Leaders of the national trade fabricator Sternfenster have invested in a fleet of Kia EV6 electric cars for the sales team. The move is part of the firm’s company-wide sustainability initiative.
The Kia EV6 has a range of up to 328 miles on a single charge, and the battery can recharge from 10% to 80% in just 18 minutes. This makes it ideal for Sternfenster’s sales team as they connect with the business’ nationwide customer base, according to Sternfenster’s representative. The Kia EV6 also boasts the largest network of charging sites in the UK and Europe.
“The pandemic in 2020 accelerated our ambition to move as much of our customer relations online as possible,” said Nathan Court, Sternfenster’s sales director. “As a result, we have one of the industry’s most advanced online portals, allowing us to have more communication than ever before with our customers, giving them the tools to effectively sell windows and doors, including our virtual showroom.
“This feeds into our long-term strategy of reducing our impact on the environment – in this case by removing unnecessary vehicles from the road. But there are times when meeting face-to-face is critical, for example supporting customers with technical queries on site, or assisting with showroom builds.”
Leaders of Sternfenster are also in the process of broadening the business’ recycling programme to include old windows removed by customers, preventing them going from landfill. This also feeds into the fabricator’s wider sustainability strategy.
Similarly, in a bid to keep reducing the energy used at Sternfenster’s factory in Lincoln, new, energy-efficient gas heaters have been installed. Plans are in place to install more solar panels on the roof too, which will increase on-site energy generation by up to 28%. “We are constantly looking for ways to reduce our carbon footprint, working with our suppliers where possible,” Nathan added.
In January, Sternfenster hosted a roundtable event with its key suppliers to discuss the importance of manufacturing windows and doors sustainably, and to share best practice when it comes to measuring and reducing the industry’s impact on the environment. The aim of the event was to collectively develop strategies that help reduce carbon emissions and increase recycling while maximising the commercial opportunities from doing so.
Representatives from Deceuninck, Smart Systems, Saint-Gobain Glass and Edgetech shared their sustainability journey at the roundtable event, and vowed to work together to place greater importance on the environment as well as to communicate this effort to the end user. For more information about Sternfenster visit sternfenster.com, email sales@sternfenster.co.uk or call 01522 512 525.
