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Windows and doors made of sustainable materials and not manufactured on an assembly line – that is the secret of Kapo’s success.

Karl Polzhofer, the great-grandfather of the current managing director Stefan Polzhofer, laid the foundation for the company’s history in 1927 when, after years as a wandering carpenter, he opened a small carpentry shop in the Pöllauer Tal nature park in Styria. The first staff consisted of three journeymen and two apprentices. Rented in a house in the village and on an area of 17 square metres, the carpenter’s workshop made everything out of wood that the customers in the area asked for. Today, as then, Kapo is primarily a supplier and partner for home-builders, planners and contractors in the region, but managed to expand its clientele far beyond the borders of Austria. The reputation of wooden windows and doors has not only spread in this country. The two Kapo managing directors, Stefan Polzhofer and Othmar Sailer, explain why there is much to be said for wood as a sustainable material for window and door construction.

From a small Styrian joinery to an international player – how have you been able to hold your own against the various large, international chains of window and door manufacturers that offer mass-produced goods?
Othmar Sailer: International player is an ambitious term, because the window and door business is local in nature. The elements are large and heavy, they have to be transported and assembled. Since, unlike our well-known competitors, we offer our products exclusively through direct sales and everything from one source, i.e. including installation, the German-speaking world is our home market. However, it happens time and again that our satisfied customers and architects take us to markets that do not belong to this core market. Architects in particular appreciate the advantage of having the product and the installation from one source, as this avoids potential problems. The customers have the great advantage that we offer the warranty for the entire work.
Stefan Polzhofer: Kapo occupies a clearly defined market niche. We don’t manufacture on an assembly line but think in projects and not in window units. Every building project is unique, and our technical office develops those solutions that perfectly meet the respective customer’s needs. You don’t get that from mass manufacturers. In general, we speak of a very small market segment for window frames made of wood, with a market share in Austria of less than five percent, despite the trend towards greening. That is the lowest value in all of Europe, which in my view is not a good calling card for a country that also defines itself as a forest country. This development can be explained by the fact that industrial window production in Austria carries a lot of weight and primarily relies on plastic windows due to the higher margins at a lower sales price.

After plastic windows and doors dominating the market for decades, wooden windows and doors are now back in fashion. Why has there been a trend reversal?
Polzhofer: The driver of the trend reversal is the megatrend of greening, which is finally reaching the building industry. The pressure for change here comes from the environmentally conscious end customer. In addition, ESG requirements are having an effect in real estate financing. Property developers are naturally anxious to optimise their margins and then often save on materials. For example, laminate flooring has been a taboo in high-end residential construction for a long time, but now the potential buyers of the residential units and financing banks are also paying attention elsewhere that plastic is replaced by natural materials.
Sailer: Wood as a material offers many more possibilities than plastic. Wood, for example, has outstanding static properties, which is why wooden windows can also be manufactured in huge dimensions. Even in terms of fire protection, wood is superior to all other frame materials – for example, a window made of plastic melts in case of fire, the glass falls out of the frame, and the chimney effect additionally fuels the fire, not to mention the toxic fumes. Wood also has antibacterial properties and it catches CO2. But the best argument in favour of wood is that it is a renewable raw material that gives our customers a natural feeling. You like to touch wood, you touch plastic because you have to.

Do you have to repaint wooden windows regularly?
Sailer: For a long time, people thought that a plastic window did not need to be maintained and was therefore more durable. We know from experience that a wooden product is anti-fragile and ages gracefully. A plastic window turns yellow and gradually loses its already minimal static properties. It used to be said that you don’t have to paint plastic windows. Now the industry advertises that you can also paint a plastic window. It is true that you can extend the life of a window by decades with minimal effort. That is why we also offer our customers maintenance services. Our window technicians then visit the customer every two or three years, for example to service moving parts that are by nature wearing parts, especially with the ever-larger elements, and to inspect the surface. The expert eye sees immediately if, for example, hail has damaged the surface and there is a danger of water penetration.
Polzhofer: In addition, we also offer all wooden windows in a version with an aluminium cover shell. Wood/aluminium windows are very popular, especially in modern architecture. Depending on the installation and weathering situation, this can make sense. We have almost 100 years of experience in window construction. For example, it is also necessary to take into account the sea level of a building project. All this and much more is clarified by our technicians in the planning phase with our potential customers.

Among other things, you offer burglar-proof and soundproof windows. But what are avalanche protection windows?
Sailer: There are construction situations, for example in alpine areas, where buildings are located in avalanche-prone areas. The window must then be constructed in such a way that it can withstand several hundred kilos of pressure load. The frame construction must be designed differently, and the glass itself must also have different properties than normal window glass. This is a special construction that is not needed every day. Polzhofer: In order to be allowed to call such a product an avalanche protection window, you need the corresponding certification. As far as we know, there are only two other certified manufacturers in Austria.
Polzhofer: In order to be allowed to call such a product an avalanche protection window, you need the corresponding certification. As far as we know, there are only two other certified manufacturers in Austria.

Of the numerous projects on your website, are there two or three whose special features you would like to highlight?
Sailer: The requirements are particularly high for historical buildings. Here it is important to combine a historical appearance with modern technology. Regardless of whether it’s box-type windows, mullioned windows or round arches: We also manufacture individual sample windows, if desired.
Polzhofer: On top of my head, a listed building project in Istanbul comes to mind. The hotel stands directly on the Bosporus. We not only manufactured and installed the windows and doors, but also the entire wooden façade in a passively back-ventilated post-and-beam construction. The requirements there were also high because the saltwater puts additional stress on the surface and the property is at the mercy of wind and weather. A special and modern building project from around here was, for example, the thermal spa in Bad Blumau planned by Friedensreich Hundertwasser. This is a true synthesis of different arts. Of the approximately 2,400 so-called dancing windows, no two are alike. For our technicians in planning and for our craftsmen in production, this building project was a dream; for most market competitors it would have been unfeasible.

Where does the wood for your products come from?
Sailer: Since wood is a natural product, the challenge starts with purchasing. We maintain long-term partnerships with our suppliers who are aware of our particularly high demands on this material. There is a clear trend towards wood from domestic forestry, which we very much welcome.
Polzhofer: To my knowledge, we are the first European window manufacturer with the EMAS certificate for integrated environmental management. Our conviction is that transparency in the materials we use is the right way to go. That’s why we publish an annual environmental report that, among other things, documents and discloses all consumption.

How much have the supply chain problems of recent years affected you?
Sailer: The last few years with their erratic supply situations have also had an impact on the timber industry. In addition, there was extra work because we often received materials late.
Polzhofer: We are currently observing a re-regionalisation of the economy – an extremely pleasing, positive trend.

How much do the increased energy prices affect you?
Sailer: This runs through the entire supply chain from which we purchase and leads to corresponding increases.
Polzhofer: The price increase affects plastic windows even more, because the energy required to produce them is higher.

Do you feel the shortage of skilled workers?
Sailer: It’s a demographic process, and of course we feel it too. We are particularly fighting for apprentices, are present at schools, pay above the collective bargain and offer bonuses such as driving licence training. We also have an apprentice coordinator, a young lady who is very active. As a result, there are now seven women in production. We are currently also trying to bring apprentices from Spain here and train them.
Polzhofer: The backbone of our company is our skilled workers. We are a family business and many skilled workers are already in the second or third generation at Kapo. I remember a situation where a long-time employee asked if his son could also work at Kapo. When asked how old he was and when he could come, the employee said that the due date was in three months... (laughs)

How do you manage to keep a family business going for almost 100 years?
Polzhofer: With ups and downs, as is part and parcel of a family business, with a lot of emotion from all sides and with external support when emotions spill over. At the end of the day, the secret of success is a high degree of personal responsibility combined with clear decision-making structures.