In the Netherlands, Profine has been active on the new construction and renovation market since 1969 with high-quality and low-maintenance plastic window frames. Today these frames bear the brand name K-VISION and are continually being developed, with an eye for people and the environment. But the organization itself does not stand still either. Evidence of this is, for example, the new strategy "Today for Tomorrow", as well as the name change associated with this...
profine is part of the profine Group GmbH, which also includes brands such as Trocal, KBE and KÖMMERLING. "In 2022, KÖMMERLING celebrated its 125th anniversary," says marketing and communications consultant Melissa Manrho, "It was an important milestone as well as an excellent time to reflect as a group on our vision for the future. In recent years, we have become one of the most well-known premium brands in the plastic window frame industry. KÖMMERLING supplies an extensive range of sliding, window and door systems for projects in Europe, Asia, Africa, North America, South America and Australia and is a leader in PVC profiles for numerous applications. In order to communicate even more efficiently and strongly in the coming years, cooperate even better and act even more sustainably, we as a group have decided to continue under the name of this strong brand: KÖMMERLING. The rollout of this is currently taking place. In the Netherlands, too, we are naturally going along with this. The K-VISION series Classic, Trend, Cube and Cube-City will continue to exist, however."
"Sustainability is central to our new positioning and brand philosophy," says Sustainability & Innovation Manager Jelmer Bijlsma. "Here we go beyond resounding statements of intent. Our ambition is to make a difference today and take the right actions and decisions for tomorrow's world."
Director K-VISION frames Henk Sprick: "As ambitious and determined doers, we have the power and will to bring about positive change in everything we do. We not only want to be a pioneer, but also a role model for others. By joining forces, we can do this even better. Instead of three entities, we can now focus on one common mission, sharing knowledge and expertise to the maximum."
A great initiative in this regard is the sustainability team, of which Bijlsma and Manrho are also members, in which knowledge and experiences are exchanged across countries. "This increases knowledge and strength," says Manrho, "and enables us to develop, produce and transport even more efficiently. The market will certainly reap the benefits of this."
Illustrative of "Today For Tomorrow" is the focus on a closed material cycle. "In addition, we are fully committed to renewable energy," Bijlsma says: "Recently, a new company was even founded for this purpose, Profine Energy GmbH, which aims to generate renewable energy at various locations around the world. Not only for their own use, but also to make available to third parties."
Manrho: "In 2018, we committed to Zero Pellet Loss, which aims to prevent plastic pollution from pellets (small plastic balls) of packaging products, among other things. We go along with this, for example, by minimizing pellet losses during our production. But also by carefully packaging products in post-consumer recycled packaging materials. For this we have recently - and as the first frame manufacturer in the market - even received a Blauer (Blue) Engel seal of approval."
Finally, a great initiative is the KÖMMERLING Better World Foundation, which undertakes numerous social initiatives. "For example, we utilize our transport lines between Germany and Ukraine to facilitate humanitarian aid, keep bees in Berlin to restore the declining bee population, provide development aid in Africa and support various sports activities in South America."
If you look at the product level, KÖMMERLING wants above all to produce the best-performing window frame products in the market. Both in terms of service life and product performance, says Bijlsma. "With K-VISION we have already made important steps in this, which were recently rewarded with a nice mention in the National Environmental Database."
At 75 years, the lifespan of K-VISION window frames is now equal to the buildings in which they are installed, he emphasizes. "The result is a very low MKI score, which means that our frame products guarantee a very low environmental impact and very high sustainability scores. Our plastic window frames do not contain lead, cadmium or other harmful substances. Moreover, our entire product range is now manufactured to a greater or lesser extent with recycled granulate."
"In our production process, we are highly committed to Reduce, Re-use and Recycle," said Bijlsma. "One way we do this is by using materials more efficiently and by researching alternative raw materials, our environmental impact is constantly being reduced. In addition, we actively collect old plastic window frames, saw waste and leftover parts for equivalent reuse or recycling. An increasing proportion of recycled PVC is used in our products. Not only in our window frames, but now also in our frame profiles and intermediate posts. Within our production, no plastic fiber is thrown away or downgraded; a true closed loop."
Those who choose K-VISION ReFrame are even assured of 100% recycled material. This means significant savings in raw materials, transport and CO2 emissions, while the circular frame profile has exactly the same quality and properties as a "virgin" profile. That ReFrame is conquering the market is evident from the many parties in the Netherlands and in the rest of Europe who have chosen this circular window frame since its introduction in 2020.
Numerous sustainable novelties lie ahead for the future. KÖMMERLING's new logo perfectly reflects this, showing natural elements such as sun and water in an abstract form. Moreover, it illustrates the joint focus on circularity, while the warm colors stand for commitment, in the broadest sense of the word.
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