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External blinds’ popularity continues to grow, with suppliers utilising the latest technology to innovative functionality and ever wider widths. Meanwhile specialist sub categories such as PVC and Cafe Blinds are a growth area with a range of benefits, including that they’re a great way for businesses to market their brands. Belinda Smart reports.
PINZ
Pinz Marketing Manager Kate Bessell describes PVC as “one of those products that continues to hold its own in the outdoor blind space and can provide benefits to the consumer that no other fabric can match.”
“The key to success in this category is understanding the fabric and its performance in different environments and working with your customers to successfully manage expectations around performance, aesthetics, installation, care and maintenance. Over the years Pinz has invested significantly in technology to provide the best aesthetic end result for PVC blinds with crystal clear joins over wide spans. We have positioned ourselves as the experts using this fabric by understanding its challenges from a production perspective and working closely with our retailers to ensure the consumer experience is overwhelmingly positive.”
“We use PVC across a number of different outdoor blinds including
Ziptrak, Straight Drops and Café Blinds. We see volume for PVC increase over the winter months where customers are looking for protection from the elements or to perhaps create a ‘suntrap’. PVC is also widely used in commercial or hospitality installations where maintaining a view, extending entertaining space and allowing passing traffic to see inside a venue are key sales considerations.”
In terms of category growth, she says PVC is more of a seasonal product with peaks over the cooler months however as a percentage of sales it has remained fairly consistent over the years. “One key change that has seen some renewed interest has been the introduction of mainstream dimensionally stable (DS) PVC. DS reduces some of the challenges regarding PVC changing in different temperatures. Traditional (non-DS) PVC can shrink in cold temperatures only to relax again when exposed to sunlight or heat. This can potentially affect the installation and aesthetics of the blinds. It can also affect how the fabric reacts with different fabrics when welded together. DS PVC takes some of this consideration away, opening up more possibilities from a fabrication point of view.”
“Overall, the key point that our team reinforces time and time again is just how important it is to manage customer expectations with PVC blinds. Highlighting the reality of PVC in situ in regards to its clarity, how it reflects light and how to look after it, among other things, is really important to ensure customers are pleased with the end result. It is also really important to use marketing images that show the reality of the product rather than that perfect marketing image that makes the PVC look like glass! It’s not glass and if they expect it to look and perform like glass then they need a window, not a blind! Having said that, I should once again reinforce that PVC can, and does offer fantastic benefits above and beyond other fabric choices and should be a key part of any outdoor blind offering.”
WIDESCREEN
Widescreen is an innovative, super wide external screening solution for outdoor areas and windows. “Australian designed, made and developed, Widescreen’s cuttingedge technology, surpasses other outdoor shade solutions. Developed from experience that goes back to the early 1980s, our zip guided system, Widescreen provides the most innovative advances in the zip blind category, evolved via decades of industry experience. Designing ‘from the ground’ up enabled us to maintain a consistent aesthetic and finish across the entire product offer. Our comprehensive range offers outdoor and indoor shading variations to suit multiple applications. The creative and comprehensive design process also ensured Widescreen is faster to manufacture and install.”
“This modern, refined system uses the highest quality materials, the latest design technology and is awaiting new manufacturers and resellers to join our network.”
BLINDS BY PETER MEYER
“Blinds by Peter Meyer offers and extensive range of external blinds including exterior roller blinds, pivot arm awnings, folding arm awnings and retractable roof systems both locally manufactured in our Homebush factory and also imported from Weinor in Germany,” says Managing Director Simon Meyer.
“We offer the Solare Teknica range of exterior roller blinds which come in Straight drop, Cable Guide, Zip and Pivot arm options, all being able to be made up to 5000mm wide.
The Weinor Vertitex product can also come in Cable Guide, Side channel and Zip versions and with this stunning range we span a massive 6000mm wide in a cassette as small as 75mm. Weinor’s patented Optiflow system gives us the ability to use the smallest cassette on the market while still spanning 6000mm wide. Weinor offer a huge range of fabrics including fabrics from their My Collection of Acrylic and polyester fabrics, Soltis screens, Starscreen and Glass Fibre fabrics.”
“We are certainly seeing great growth in all of our Weinor products and the Vertitex is no different. The massive widths and attention to detail when it comes to quality are certainly key to the success of this product. The weight Weinor achieve in their bottom rail and the unique fabric solutions mean no waffling on the edges of the fabric when zips are being attached.”
Meyer adds that Weinor and Blinds by Peter Meyer offer a full range of printing solutions for exterior blinds. “We actually have the full width of our building printed with our branding and its certainly makes for a huge impact for our business for all passing traffic.”
“In terms of how to best service our clients, we really try and encourage customers to motorise their blinds; offering solutions like wind sensors can seriously help save expensive outdoor products from wind damage. Also, when it comes to Café style clear PVC blinds, we really try and steer customers away from this. While they are functional at the start, these fabrics tend to scratch very quickly and a number of the poor quality clear PVC material will go milky and also stretch and shrink in the heat and cold.”
OZROLL/SLIDETRACK
Ozroll National Sales and Marketing Manager Jack McDonald confirms that the recently acquired Slidetrack is set to become an integral part of Ozroll’s overall business.
“The success and ongoing feedback so far on this move suggests the sky is the limit, however we are in a position where we want to control our growth in line with our production capacities to make sure we are delivering on time and at the standard we expect. We’re already producing a significant number of blinds each week and we have a range of new equipment arriving over summer which will allow us to sustain growth into 2020.”
“We are maintaining the same ethos as always, to produce the highest quality in the shortest turnaround times. Slidetrack is different from other tracked blinds on the market, with extra emphasis on strength on durability. The axle assembly, the bottom bar, the boxing are all comprised of heavy duty aluminium and very few plastic components, which makes this product ideal for the Australian climate. Aesthetics are not sacrificed for strength though; the smooth line boxing provides a sleek finish while the fabric welds are all hidden by the tracks themselves. We already had the market leading design when we acquired the business, so for us over the past 12 months it has been about creating efficiencies in production, and we are already dispatching most custom made Slidetrack Blinds within five working days of order.”
“We can tell from dealing with our network that this is a growing market but there is evidence too in online search term trends which suggest this is a huge market that is only getting bigger.”
“There are some considerations to keep in mind for businesses supplying to clients in this space,” he says. “We have found there are a number of small scale fabricators who mix and match certain components to save costs. We maintain control over our brand, from materials through to fabrication, so our distributors know that when they sell a Slidetrack Blinds, they are selling quality.”
LUXAFLEX
“External awnings offer air flow control and sun protection, whilst shading the windows of your home, reducing the reliance on air conditioners and helping to save energy costs. The range of Luxaflex external window fashions are specifically designed for the harsh UV and demanding Australian weather conditions. Most recently added to the portfolio is the Luxaflex Evo MagnaTrack Awning which is set to remain stable and resilient in Australia’s most erratic weather.”
Australian engineered and designed, the Evo MagnaTrack Awning is described as the most technologically advanced awning available on the market, with a wide application of up to 6.5m and up to a 4m drop.
“The only straight-drop awning system in Australia to boast a selfcorrecting feature that allows the fabric skin to effortlessly return to its channel if dislodged, the Evo MagnaTrack awning has patented magnet technology that holds fabric taut with a smooth fabric finish. The magnetic force in the track system allows the fabric to move while under wind pressure as it floats within the channel. Once the wind pressure subsides, the magnetic bond of the rare earth neodymium magnets will automatically re-tension the fabric back to its original appearance – a worldfirst in functionality which goes far beyond what a standard zipped system can do. Using nothing more than the awnings’ remote control, this technology vastly reduces costly service calls, compared to standard zip systems.”
“External blinds can also create substantial savings on a home’s cooling bills. The harsh climate in Australia combined with large windows in our homes results in increased levels of heat travelling through our windows and doors.”
“Luxaflex Evo MagnaTrack can also assist in providing substantial savings on home electricity bills. With up to 87%1 of a home’s heat gain in summer through the windows, Evo Awnings can reduce cooling energy costs by up to 60%2 . When combined with Luxaflex Spectra Sunscreen’s ability to eliminate up to 95%3 of heat from solar radiation, the Evo MagnaTrack Awning can bring you long term savings and help you feel comfortable all year round.”
“A popular trend is to colour coordinate external blinds with the home. As such, Hunter Douglas is always undertaking research into the most popular shades. We then use these insights to develop and introduce new colours to the latest seasons of Luxaflex awning ranges.”
1 Based on research by the Australian Window Association http://www.awa.org.au/documents/item/214.
2 Based on independent modelling conducted by White Box Technologies in conjunction with Peter Lyons & Associates. June 2013. Savings vary based on location, home type and fabric used.
3 See http://www.endurisglasscore.com/ for details.
