PNS Homes Offers Industry-First Location-Based Services with Five Patented Technologies Utilizing Big Data
PNS Homes has moved to strengthen its competitiveness in the steadily expanding market for remodeling aging buildings.
Rather than the conventional one-size-fits-all approach to window and door replacement, PNS Homes is introducing differentiated services suited to renovation by utilizing numerous patented technologies, including big-data-based location services.
According to the industry, the domestic remodeling market was estimated at approximately 30 trillion won as of 2020 and is projected to expand to as much as 44 trillion won by 2030. This growth reflects the rising number of aging buildings; as of the end of 2018, buildings that were more than 30 years old accounted for about 37% of all buildings. With continued growth expected in the window and door replacement market driven by this increase in aging buildings, the window and door industry is intensifying its efforts to tap into the remodeling market. Until now, in the market for replacing windows and doors in aging buildings, consumers have installed windows and doors of the same performance as designated by dealerships and interior contractors, regardless of their individual residential characteristics or lifestyles. As a result, they not only paid more than necessary but were also not guaranteed an optimized selection of windows and doors suited to the climatic characteristics of their region. This is because consumers generally select windows and doors based on brand, design, or the choice of the interior contractor when carrying out interior work or remodeling.
Having identified these problems in the market for windows, doors, and building materials in aging buildings, PNS Homes plans to provide differentiated services aimed at improving them, offering Korea's first big-data-based location services along with five related patented technologies.
Recently, newly built apartments and buildings have improved in quality to an incomparable degree compared to the past, as various regulations—covering structural values, insulation values, and seismic design against earthquakes—have been strengthened. In contrast, the remodeling market is not subject to any building regulations, so uniform windows, doors, and building materials that are not suited to the characteristics or lifestyle of a consumer's residential area are being applied, giving rise to a variety of problems. For example, if the windows and doors installed in Gangwon-do—part of the Central Region 1, which has the lowest average annual minimum temperature—are identical to those installed in Jeju-do, which has the highest average annual temperature, one needs to consider whether the windows and doors have been installed correctly. As climate change has also intensified recently, damage to windows and doors from monsoon rains and typhoons is drawing attention year after year. People prepare for typhoons by taping their windows and firmly locking their doors when a typhoon warning is issued, and this is because building regulations for aging buildings in the past were inadequate and structural values were not taken into account. Because the buildings we live in are subject to different wind-load standards depending on the number of floors, the specifications of reinforcing and auxiliary materials for window and door replacement in aging buildings should differ, just as they do for new buildings.
To improve these market problems, PNS Homes has introduced location-based services featuring five patented technologies. Using PNS Homes' big-data-driven location services, consumers can replace their windows and doors in a way that is neither excessive nor insufficient but tailored to the characteristics of each region—such as average annual temperature, precipitation, and wind speed—without spending more than necessary. In particular, its strength lies in minimizing damage, because building materials are selected based on data regarding the location and shape of the building in the residential area, as well as precipitation and wind speed.
Services Directly Managed by Headquarters; Introduction of Window and Door Specification Sheets
PNS Homes' differentiated and advanced location-based services are managed entirely and directly by headquarters, from consultation to manufacturing and installation. During window and door consultations, PNS Homes gathers basic information in order to propose windows and doors that are a perfect fit for the consumer. Fundamentally, it verifies the exact location through the customer's name, contact information, and home address, and additionally surveys matters such as the characteristics of the residential environment, family members, lifestyle, and any special environmental requirements. It identifies structural values according to the building's location and proposes windows and doors with high cost and usage efficiency by applying insulation values that meet the notifications of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to the windows and doors installed in each person's living space.
For more specialized service, PNS Homes has introduced the "specification sheet"—the kind checked when purchasing a car—to windows and doors. Since windows and doors account for the largest share of remodeling costs, the specification sheet contains detailed information so that more accurate information can be provided to consumers. When the exact address needed to confirm the building's location and shape is entered on the window and door specification sheet, one can learn the wind speed and exposure category (terrain roughness grade) appropriate for that area, as well as the most fundamental specifications for windows and doors—energy consumption efficiency grade, insulation value, airtightness value, watertightness value, and glass specifications—along with specifications for the increasingly stringent burglary-resistance testing, eco-friendliness, and more.
In addition, PNS Homes is planning an installation training program so that work can proceed smoothly from the raw materials of the windows and doors through to the finishing quality. This is because, while the materials of windows and doors matter, their quality and functionality are determined by who installs them and how. PNS Homes plans to provide the highest quality through accurate and flawless installation carried out exactly according to the LH installation specification standards of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. Upon completion of the window and door installation, PNS Homes further enhanced trust in its quality by providing consumers with documents covering a total of 10 items, including a quotation, an electronic contract, a receipt of delivery, an installation completion confirmation, the apartment floor plan, the window and door specification sheet, a test report, a structural review report, the specialized-trade license, and 360-degree camera photos taken before and after installation.
A PNS Homes official said, "Windows and doors must be selected by comprehensively considering the building's location, shape, and use, the type of materials, the increasingly stringent performance values required of buildings, and cost," adding, "Unlike the new-construction market, the remodeling market is not subject to any building regulations, so uniform windows and doors of the same performance have been installed regardless of the characteristics of the residential area. To improve this blind spot in the market, we will apply location-based services with five patented technologies to provide differentiated services that maximize a building's value—not through simple remodeling but by advancing its function and performance." He continued, "Going forward, we will develop a platform centered on location-based building materials and strengthen our channels of consumer access through a variety of services, such as actual installation cases and the introduction of functional building materials that satisfy the characteristics of a residence." Further details are available through the company's website, YouTube, and social media. 02-3789-8100
