You might view the new HAUTAU campaign which goes public in Autumn and Winter 2016 as a slight understatement. "35 years of slide technology" it states as HAUTAU looks back over more than 80 years in established expertise in sliding windows and doors. How can this be? The response to this question reveals the innermost values of our company, which has become synonymous with German slide technology engineering for doors and windows like no other. This is because even though the company was issued with its first patents for slide solutions in the thirties, things didn't really get off the ground until the early eighties.

"Often imitated but never equalled": 35 years' sliding door technology from HAUTAU

When locksmith and toolmaker Wilhelm Hautau filed a patent for his first marketable product, a single-cord fanlight opener named MARS, he had yet to found the company. It was not until he sold his first products and customers were able to experience the benefits of his technical achievement that the then 24-year-old discovered that his true vocation lay in being an entrepreneur.

This direct link between the technical development of fittings and the recognisable benefit for people who install or use the products remains an essential part of the company's philosophy today.

Even if Wilhelm Hautau submitted the first patents for sliding door fittings back in the thirties, HAUTAU considers 1981/82 as the true milestone for the technology. In 1981, the first prototype for a parallel-retract-slide fitting, the ASK 20, came to the attention, or rather "slid" to the attention of fitters thanks to the efforts of the equally inventive Karl-Heinz Hautau. This fitting quickly appeared on the market in 1982 due to the immediate, high demand. This date marks year zero in slide fittings for everyone at HAUTAU and thus explains the concept of understatement for this long-established company, whose entire performance chain is focused exclusively on benefit for the user.

The HAUTAU performance chain

Research & Development
Each of the now over 400 patents originated in a variety of market observations and specific requirements from fitters. It is not until Hautau establishes exactly what the market needs that the in-house development centre commences its development work. When the engineers get their heads together there, they not only discuss metallurgy, system technology and other technical aspects since the primary focus is on people. In-depth understanding for customers and their needs are the main driving forces behind engineering and development at HAUTAU.

Innovation & comfort
The many findings from research and development are then checked regarding their suitability for daily use and market conformity during a subsequent process. This is where convenience plays a permanently important role, a role which is constantly changing due to further technical development. As a basic rule, HAUTAU only regards a project as a true innovation if it is fully accepted on the market.

Humans & Technology
The healthy relationship between humans, society as a whole and the technology that it creates is the ultimate barometer for each HAUTAU innovation. Technology should not have control over man; it is man who needs to adapt to technical developments in such a way that they objectively make life easier.

HAUTAU ATRUM^® SP komfort
One prime example of development work in the spirit of the times and a preliminary highpoint in slide technology is the development of the ATRIUM SP^® komfort. A wide variety of social developments, trends in housing construction and user and system partner experiences led to HAUTAU questioning all established systems and developing a new, systematic solution for modern constructions of the future. The ATRIUM SP^® komfort is a parallel-retract-slide fitting with a gap opening and an integrated slow-close mechanism which unites all key aspects in a single product and has been regarded as state of the art for many fitters in the retract-slide fitting segment.

LIVING ENVIRONMENT HEALTH & MAINTAINING VALUE
Humidity and damp have little chance of disappearing from homes in new buildings and passive houses. It is essential to air rooms on a regular basis, yet people often neglect to do so. The result is damp patches infested with mould. The fully surrounding night vent in the ATRIUM SP^® fitting provides basic, steady, draught-free, natural ventilation, helping to prevent mould growth and preserve the value of the property.

SECURITY & PROTECTION
Despite the fully surrounding night vent, the window is fully secured in this position thanks to the interlocking system. This means that rooms can be conveniently ventilated even when you are not at home. In the face of a rise in burglaries, this advantage is decisive for many end customers when making their purchase decision.

COMFORT & PEOPLE
The ATRIUM SP^® komfort impresses people of all ages thanks to its unique soft-close mechanism. With just one turn of the hand, the sash is unlocked, opened and easily moved. The energy used to move the sash is stored and then used to pull the sash back into the frame opening when users slide it to the closed position by hand – child’s play, just like a drawer. HAUTAU also took fitters into account as well: the systematic solution is suitable for all types of doors and windows made of wood, composite and aluminium and is capable of supporting sashes up to 200 kg.

Perfect technical solutions, such as the ATRUM SP^® komfort, awaken avarice and are all too often copied by imitators. However, specialists trust in the original by HAUTAU, relying on decades of experience and expertise in slide fitting development.