Frameless Swiss sliding windows
There are over 5 million millionaires living in the USA. That's a world record. A particularly large number of them live in the Los Angeles area. That is precisely where Sky-Frame AG from Frauenfeld, the manufacturer of frameless sliding windows, opened its US branch with its own showroom in 2014. American builders with high standards in terms of design and quality love the large sliding windows «made in Switzerland». They enable window façades up to five meters in height. With Sky-Frame even daring corner designs appear delicate; interior and exterior spaces merge into one another without any barriers.
Many hurdles overcome
The 120 employees at the company's modern headquarters in Thurgau are multiple prize-winning master craftsmen and women. Sky-Frame AG has produced a high-end product which leads the world in terms of technology and beats 30 competitors worldwide. In spite of that, the three-strong US team had to start virtually from scratch – because America does not accept the EU testing processes. Various new certifications had to be obtained for the US market. In Florida, the Sky-Frame system is even hurricane-tested. «The enormous effort required on market entry was a challenge for us,» says David Herkenne, Head of B2C.
On course for success
Switzerland Global Enterprise (S-GE) helped Sky-Frame to find partners in the USA. The Frauenfeld-based company has already realized five projects in 18 months, generating sales of several hundred thousand dollars. This is offset by proportionately high packaging and shipping costs. Production is still carried out at the company's headquarters in Switzerland; the windows are then shipped by sea to the USA.
Swissness as a seal of quality
The combination of Swissness with local competence is an important success factor for Sky-Frame. They consider themselves strengthened by their success. «We are conquering the hearts of American architects, developers and investors,» says David Herkenne, Head of B2C. Sky-Frame windows are perfect for people who are looking for a high quality of life and want limitless visibility, with the sky close enough to touch.
We learned to walk again in the USA.
David Herkenne, Head of B2C (Executive Board), Sky-Frame AG
