margins tend to come from custom projects, something that will additionally require us to take more risks and bet on innovation.”

Equally, the company is beginning to look beyond the borders and limitations of Romania’s market, eyeing expansion in the future.

Popa concludes, eluding to these long-term ambitions: “Most investors are global, meaning international business has vast impacts on business in Romania. Our advantage here is that there are strong growth prospects.

“Will we go global ourselves? It’s something that key suppliers for businesses around the world are asking us a lot.

“The number of opportunities in Romania have dictated that we haven’t had the time to think about developing an international footprint, but in the future, we would like to go abroad for sure, ideally via small steps and organic growth.”

ALUSYSTEM Tel: +40 (0) 21 201 69 79 office.b@alusystem.ro www.alusystem.ro

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ALUSYSTEM Headquarters Ion Brezoianu street no. 27 010131 Bucharest, Romania

Production facility Armoniei street no. 27/A 300291 Timisoara, Romania

tel (+)40 (0)21 201 69 79 fax (+)40 (0)21 210 44 55 email office.b@alusystem.ro

tel. (+)40 (0)256 309 760 fax (+)40 (0)256 242 340 email office.tm@alusystem.ro

PRODUCED BY EME OUTLOOK MAGAZINE