Hörmann
vs
BFT
Hörmann has designed a complete garage door since 1935 (steel panel + rails + SupraMatic / ProMatic motors). BFT, an Italian group founded in 1981 in Thiene (now headquartered in Schio, Veneto) and part of the Somfy Group since 2004, is one of the European automation specialists - swing gates (Phobos), sliding gates (Icaro, Ares), parking barriers and garage door motors (Tiziano, Botticelli). The comparison is therefore asymmetric: Hörmann delivers a complete door, BFT delivers the intelligence that moves it. Here are the strengths and limits of each approach in Luxembourg.
Hörmann
Integrated garage door manufacturer
BFT
Italian automation specialist
Integrated manufacturer vs automation specialist
BFT, acquired by the French Somfy in 2004, remains a solid Italian player headquartered in Schio (Veneto). Core trade: motors for swing gates (Phobos range) and sliding gates (Icaro, Ares, Deimos), barriers for car parks (Giotto, Michelangelo) and - on a narrower segment - garage door motors via the Tiziano and Botticelli ranges. Hörmann, by contrast, masters everything: from the steel panel to the homee app. The two brands coexist more than they compete directly in Luxembourg.
Hörmann
Integrated garage door manufacturer
BFT
Italian automation specialist
8 brand criteria
Assessment based on Hörmann 2026 and BFT 2025-2026 official catalogues, Somfy Group documentation, and our Luxembourg experience. Fermelux is an authorised Hörmann installer and also installs Roma; we do not install BFT - commercially unbiased analysis.
| Criterion | Hörmann | BFT | Advantage |
Residential garage door range breadth | 4 complete door families (RenoMatic, LPU 42, LPU 67 Thermo, Berry N80) + SupraMatic / ProMatic / WA 500 FU. A-to-Z offer. | No BFT panel: Tiziano (compact) and Botticelli (intensive use) motors for sectional doors. The panel always comes from a third-party manufacturer. | Hörmann |
Maximum thermal insulation | LPU 67 Thermo: 67 mm double-skin panel with thermal break (panel U 0.31 W/m²K), U = 1.0 W/m²K for the installed door and 0.91 W/m²K with the optional ThermoFrame. | Not applicable: BFT does not manufacture a panel. The U-value depends on the third-party door fitted with the BFT motor. | Hörmann |
Anti-intrusion safety EN 13241 | LPU doors compliant with EN 13241, operators compliant with EN 12453, mechanical anti-lift protection in the operator rail. CR2 (RC2) burglar-resistant equipment optional on the LPU 42, standard on the LPU 67 Thermo. | BFT motor compliant EN 12453 (obstacle detection, crushing force). Anti-intrusion safety depends 100% on the third-party panel fitted. | Hörmann |
Motorisation & smart home connectivity | BiSecur 868 MHz radio with 128-bit encryption, bidirectional (status query with the HS 5 BS), SupraMatic E4 / P4 with built-in Bluetooth (BlueSecur app), homee compatible; Apple Home, Alexa and Google Home via the optional Hörmann WLAN gateway. | Rolling Code 433 MHz radio (Mitto / Kleio remotes) + U-Link Wi-Fi module, BFT app. Compatible with Google Home and Alexa. | Tie |
Manufacturer warranty | 10 years on the door, 5 years on the operator, under Hörmann's published warranty terms. | Operator warranty under BFT's terms (duration not published on the pages consulted). No panel warranty, as BFT does not make doors. | Tie |
Luxembourg installer network | Network of authorised Hörmann installers in Luxembourg, including Fermelux, specialised in garage doors. Original parts available through the Hörmann network. | BFT network in Luxembourg mostly focused on gates and car parks, with few installers specialised in residential garage doors. | Hörmann |
Indicative price (door + motor installed) | On quotation. RenoMatic + ProMatic 4, LPU 42 + SupraMatic E4 or LPU 67 Thermo: complete motorised door, price depending on size and options. | On quotation. Tiziano and Botticelli kits: motor only, fitted to an existing door, budget well below a complete door. Complete BFT + third-party panel kit: rare in Luxembourg. | Tie |
Innovation & R&D | In-house development of panels, SupraMatic / ProMatic series 4 operators and the 128-bit encrypted BiSecur radio (process certified by Ruhr-Universität Bochum). Development centre in Steinhagen. | R&D centre Schio + Somfy Group Cluses. Strong innovation on driveway gates and barriers (U-Link, D-Track). Tiziano and Botticelli garage door ranges stable, innovation focused mostly on the gate range. | Tie |
4 complete door families (RenoMatic, LPU 42, LPU 67 Thermo, Berry N80) + SupraMatic / ProMatic / WA 500 FU. A-to-Z offer.
No BFT panel: Tiziano (compact) and Botticelli (intensive use) motors for sectional doors. The panel always comes from a third-party manufacturer.
LPU 67 Thermo: 67 mm double-skin panel with thermal break (panel U 0.31 W/m²K), U = 1.0 W/m²K for the installed door and 0.91 W/m²K with the optional ThermoFrame.
Not applicable: BFT does not manufacture a panel. The U-value depends on the third-party door fitted with the BFT motor.
LPU doors compliant with EN 13241, operators compliant with EN 12453, mechanical anti-lift protection in the operator rail. CR2 (RC2) burglar-resistant equipment optional on the LPU 42, standard on the LPU 67 Thermo.
BFT motor compliant EN 12453 (obstacle detection, crushing force). Anti-intrusion safety depends 100% on the third-party panel fitted.
BiSecur 868 MHz radio with 128-bit encryption, bidirectional (status query with the HS 5 BS), SupraMatic E4 / P4 with built-in Bluetooth (BlueSecur app), homee compatible; Apple Home, Alexa and Google Home via the optional Hörmann WLAN gateway.
Rolling Code 433 MHz radio (Mitto / Kleio remotes) + U-Link Wi-Fi module, BFT app. Compatible with Google Home and Alexa.
10 years on the door, 5 years on the operator, under Hörmann's published warranty terms.
Operator warranty under BFT's terms (duration not published on the pages consulted). No panel warranty, as BFT does not make doors.
Network of authorised Hörmann installers in Luxembourg, including Fermelux, specialised in garage doors. Original parts available through the Hörmann network.
BFT network in Luxembourg mostly focused on gates and car parks, with few installers specialised in residential garage doors.
On quotation. RenoMatic + ProMatic 4, LPU 42 + SupraMatic E4 or LPU 67 Thermo: complete motorised door, price depending on size and options.
On quotation. Tiziano and Botticelli kits: motor only, fitted to an existing door, budget well below a complete door. Complete BFT + third-party panel kit: rare in Luxembourg.
In-house development of panels, SupraMatic / ProMatic series 4 operators and the 128-bit encrypted BiSecur radio (process certified by Ruhr-Universität Bochum). Development centre in Steinhagen.
R&D centre Schio + Somfy Group Cluses. Strong innovation on driveway gates and barriers (U-Link, D-Track). Tiziano and Botticelli garage door ranges stable, innovation focused mostly on the gate range.
Pros & cons
Real strengths and weaknesses of both brands on the garage door trade in Luxembourg. BFT excels on gates and barriers - not on the complete residential door.
Hörmann
- Complete integrated door panel + rails + motor
- Hörmann warranty: 10 years on the door, 5 years on the operator
- BiSecur / homee ecosystem bidirectional and mature
- Network of authorised installers in Luxembourg, aftersales by the installer
- LPU 67 Thermo: U = 1.0 W/m²K installed door (0.91 with optional ThermoFrame)
- Original spare parts available through the Hörmann network
- A complete door costs much more than a motor-only kit
- No motor-only retrofit without replacing the entry-level door
- Closed BiSecur ecosystem against third-party motors
BFT
- Excellent value-for-money on motor retrofit
- Robust motor inherited from barrier / parking expertise
- BFT app + U-Link Google Home and Alexa compatible
- Financially solid Somfy Group behind the brand
- Tiziano and Botticelli kits simple to install on existing sectional door
- Does not manufacture a garage door panel: incomplete offer
- Warranty limited to the operator (no BFT panel)
- Luxembourg network gate- / barrier-oriented, few garage door specialists
- Some BFT parts ordered from Italy, variable lead time
- U-Link ecosystem mainly designed for gates and barriers
Which by project?
Depending on your configuration, new build or renovation, motor retrofit or smart home integration, the recommendation changes. Here are the 6 most frequent profiles in Luxembourg.
You are installing a complete door with panel and operator. Hörmann supplies panel + tracks + SupraMatic from a single manufacturer, with a 10-year warranty on the door and 5 years on the operator.
Your sectional door is in good shape, you just want to add a motor. BFT Tiziano stays competitive (on quotation from a BFT installer), reliable Rolling Code radio, decent BFT app.
You want Apple Home, door status feedback and a complete smart home ecosystem. Hörmann offers Apple Home, Alexa and Google Home via the optional WLAN gateway, homee, and BiSecur position query with the HS 5 BS.
You want the best possible insulation. The Hörmann LPU 67 Thermo (67 mm panel, U = 1.0 W/m²K installed door, 0.91 W/m²K with optional ThermoFrame) meets this need. BFT has no panel - the operator alone does not solve thermal insulation.
You equip an apartment building with barrier + low-consumption garage door. BFT historically excels on barriers (Giotto, Michelangelo) and can complement with Tiziano or Botticelli.
You value local long-term aftersales. The network of authorised Hörmann installers, specialised in garage doors, and the availability of original parts are an asset in Luxembourg.
Our recommendation:
Hörmann for residential
Across 8 criteria, Hörmann wins 4, BFT none, and 4 are tied, including price (quoted on request for both). As with Nice, the reason is structural: BFT is an automation specialist (gates, barriers, collective parking) that rounds out its offer with a garage door range, while Hörmann has designed the garage door as a core product since it was founded in 1935. On insulation, EN 13241 safety, garage door network and the complete door offer, the gap remains clear.
BFT becomes interesting in two cases: pure motor retrofit (Tiziano kit, far cheaper than a full Hörmann set), or a mixed project parking barrier + garage door in an apartment building where U-Link unifies management. For a private residential home in Luxembourg, Hörmann remains the rational default.
Other comparisons
Other brand and model duels to refine your choice in Luxembourg.
Frequently asked questions
Answers to our customers' most common questions.
Hörmann door or BFT motor, comparison quote?
Depending on your project (new build, renovation, motor-only retrofit, barrier / gate integration), the right brand differs. Fermelux installs Hörmann doors: free and fast quote, no commitment, on-site visit anywhere in Luxembourg. For a BFT motor on its own, contact a BFT installer.