Case Studies

In a very special edition of Ask The Expert(s), we speak to two industry members at the coalface of the skills shortage in the window furnishings sector. After long careers in all parts of the industry, Richard Waring and Dot Grantham are now out and about educating the next generation of industry experts. WFA spoke to them about the challenges they face, training staff in a pandemic and what the future holds for the industry.

Norman Normandy PerfectTilt shutters have provided a remedy for the unique challenges of an architect-driven office project for KPMG in Canberra.

The installation of Widescreen screening solution to a high-end residential property on the Gold Coast has brought both premium level sun protection and aesthetics to the home.

Arriving from Edinburgh Scotland at age 28 with just a backpack on your back is not the usual route into the Australian Window Furnishings Industry, but Kathryn Polgar has carved out a career that finds her now as General Manager for one of the leading wholesale suppliers in the industry, Ricky Richards. In this edition of Window Furnishings Australia’s Ask the Expert Series, Tony Cassar talks to Kathryn about leadership, managing in a pandemic, and the role women can play as leaders in the industry.

Vito Fortunato, one half of the dynamic duo that built Vertilux into a leading wholesale fabricator, will retire from the industry at the end of 2021, having worked closely with Hunter Douglas overseeing a successful transition of management.

For someone who was literally raised in a curtain workroom, working anywhere but the window furnishings industry was never on the cards for this edition’s Rising Star, Alex Lozanovski.

Somfy boosts convenience and sustainability in the heart of Melbourne.

From an apprentice printer to head of one of the largest blind fabricators in Australia, Geoff Turner from Viewscape reflects on leadership, manufacturing in Australia and the dangers of being a middle-aged man in Lycra.

Renson Fixscreen Solar screens offer unique solar protection benefits, with a domestic installation in Belgium demonstrating what the product might offer the Australian market in terms of both function and style. WFA reports.

Video conferencing and working from home may have been the new normal for most in this industry, but not Kate Bessell. Working remotely for Adelaide wholesale fabricator Pinz from the south coast of NSW was the norm for Kate until March 2020 when she moved back to Adelaide in the midst of a pandemic. After 11 years of remote working, lockdowns couldn’t get in the way of her passion and she is now back in the office every day and loving it. Tony Cassar finds out more about Kate in this edition of Ask the Expert.