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HP: Please give a detailed description of your company and its
history.
George Pfaller: Alutech United was founded in May 1993 as a subsidiary
of the Schanz Gruupe (Germany). The original location was Glen
Burnie, MD. We started out in a 1,600-square-foot warehouse bay
with a staff of 1.5 employees. We relocated in 1996 to Frankford,
DE, and again in 1999.
We purchased property and built a 15,000-square-foot facility. At this point
we have 25 employees, consisting of our wholesale and retail departments.
HP: What hurricane protection products did you handle initially? What products
do you handle today?
Pfaller: Alutech has always prided itself with its manufacturing knowledge of
rolling shutter systems. Being the North American division of Schanz Gruppe,
Simmersfeld Germany, Alutech United offers several roll shutter products developed
in Germany that have been adapted to the American market and are now manufactured
here. These systems are unique to Alutech and the roll shutter market in general.
The leading engineered shutter system is the Studio Star shutter that operates
from the bottom-up to cover shaped windows such as arch tops or trapezoidal windows.
With today’s changing architecture and the higher use of shaped window
openings, the Studio Star shutter has become a favorite solution for those clients
concerned with final architectural flow as well as hurricane protection.
The Sun Star system was designed and manufactured as a reliable roll shutter
system to cover horizontal glass surfaces such as sunrooms or solarium roofs.
The Sun Star system can accommodate glass surfaces that have as little as 10
degrees of roof pitch.
The Alu Star product line is Alutech’s conventional roll shutter system.
Alu Star shutters are designed with the oceanfront customer in mind and use components
imported from all over the world as well as the United States. The Alu Star shutter
is the most popular product Alutech offers and consumes the largest portion of
Alutech United’s production facility and warehouse.
Alutech United also manufactures the new High Velocity accordion shutter now
offered through Eastern Metal Supply.
HP: What one product or line stands out above the rest?
Pfaller: The Studio Star shutter system stands out among Alutech’s product
offerings in that it is unique and offers customers a solution when protecting
shaped windows.
Often, the shaped window is the focal design feature on many homes with an ocean
exposure. Architects design the ocean elevation to take advantage of the scenic
views and they tend to use windows that are rounded at the top or shaped individually
to accentuate the home’s ocean view. These windows also are the most vulnerable
glass on the entire home and need protection as well as a system that does not
detract from the overall look of the home.
The Studio Star system is designed to fit each opening precisely so that the
look and flow of the home is maintained.
HP: What other products, if any, do you offer?
Pfaller: Roll screen systems are a new product offering from Alutech. They use
the basic concept of a roll shutter system but replace the slat curtain with
a sunscreen fabric that allows visibility but still provides maximum shading.
HP: Who are your customers? What parts of the country do you service?
Pfaller: Alutech United has a strong regional presence. Being a retailer covering
the Delaware, Maryland and Virginia beach areas, we know the conditions found
throughout the Mid-Atlantic as well as New Jersey, New York and New England.
Alutech also is pleased to have customers in just about every state in the country
and several customers throughout the Caribbean.
Most customers are installers of hurricane protection products as well as door
companies and OEM’s of specialized equipment. We have a strong customer
following and our repeat customer rate is nearly 100 percent.
HP: What best describes your niche in the marketplace?
Pfaller: Specialty applications are our market niche. Those openings that our
industry used to have no solutions for, such as horizontal glass surfaces or
shaped openings are our everyday products.
We are quickly becoming the company that people call when they have no other
idea on how to make a roll shutter cover a problem area for their clients.
We see this area of our market growing and we hope to someday see these products,
the Studio Star and Sun Star, as our largest products offerings.
HP: What are some of the key factors involved in your growth and success?
Pfaller: Strong customer service as well as unique products have and will be
the key factors responsible for our growth. Taking a leading edge in both technology
and product innovations will continue to allow us to grow and be known throughout
our industry as a market leader.
HP: What are your strengths in the marketplace?
Pfaller: Customer service, response times and fast delivery schedules have given
us a loyal customer base and will continue to help us grow in an always increasing
competitive market.
HP: What distinguishes you from the competition?
Pfaller: Our unique products as well as our commitment to customer service make
and keep us different. In addition, we employ technicians and licensed electricians
in our retail division. This allows us to better understand, support and train
our wholesale customers in all aspects of the shutter business.
HP: Is your business computerized? Do you have a company Web site, and how is
it used to communicate with customers?
Pfaller: Alutech has also prided itself as being one of the technology leaders
in our industry. Our Web site is designed to load quickly and answer basic questions
about our company and products.
Our site, www.alutech.com, was the first site (set up in 1994) in our industry
that allows customers to login and quote individual shutters precisely and accurately
using the same pricing models that are found in our published pricelist. Being
that we do not price shutters based on square foot pricing models but on a grid
system, this was quite an undertaking. We offer the most accurate pricing program
on the Web today for custom manufactured roll shutter systems.
Customers can go to our site, login and instantly track the status of any of
their outstanding orders with a few clicks of a mouse. Customers also can track
their freight directly from our Web site once their orders have shipped.
We encourage everyone in the industry to take a few minutes to explore our site.
They will all see it is the most interactive site in our industry.
HP: What trends and cycles do you see occurring in the industry? How is your
business addressing them?
Pfaller: Building codes such as the International Building Code (IBC) or Dade
County (FL) Code have had a significant impact on our products and technology,
forcing manufacturers to use stronger materials and designs. We conducted countless
tests both in-house and with independent test laboratories so that the majority
of our products are now approved by various building codes.
HP: What advice would you give to other hurricane protection professionals?
Pfaller: Remember that we are in a very small specialty market and that there
is enough business available for all of us to make a decent living and grow.
We sometimes fight and compete over the same markets, which inevitably lowers
prices and profits. Be aware that every time we fight and lower prices for specific
orders it sets a downward trend in the market, which every company will eventually
feel.
Healthy competition makes us all better, but competing completely on prices only
helps the end consumer get a high-end product at an abnormally low price.
Alutech United, Inc.
15 Dixon St.
Selbyville, DE 19975
(302) 854-9100
fax: (302) 436-5100
www.alutech.com
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