Blinds & Shutters - Issue 3/2023

PROFILE
corner brace which is hand bent on a jig
and checked with a digital angle finder to be
the exact angle of the roof they are made
for. The fabric is hand cut, twice, first cut to
relieve the fabric tension second for final
cut. An Edwardian roof can take 3-6 days to
manufacture, again, depending on
configuration. So, 10 jobs of Edwardian
style roof orders could be 30-60 days lead
time or anywhere in-between.
Looking easy so far?
The problem arises when the orders are
not just 10 jobs of rectangles or 10
Edwardian roofs, but a mixture of Lean-to,
Edwardian, Victorian roofs, P-shaped roofs,
all with different numbers of panels, all with
different configurations and nuances, they
are, after all, highly bespoke items. So, what
do I mean by
configuration? What could be so different
as to extend the lead times by that amount?
At Don Smith Blinds we developed a layflat
system for all of our shaped roof blinds,
this stops the fabric fanning, it also prevents
the fabric from catching the filos whilst
operating thus extending the life of the
fabric, filos and the blind generally. This layflat
system adds 30 mins per blind in extra
manufacturing time. We mill out for tie bars,
this involves fully assembling the frame,
marking it, dismantling it, milling the cut out
on a milling machine and reassembling. We
also offer 3 different top finishes as well as
infills.
All these things add up, and are
impossible to estimate how long they will all
take, not with any realistic or accurate
timeframe. This issue is compounded by the
fact that demand for the product is
primarily driven by the sun!! When the sun
shines everyone wants to order them, when
it doesn’t very few do. This makes it
incredibly difficult to plan or predict when it
comes to staffing, particularly when it takes
months to teach someone the basics of
manufacturing these products, and years to
become competent at manufacturing them
well, making temporary staff more of a
hinderance than a help.
So, I ask you this. Why are customers
happy to wait 20 weeks for a sofa? Sofas
can be mass produced and the templates
for the fabric are standard. Yes, the fabric
you chose may be different to the fabric I
chose, but the frame is the same size, and
the fabrics take the same amount of time to
cut and upholster. Why are customers
happy to wait for a car for 9-15 months
even though they are produced by robots
and all the parts are the same? Simply put,
because of how it was sold. The sofa, you
chose a custom fabric, the car, you chose
some custom options it is bespoke,
customised to your specification. How we
sell roof blinds…… yeah, they will keep the
sun off mate!
How we should sell our roof blinds….
We will be providing you with a professional
survey and installation of bespoke roof
blinds. These roof blinds are hand made in
the UK by a few small manufactures, I’m
sure you can appreciate that during the
summer, particularly if it’s a hot one, that the
lead times can be very long, as this is the
time when everyone orders these types of
blinds. But don’t worry, if you miss this
summer, you will find that they are just as
efficient in the winter at keeping the warm
air in your conservatory and the cold
convection currents out.
FOR YOUR COMFORT
WE ARE
A MANUFACTURER OF
SHADING TECHNOLOGY.
For more than 30 years, we have
made sure that you feel comfortable
at home, have the best lighting
conditions and can take care
of the things you really like.
www.isotra.com
16 Blinds & Shutters • ISSUE THREE 2023
VENETIAN BLINDS
ROLLER BLINDS
AWNINGS
PERGOLAS