The heat is on

Blinds by Peter Meyer

Weinor, a world leader in the manufacture of external Blinds and Awnings and distributed through Blinds by Peter Meyer, continues to set new standards with the Smaila Folding Arm Awning. 

“This latest addition to Weinor’s extensive range represents the pinnacle of compact luxury, designed specifically for balconies and patios of all sizes,” says Simon Meyer – Managing Director of Weinor Australia.

“With its sleek cubic design, the Smaila combines technical excellence and modern aesthetics.

“The Smaila Folding Arm Awning boasts a refined cubic design, enhanced by attractive decorative side end caps. Its compact structure ensures it can be easily installed, making it ideal for various outdoor spaces. The side end caps are available in five attractive colours, which can be matched with the Awning frame colour for a cohesive look.

“Equipped with Weinor’s LongLife arm and Opti-Flow-System, the Smaila ensures perfect fabric positioning, providing a seamless and polished appearance. The LongLife arm, tested for 100,000 cycles (equivalent to 20 years of use), incorporates aerospace-grade construction technology, ensuring durability and reliability.

“The Smaila LED model features integrated LED lighting, offering 30,000 hours of energy-efficient, atmospheric illumination. These lights, embedded in the cassette, emit a soft, pleasing glow through special glass lenses and remain illuminated even when the Awning is retracted. Maintenance is hassle-free, with individual LED lights replaceable without disassembling the Awning.

“The versatile Awning can be installed on roofs, walls, or rafters, thanks to its pre-configurable insertable brackets and removable cover caps. The snap-in technology ensures easy and secure installation, while the low fabric deduction dimension makes it ideal for large fabric areas.

With winter well and truly here, Weinor’s infrared heaters are a must-have addition to the Smaila. Powder-coated and designed to seamlessly integrate with the Smaila and Weinor’s full collection of Awnings, the Weinor Tempura heating system will make any deck or patio warm in moments. These heaters reach full radiant temperature within two seconds, providing instant and effective heat that warms the skin rather than the environment. 

“Unlike gas or electric element heaters, the heat from Tempura won’t blow away with the wind. With its adjustable pitch angle, the heater can be retrofitted to any Weinor Awning or used as a standalone product. There are two varieties of the Tempura: a timeless round variant and a modern square variant, the Tempura Quadra, which would complement Smaila’s cubic design beautifully.

The Smaila has been recognised with prestigious awards, including the German Design Award and the Red Dot Award for Product Design 2024. As a result of these accolades, Weinor has demonstrated outstanding design competencies and innovative technical capabilities, which enable the Smaila to stand out in a very competitive market.

The Smaila Folding Arm Awning is designed to fill a significant gap in the market for compact, high-quality Awnings that blend technical excellence with aesthetic appeal. With its customisable options and advanced features, the Smaila caters to both residential and commercial customers seeking reliable and stylish outdoor shading on small to large patios and balconies.

Current Market Landscape

Meyer says the market for Folding Arm Awnings is evolving, with increasing demand for versatile and customisable solutions. 

“The economic situation in Australia is influencing this market significantly. The Australian economy is currently facing stagnation, with a slowing in aggregate demand due to higher interest rates and inflation pressures. Consumer spending has become more cautious, impacting discretionary purchases like luxury outdoor installations. However, this environment also creates an opportunity for high-quality, durable products like the Smaila, which offer long-term value and reliability, appealing to customers who prioritise investment in quality.”

Rollease Acmeda 

Rollease Acmeda Senior Product Manager – Hardware Aidan Schofield tells WFA Rollease Acmeda has responded to growing demand with the introduction of Yuki, a cost-effective cassette option that completes the company’s awning range after discontinuing Kumo and Feng. 

“Yuki streamlines our awning offering by reducing the required SKUs, making it easier for fabricators to cater to common applications. The current range features two awnings, Yuki and Piuma, providing both open and closed cassette options, all while maintaining high-quality Italian design.”

“Both awnings offer superior engineering, with the Piuma folding arm awning redefining the standards of durability and style. Designed to resist corrosion, Piuma features an aluminium square bar and optional top tube upgrade, providing superior longevity in coastal environments in comparison to traditional steel components. An optional weather-resistant hood enhances both the awning’s aesthetic appeal and its lifespan.”

“Rollease Acmeda’s refined range of folding arm awnings caters to classic-style open and contemporary enclosed cassette solutions, combining distinctive design and high-quality components to deliver outstanding mechanical performance.

“Yuki is designed to meet the market demand for a cost-efficient and superior-quality compact cassette solution,” he adds. “This new awning is easy to fabricate, install, and operate while achieving widths of up to five metres with a projection of three metres.”

“Yuki utilises the same Fusion Arms featured in Piuma, our open-roll folding arm awning, to streamline inventory management while catering to fabricators’ needs for versatile and straightforward solutions across various applications.”

Dalekit

Dalekit Director Joe Pajeska tells WFA the company’s commitment to quality has carried through to its offering hardware for folding arm awnings. 

“Our business has provided quality welded skin for over 15 years, and it was with great pride we secured access to the German designed and engineered folding arm system Solidux.”

“The Solidux brand has been around for well over 110 years and was sold in Australia for close to 20 of those. With classic designs and simple operability, the system is an excellent value-for-money system that we proudly sell to the market. Offering a full cassette, semi-cassette and open style options as well as adjustable pitch arms and vario valance, the Solidux Brand is a must for those wanting high end quality for their clients. Dalekit has gone one step further; we have built our own custom hydraulic arm press so that we can custom powder coat our systems completely.” 

“When purchasing a quality system, it is always a letdown to see spray painted arms or powder coat over powder that cracks and chips on the important moving parts. We powder coat and then build everything in-house to ensure we offer only the best products to the market. Drop forging the critical arm sections ensures that all of our arms are built to the strongest standards, having this key element in our structural design allows our arms to be some of the strongest on the market.”

“The greatest example of this is our almost zero rate of arm returns. Wind damage can seriously affect any system but when you can count on one hand the amount of units returned that were beyond repair from being left out in storms, we are ecstatic at the strength this system has shown.”

BM Blinds

BM Blinds is promoting the Italian inspired Siena folding arm awning that has a 20-year heritage of performance and service. The company confirms it is “proud to resume supplying this retractable, multipurpose, stylish and highly durable product to the market as wholesale awning sales continue to steadily increase.”

Chantelle Todd from BM Blinds says:“For new homeowners in this market, cost saving is imperative, therefore folding arm awnings are a great and stylish alternative to spending an increased amount on roofing.”

For the new generation of homeowners or professionals that would like to know their options, BM Blinds has introduced the External Collection Folder. This sample folder includes product information for the Siena folding arm awning range and the more traditional styles such as automatic awnings, convertible awnings and more.

“Opening the folder, clients will be able to analyse the type of awning they require and the difference between each awning. The sample folder also assists in selecting finer details like colour and componentry including finishing options, fixings or arm lengths – as well as fabric selections such as mesh, acrylic or canvas – with samples included – all on the first visit.

“We are excited to introduce this folder to not only our existing clients and but also to assist potential clients with their selections to visually complement their homes and businesses with the best fitted awning.”