RENSON 100 Years - the Past, the Present, the Future: a Healthy Indoor Climate

RENSON® 100 years - the past, the present, the future: a healthy indoor climate

RENSON®, trendsetter in ventilation and solar shading, celebrates its 100th anniversary. Europese marktleider in ventilatie en trendsetter in zonwering, bestaat 100 jaar. RENSON® bases its skill on a century of dedication. Dedication means a continuous concern for people with changing needs but with one common goal: to live in a healthy and comfortable indoor environment – Creating healthy spaces. The requirements of architects, constructors and residents are the enduring concerns of the RENSON® company. As trendsetter in ventilation and solar shading, RENSON® aims at creating a healthy indoor air quality, at providing thermal, acoustic and visual comfort. The mission: RENSON® creates innovative concepts and products for a healthy and comfortable indoor environment in homes and buildings, with a minimal energy use and an attractive design.

An independent family company

When celebrating ist 100th anniversary, it is more than normal to take a look at the past – a past full of innovative solutions, signed RENSON®. With its experience of 100 years in building construction, over 50 years in aluminium and over 30 years in ventilation, RENSON relies upon its highly technical expertise handed on from generation to generation.

1909

In 1909, Polydore Renson started commercial construction activities in Belgium. In the first factory at Holstraat in Waregem, RENSON® produces everything for moving doors and windows: locks, hinges, etc, ….

1913

From 1913 onwards Georges Renson continues the work of its father. During the first World War he moves to England together with Léon Bekaert. As Bekaert was already exporting products to companies as Egypt and India, this move opens doors for RENSON® to do business in these countries too.

1919

This was followed in 1919 by the official founding of the RENSON® company, specialising in parts for opening and closing doors and windows as well as metal windows.

1955

During the fifties the market is changing from steel to aluminium. In 1955 RENSON® is the second company in Belgium to start an aluminium frame division.

1964

In 1964 RENSON® moves from the Holstraat in the centre of Waregem to the industry park Flanders Field at the Kalkhoevestraat. Today, RENSON® still uses the building for its Sunprotection-Screens department. From then on, the company continues to grow. And when Jan Renson, the father of today’s Managing Director, feels the competition of the big foreign companies is becoming too strong, he decides to change the focus to niche products, such as window vents (1968) and louvre panels (1970).

1982

Since 1982 Paul Renson has been managing the company with a strong interest in research & development, innovation, marketing and communication. The production of windows (1982) and the parts for moving doors and windows (1997) were separated. The programme was extended with self-regulating window vents and continuous louvre systems.

1999

The signing of the Kyoto protocol at the end of the past century is another milestone in the history of the company. Paul Renson develops the principles of nightcooling and the Healthy Building Concept – an energy-efficient solution for a healthy indoor climate.

2000-2006

Since the start of this century, RENSON® has done some forward-looking takeovers of companies, complementary to its activities. The takeover of the company RFL (UK) – today RENSON® Ltd. UK – allows us to deliver products, which meet the specific requirements of the British market place. Vegastore (France) is the basis for starting the department for solar shading in 2001 and Kestelyn (Ieper, Belgium) – a company taken over in 2003 but fully integrated into RENSON® only recently – opens new opportunities in textile solar shading (screens). Finally, in 2006 RENSON® has taken over the Belgian companies NVS and Aralco.

2009

Today, the RENSON®-programme includes:

window ventilators

louvre panels

continuous louvre systems

structural aluminium solar shading

screens

From an aluminium processing company to a knowledge based company

RENSON® has changed from an aluminium processing company to a knowledge based company. The move to the new building on stilts along the E17 motorway was a very important step forwards. The headquarters was designed by architect Jo Crepain and engineering office VK Engineering. The elegant office building on stilts along the motorway Gent-Kortrijk is a proof of architectural innovation and was built according to the Healthy Building Concept of RENSON®. This energysaving concept aims at a healthy, comfortable and energy efficient indoor climate. This building earned international prizes and awards in several architectural and environmental contests, amongst which the Aluminium Award (Holland) and the Electrabel Energy Award (Belgium). Recently, the building has been recognised by the European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies together with the Chicago Athenaeum – Museum of Architecture and Design with a 2009 ‘Green Good DesignTM’ Award in the category of Architecture.

RENSON® needs to constantly renew itself, innovate, launch new products on the market, just to keep the competition ahead. During the years, RENSON® has done a lot of efforts in giving information on why people should ventilate. Many people thought that just opening a window was sufficient. Only at the time when buildings were insulated more, it became clear the ventilation was necessary to obtain a healthy indoor climate. By combining ventilation and solar shading, RENSON® is providing total solutions for healthy and comfortable indoor environments.

Growth company

RENSON® has grown constantly during the last years: by 25 % in 2006 and 2007 and by 13 % last year to end at a sales figure of 88 million EUR.

This growth is based on a couple of elements:

- continuous development of innovative products and systems

- looking for new market segments with new customers and sales channels

- perfect quality, service and flexibility

- we develop solutions that improve the comfort or ‘well-being’ of the end user

Last but not least, it is thanks to the enthousiastic and motivated employees that RENSON® has and continues to achieve results. Today, RENSON® counts 400 employees and is present in 20 countries.

Innovation

RENSON® stands for innovative solutions.

- from sliding grilles and flap vents to self-regulating and acoustic solutions

- innovative structural solar shading based on aluminium blades

- windtight screens

- the combination of ventilation and solar shading in the SCREENVENT®

- the combination of ventilation, nightcooling and solar shading in energy-efficient solutions

- acoustic solutions

An extensive team of R&D staff and product managers is continuously working on the optimisation of existing products and on the development of innovative solutions. We want to face the future head on. This is why we work with the world’s leading scientific organisations to put trends into new products. RENSON® listens to the market to develop the right solutions.

75 % of the growth we are realising, comes from products that have been developed here during the past 5 years. Every year we have an average of 6 to 7 product launches. We also want to be innovating in our way of working. Therefore, our production plant bases on a hypermodern and continuously updated machines.

Service and quality to the direct customers

Service to our customers is of utmost importance to RENSON®. We offer an extremely large programme of products as standard, which are by other companies only delivered made-to-order. In this way, we can easily deal with the requirements of our customers and guarantee ea very short delivery time. Also the quality of our products is a major topic. In production, we do have a strict quality control, which allows us to offer our customers the best quality.

In order to provide the customers with the well-known quality, flexibility and service as well as to allow the company to grow in the future, RENSON® has extended its facilities. Therefore, the company has built a new building, including a large production hall, offices and a warehouse. The production of Ventilation and Projects was centralised in one building and the building at the Kalkhoevestraat (ca. 25000 m²) was renovated to meet the requirements of the new department for screens, RENSON® Sunprotection-Screens.

Easy installation

Developing products, RENSON® is paying a lot of attention to the ease of installation and integration.

The ‘well-being’ of the end user

Everything we do, we do for the living comfort or ‘well-being’ of the end user. In the first place, we develop our solutions for a healthy indoor climate. Besides the health of the user, we also pay a lot of attention to the acoustic, thermal and visual comfort of the users. In fact, we are looking for solutions, allowing people to enjoy a good air quality and pleasant temepratures at all times and without annoying external noise. And yes, we are thinking about the design. Today’s generation of ventilation and sun protection systems are characterised by an easy and invisible integration in every architecture.

Creating healthy spaces

RENSON® has a clear message: economise on energy but not on your health!

Scientific research learned us that the air in buildings is far worse than the air outside. Each day the air indoors is polluted by the occupants (breathing) and their activities (cooking, showering, smoking and heating), by building products (paint, glue, varnish, …) and the interior (radon, …). All these sources contribute to a poor indoor climate. With the increasing trend towards airtight construction, humidity, CO2 and various substances stay inside the home. They may cause health problems and other comfort problems. This is why you must regularly and properly ventilate buildings.

Further, a building with large glass surfaces facing south offers many advantages. During the autumn, winter and spring you enjoy the benefits of the incoming sunlight. In the summer, however, it can lead to an uncomfortable indoor climate and irritating light reflection. Structural solar shading and screens prevent this overheating. They stop the sunrays before they come into contact with the glazed surfaces. Undesired heat and blinding light do not enter the building. This means no blinding or annoying reflections. The view outside is important, and is therefore respected.

Creating healthy and energy-efficient buildings with good air quality but without overheating is much more complex than just installing airconditioning. Through the intelligent combination of ventilation and solar shading, RENSON® offers energy-efficient concepts for a healthy and comfortable indoor climate in:

- offices and industry buildings (Healthy Building Concept)

- homes (Healthy Domestic Concept)

- passive houses (Healthy PassiveHouse Concept)

- conservatories (Healthy Veranda Concept)

- schools (Healthy School Concept)

- hospitals and health care (Healthy Hospital Concept)

These concepts guarantee a healthy indoor climate and a pleasant temperature the whole year long, and they decrease the energy invoice. They are based on 3 elements: continuous and controlled basic ventilation, intensive ventilation during the night and an efficient solar shading.

RENSON® products and concepts are aimed a the best living comfort for the end user: visual, thermal, acoustic and air comfort.

The Future

RENSON® is trendsetter in ventilation and sun protection. The programme includes window vents, louvre panels, continuous louvre systems as well as structural aluminium solar shading and screens. Our goals remain the same:

- grow in all our activities

- total solutions with ventilation and solar shading for every project

- look for new market segments for our products and systems

Listening to the market is of utmost importance.

“Making no headway, means being on the decline.” We have to keep on working in order to stay as market leader. In order to obtain our goals, we rely on our motivated employees. The fact that RENSON® is still an independent family company helps us in finding the appropriate people. Our employees are important and not just a number,” says Managing Director Paul Renson.

RENSON® plans some new investments. In the headquarters along the E17 motorway the showroom and meeting areas will be redesigned as offices. On ground level, RENSON® will build a new showroom and auditorium/training centre with 150 seats. These plans were drawn by architect Jo Crepain, who worked out this transformation just before he passed away. In a second, later stadium, RENSON® will build a new production facility at a new location in the neigbourhood.

RENSON® is ready for a new period of 100 years!

More information, more pictures?

Contact:

RENSON® NV,

Johan Debaere, Tel. +32 56 62 93 78

E-Mail:

Anne Schöller, Tel + 32 56 62 71 56

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