High rollers

Rollease Acmeda

Rollease Acmeda says it is “elevating rollers” with the introduction of new slim profile double bracket covers and RB09 geared winder. 

“As the demand for high-quality roller blind systems continues to grow, Rollease Acmeda is at the forefront of innovation, introducing products that blend functionality with design. The latest additions to our Roller Blind Range are the Slim Profile Double Bracket Covers and the RB09 Geared Winder. 

“The Slim Profile Double Bracket Covers are designed to provide an elegant finishing touch for dual roller shades. These sleek covers seamlessly coordinate with our single bracket covers, offering a consistent look across different configurations. Available in the full colour range, these covers enhance the visual appeal of face-fixed dual roller blinds, offering a sleek finishing solution that brings a polished, modern look to any space.  

“Meanwhile, The RB09 Geared Winder is the latest advancement in our RB09 range, engineered for smooth, effortless operation with minimal user effort. Rigorously tested at our Innovation and Design Centre in Australia, it has completed over 10,000 cycles, ensuring lasting durability and reliability. Backed by a 10-year warranty, it offers customers peace of mind, knowing they are investing in a product built to last. The RB09 Geared Winder is also available with a guide, making it an ideal choice for dual blinds. 

 In an increasingly competitive roller blind market, Rollease Acmeda continues to lead the market by focusing on meticulous engineering, rigorous testing, and sophisticated design of products.  

Toso Australia 

Malcolm Young, Managing Director of Toso Australia tells WFA roller blinds are still very strong in both the commercial and residential market, and will always remain so due to the benefits they have over window furnishing products.

Young points out that the benefits of roller blinds continue to attract customers. 

“They are cost effective, as other window furnishings like curtains and romans require a lot of fabric, which adds to their costs. They are timeless, as the sleek uncluttered design of roller blinds streamlines the appearance of any window. They can also be paired with other window furnishings to offer optimal coverage.  

“They are practical, as curtains can make a room feel cluttered and claustrophobic, especially when it is small or has many windows. They take up less space as they are nearly invisible when rolled up. Unlike curtains that still take up floor space when you draw them on one side, whilst a roller will sit close to the window frame, look neat and streamlined, and can be completely rolled away when not in use.

He notes that they are also healthy, as unlike other products that collect dust and dirt and provoke allergic reactions, dust cannot settle on roller blinds when they the y are pulled up.

“Significantly, they are also energy efficient, as they create insulation by trapping warm air, or with silver backed fabrics reflecting it back out. Energy efficiency can be improved if side channels are installed to get rid of the gaps between the window sill and blind.

“They come in a range of styles dependent on what is required, from sheer, translucent, semi-transparent or blackout, and if two are needed you can have dual blinds on the window.”

Toso is the supplier of componentry of the premium Japanese Mytec 01 roller blind system which is ideal for commercial, high end residential and aged care applications. 

“The Toso Mytec 01 was designed for a Japanese woman to operate, with only 3 kg of pressure being applied to the chain to both raise and lower the blind, which is like using your fingertips in operation,” says Young. “Each blind has a spring assist, with the size of the spring dependent on the size of the blind, with eight different sizes, A through to H. This, combined with a geared chain housing, allows the blind to be raised or lowered with fewer pulls of the chain and is up to 70% quicker than a standard blind system.

“Also, with its fast gearing, it is possible to have the chain ending 1600mm off the floor, alleviating the need for installing a safety restraint.

“These features are very beneficial in the aged care / over 55 sectors, where we are having a lot of success says Young, both in new builds and refurbishments. It is a gap in the market that no other roller blind can fill. 

Young says he has noticed an ongoing trend with some interior designers, where roller blinds are now being combined with curtains on the same window, when furnishing a residential house or apartment, with the blinds being used during the day, and the curtains closed at night.

“Retailers love having the system in their showroom, as it gives them the opportunity to upsell to their prospective customers a superior blind system, and this can be easily achieved when both a standard system and the Toso Mytec 01 sit side by side, and the respective chains are pulled at the same time.” 

“It also gives retailers a point of difference from their competitors who only offer one standard system in their showroom,” Young says.

Silent Gliss by Peter Meyer 

The Silent Gliss SG 4930 (chain-operated) and SG 4970 (motorised) systems are the latest additions in the heavy-duty Roller Blind category, says Simon Meyer, Managing Director of Silent Gliss by Peter Meyer. 

“These systems feature the high-precision engineering Silent Gliss is known for, but with a unique advantage—local manufacturing, which makes premium quality more accessible to Australian homes.

The SG 4930 Chain-Operated Roller system is built for smooth and reliable handling and can cover large dimensions, ensuring easy, silent operation across all window sizes.

The SG 4970 Motorised Roller system is ideal for smart homes and features ultra-quiet operation with programmable stops. It is compatible with home automation and features obstacle detection to protect the Blinds from damage, ensuring durability and safety.

“Both models support large window coverage, with maximum dimensions of 3.4 metres in width and 5 metres in drop. For even wider coverage, two systems can be linked to span up to 6.8 metres.

“The planetary gear system provides silent operation, certified by Quiet Mark, which is ideal for homes and spaces prioritising low-noise functionality.

“Customisation options include componentry choices in black and white, along with various colour options for bottom rails, which allow these Blinds to match diverse interior styles. The brackets come with sleek side and end covers that hide screws, providing a refined finish.”

To meet the demands of modern connected living, Silent Gliss by Peter Meyer integrates Somfy Sonesse and Silent Gliss motors into the SG4970 systems, allowing compatibility with remotes, Tahoma Switch and multiple advanced smart home automation.

“Silent Gliss SG 4930 and SG 4970 Roller systems fill a key gap in the Australian market by offering a high-performance Roller solution for large windows and expansive spaces,” Meyer says. “While many systems struggle with size constraints or noise issues, these Silent Gliss systems cater to broader dimensions and provide whisper-quiet operation. The integration of Somfy motorisation also meets the growing demand for smart home-compatible window treatments, ensuring these systems go beyond standard functionality.”

Louvolite 

It was a late autumn day in 1988 when Louvolite previewed its latest roller blind programme. The programme did not just consist of a revolutionary tube, end sets and brackets; it was a full assembly programme which required a dedicated workstation.

The combination of excellent design and attention to detail of the component parts in conjunction with the workstation operation achieved a number of key objectives:

• It totally eliminated the need for stitching, taping and gluing fabric to the roller blind tube.

• It allowed technical staff to be trained to manufacture a high quality product in a very short time, thereby increasing staff flexibility and multi-skilling.

• It increased the speed of manufacture.

• It enabled the whole operation to be achieved by one person using the one stop workstation 

• It provided repeatability of fabrication and created a quality product every time.

Needless to say, the Louvolite programme was a success and soon a number of forward-looking companies adopted the manufacturing system and programme within the UK and Europe.

Not long afterwards, as Louvolite’s capability to supply the appropriate workstations and components improved, the programme was selected by many of Louvolite’s overseas customers and the story of the Louvolite roller blind programme spread to the Australasian Market. 

The side control operation was massively easier for the consumer to operate accurately than the traditional spring system – which itself had issues. Ease of operation and a real evolution in the variety of fabric types, designs and colours offered made the roller blind product an easy choice for the consumer.

The ease of manufacturing, quality of finish and excellent performance of the Louvolite system also made the programme an easy choice for fabricators.

Whilst the smaller 32mm roller was totally satisfactory for the majority of windows within Europe,  other countries required a higher performance to satisfy the needs of larger windows and heavier textiles. Louvolite produced a 40mm and 45mm version of its product to satisfy those needs. Louvolite christened the three items, System 32, System 40, and system 45.

It is fair to say that Louvolite is likely to be one of the most widely used and recognised systems around the globe. Many other roller blind systems have no doubt been designed after being first inspired by the original Louvolite product; they do say that imitation is flattery.

Today the programme has morphed through a number of changes to ensure its performance matches the needs of a demanding industry with a number of cassettes and fascias, brackets, geared end sets, bottom bars and soon to be added our new patented two-piece bottom bar, along with child safety solutions to allow each of our manufacturing partners to select the exact look and performance they require.

Over the last decade, motorisation has taken the programme into a new dimension, allowing so many new features to be included within the traditional operating programme, whilst still enabling customers to upgrade with a retrofit motor. 

The Louvolite programme is widely used with Vision blinds (some may know these as Zebra blinds) and of course the ever-popular Roman blind; some even use it with cellular and pleated blinds. 

To those who use the Louvolite programme, it isn’t really considered to be a roller blind system; it is truly a Tubular Operating System, and a good one too!