Ballan window company Paarhammer growing by 20 per cent a year

Paarhammer Windows and Doors was established in Ballan in 1990 - and after a Council decision last week, is about to embark on its sixth factory/showroom extension.

Managing Director Tony Paarhammer said the demand for their products meant product output was growing by a massive 20 per cent a year - and they were already thinking about yet another extension in 2029.

"No one else in Australia does what we're doing," Mr Paarhammer said.

"You either import your doors and windows - or you come to us.

"The thing is, if you import you have no local servicing or support."

Wife and marketing director Edith said that from the start, they wanted to "make jobs in Australia".

"There are several opportunities right now on the factory floor - and we're also looking for one or two joinery apprentices in the next few months," she said.

"We are realistic enough to know that we need to train up our own people in this field."

The company makes European-style windows for Australian conditions - including heritage homes, extreme climates and buildings in bushfire-risk areas.

"Everything is custom made," Mr Paarhammer said.

"The way I put it is that we don't sell windows - we solve problems."

"We've done a range of projects around Ballarat including homes in Brown Hill, Sebastopol and around Lake Wendouree.

"Believe it or not we've only had two clients in Toorak, but many customers in places like Northcote.

"Our clientele tend to be people who have educated themselves and done the homework. They're people who want a comfortable home, not something that needs constant heating and air-conditioning."

When it comes to double glazed windows - and even triple-glazed versions (which are the bigger sellers) - they are the go-to business, Australia-wide.

Paarhammer Windows and Doors is co-located with Siegware ("victory ware") - a hardware retailer specializing in European-style fixtures, fittings, handles, bolts, screws and locks and more.

"That separate business is taking up a lot of room in our factory," Mr Paarhammer said.

"For example, we have 10,000 window and door handles here.

"That's one of the reasons we need more space at the moment.

"It's not hardware that you could use on typical Aussie windows and doors.

"We always say: If Bunnings stock it, then we don't."

The Paarhammers have been contacted by so many New Zealand builders and retailers they are now in the process of setting up a Siegware warehouse in Auckland.

The growing company is also on the hunt for employees - but these are not your stereotypical factory jobs.

"The old style (production line) manufacturing jobs don't really exist anymore," Mr Paarhammer said.

"We need people with skills such as coding, 3D printing and who are really good at maths.

Mrs Paahammer said they had taken on two interns from Federation University in recent years and both had stayed on permanently.

The Ballan business employs around 30 people - including five female tradies.

Over time, they have trained more than 60 apprentices - and at least three have gone on to set up their own kitchen or cabinetry businesses in the Moorabool-Ballarat region.

Several staff have stayed on for more than two decades - with one clocking up her 27th year.

The couple said the longevity of employees was one of the benefits of working in a regional area.

So how did the Paarhammers make the move from Vienna to Ballan?

It all began with a visit to a friend in Greendale - and the rest was history.

"We started the business in a recession and we also built our new factory (in 2010) during the Global Financial Crisis," Mr Paarhammer said.

"People think we are an overnight success, but it's taken 30 years."

Mrs Paarhammer said they spent the first 15 years relying on the kitchen-building side of the business - an area they have now moved out of.

"Our aim was always to promote the windows," she said.

"When we built our home in Ballan originally, we could not find the windows we wanted, so we discovered there was a market for a certain type of window in Australia.

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"The thing is, in 1991 no one here had ever heard of double-glazing."

Paarhammer also 'walks the talk' when it comes to sustainability.

The Ballan factory/showroom has 300 solar panels, harvests its own water and uses briquettes made of its own sawdust to heat the building.

Last Wednesday, Moorabool Council gave the green light for a 1115 sq m extension to the Haddon Drive factory to create extra storage space.

The southern end of the building will grow by another 33m.

Council staff said the proposal would help create local jobs and support economic viability.

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