Blinds & Shutters - Issue 3/2023
Summer seems to have arrived and I imagine it’s peak season for companies that are involved in the awnings and solar shading markets. There seems to a lot of choices out there and it will be interesting to see how the home improvement market copes with the increasing of interest rates over the last few months. Lots of fixed mortgage rates are coming to an end, from historically low levels, so it way create another shock to consumers. So fingers crossed that it’s not as bad as some economists would have us believe and hopefully the rest of the summer will be long and hot!
Summer seems to have arrived and I imagine it’s peak season for companies that are involved in the awnings and solar shading markets.
There seems to a lot of choices out there and it will be interesting to see how the home improvement market copes with the increasing of interest rates over the last few months.
Lots of fixed mortgage rates are coming to an end, from historically low levels, so it way create another shock to consumers. So fingers crossed that it’s not as bad as some economists would have us believe and hopefully the rest of the summer will be long and hot!
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
PROFILE<br />
How long?<br />
Don Smith <strong>Blinds</strong><br />
says there are long<br />
lead times on PFI<br />
products<br />
Everyone within the window blinds industry is<br />
aware of the seasonal nature of our industry,<br />
particularly for those of us who sell a lot of<br />
highly seasonal products, like awnings and<br />
conservatory roof blinds for example. As soon as<br />
the sun starts shining for a few days, everyone<br />
wants an awning or roof blinds, and they want<br />
them….<br />
Yesterday!<br />
This makes things very difficult for the few small<br />
manufacturers of these products that exist in the<br />
UK. From the feedback I have received from fellow<br />
manufacturers it is pretty common to see lead<br />
times of up to 12 weeks or more for these<br />
products during busy periods.<br />
So, first, let’s define lead time. In general, the lead<br />
time definition is the amount of time from the start<br />
of a process till its end. Lead time meaning varies<br />
according to industry and context. What does lead<br />
time mean in manufacturing? In this case, lead time<br />
is how long it takes to make and deliver a product<br />
or set of products, to the customer. It includes<br />
sourcing, production, and delivery.<br />
Perfect Fit International Roof blinds are very<br />
time consuming to manufacture. A typical standard<br />
roller blind can be made from start to finish in 15<br />
mins or less, a single rectangular PFI Roof Blind can<br />
take 1-2 hours to manufacture depending on its<br />
configuration. This means a job of 10 rectangular<br />
PFI roof blinds can take 1 - 2.5 days to<br />
manufacture. But …. Until the blinds are made,<br />
there is no telling if they will take 1 or 2.5 days. 10<br />
jobs with 10 rectangles could take 10-25 days to<br />
manufacture.<br />
When we get shapes involved, things get more<br />
complicated, for example your typical Edwardian<br />
Conservatory will have 12-14 panels. Shaped PFI<br />
roof blinds consist of 7- 8 lengths of rail, each one<br />
a different size, so the saw has to be adjusted with<br />
every cut. Each corner has a 6mm aluminium<br />
14 <strong>Blinds</strong> & <strong>Shutters</strong> • ISSUE THREE <strong>2023</strong><br />
continues on page 16
Change language