SLIDETRACK OUTDOOR BLINDS

Our initial venture into the outdoor blind market was sparked by enquiries for drive wheels to make our range of 12V motorisation compatible with external awnings. We have presented the Ozroll Drive System at the R+T Trade Fair in Stuttgart, Germany, since 2006. This gave us a platform to present to manufacturers from around the globe and the response was so substantial that we set up an office in Frankfurt, Germany, to begin distribution on the opposite side of the world. Over the next decade, we had many requests for the development of drive wheels and accessories to adapt to a range of different external blind axles and brackets. By 2016, the synergy was obvious between Outdoor Blinds and our core product, Roller Shutters. It was then that we began our search for a specific blind design to focus our R&D towards. In 2017, we began working with Brian Zwar to combine our ODS with the locally produced Slidetrack Outdoor Blind. By early 2018 we were able to utilise our full range of 12V battery and Solar Drive Systems with his design. We took the combination to market as an assembled package and that success created a momentum that led to the acquisition in August 2018. We believe offering our drive system as part of a prefabricated and ready to install product is leading the industry to add more value and open entirely new sectors of the market. Our general ethos remains the same, with regards to manufacture. Our goal is to produce a finished product, in higher quality and lower turnaround times than our competitors. Our operations are working non-stop on improving processes, while exercising due diligence on machinery and other equipment that can increase efficiencies. Meanwhile, we have assembled a product development team who are using customer feedback to look for any improvements we can make to further establish this product as the best on the market.

HEADBOX OPTIONS
We have recently completed tooling on a brand new headbox, which we’re calling the Smoothline. The Smoothline headbox is a unique and exclusive two-piece pelmet, produced with extruded aluminium and finished with specialised end caps. This fully enclosed head box offers a smooth round shape for an attractive finish, with industry leading strength due to design and thickness of material. Tested on blinds as wide as 6600mm, this new and improved headbox option will supersede both the 135mm and 155mm square boxing previously supplied by Slidetrack. We will continue to offer the roll formed 150mm boxing as an option for when a square look is desired. This means we now have 2 different styles of boxing, both at very competitive prices.

EZYLIFT HANDLE
The Ezylift Handle is a unique new handle designed to operate locking pins on the bottom bar of spring tensioned blinds. This is a stylish and functional handle, made from extruded aluminium and coloured to match the bottom bar. The Ezylift is now available with any new Slidetrack Blind or can be retro-fitted to any existing jobs, including those with both sided locking. This robust design allows blinds to be opened or closed from a standing position, using a pull stick.

PATENT APPROVED
Slidetrack has recently been granted a Standard Patent, covering the restraining track design which is unique to Slidetrack, with a priority date in 2009. This is in addition to several existing patents and registered designs. Each of these is continuously reviewed in line with distribution licencing agreements and potential infringement cases. These exclusive components have proved to be a driving factor in demand for our product, with attractive features that make the finished product stand out from alternatives but also functional benefits that make this product the preferred option for install technicians.

STANDARD COLOURS REDUCING TURNAROUND TIMES
We are pleased to introduce Slidetrack’s Standard Colour Range. Since the introduction of outdoor blinds to our business, we have been analysing the most popular colour choices, with a focus towards holding stock of all boxing, tracks, channels and bottoms bars in these options. By eliminating the third-party involvement from our production process, we expect to reduce our lead time to within 5 days from point of order! The following choices will become our initial list of standard colours, which we will continue to review in line with industry trends: White, Cream, Sand, Woodland Grey, Monument and Black.

NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTION
We have been able to utilise existing supply chain networks to help expand the reach of our brand around the globe. Our assembled packages are available in all metropolitan areas of Australia and we have already begun exporting Slidetrack componentry overseas, after establishing dealers in Singapore who are distributing into the Malaysian market. Our German office base provides an excellent platform to service Europe, where we believe there is a gap in the market for our product and we can capitalise on the interest received from recent trade fairs.

ROLLASHIELD WINDOW BLINDS
The original distribution partnership between Slidetrack and Ozroll involved the Shadenext range; an external blockout blind. This product is unlike anything else on the market, offering similar shading and UV protection as straight drop awnings, but with a far more attractive design. Since the acquisition took place, we rebranded this product type the ‘Rollashield Window Blind’ and we offer it as an alternative to a Roller Shutter, where privacy and sun protection is important, but looks are a priority over security. We believe we have found a growing niche with this product range and it has become the ideal add-on product for many of our distributors.