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Guest Editorial
The Importance of Not Being Noticed
When operating systems work properly, they are a
welcome part of a high performance whole.
by David M. Cross
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Special Section: On The Move
Window treatment operating systems combine style, performance
and opportunity.
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Moving smoothly from floor to floor without bumps, noise or unexpected
stops . . . Gliding effortlessly towards right-center, the only
sound the puff of the ball hitting the glove . . . Driving round
the sharpest curve, engine humming, wheels hugging steady, solid,
secure . . . What do these three things have in common, and what
do they have to do with window coverings?
The answer is performance. When people and machines alike perform
at peak levels, the effort is relatively unnoticeable. It is expected.
Quality, functional objects must blend in with their surroundings.
Noisy appliances, tangled wires or piles of cord are not “good
things.” Consumers take for granted that the products they
buy will function as promised. They expect efficient operation to
happen without devoting over-taxed resources of time and attention
to make something work properly. One thing is certain: consumers
will pay for the best technology as long as they are certain they
are getting the best.
As a designer and manufacturer of premium operating systems for
the ever-growing category of hard window treatments, the importance
of understanding this mentality cannot be underestimated. A keen
awareness of the needs of the ultimate consumer is an essential
ingredient in providing the distributor, OEM, dealer, designer,
fabricator and retailer with products that ensure their ability
to satisfy today’s technically savvy consumer. With hard window
treatments, fashion attracts the eye, but when it comes to the operating
systems, style combined with performance and reliability keep everyone
happy, from the manufacturer to the end user.
RollEase operating systems are engineered with this philosophy in
mind. The design process incorporates innovation with performance,
quality and universality, affording reliable function with little
effort on the part of the end user. Best of all, style is not sacrificed
for function; the function rather enhances the style.
For example, people initially thought the appeal of our systems
was primarily their ability to lift heavy blinds and shades. We
learned from focus groups that consumers like the continuous control
loop, eliminating unsightly piles of cord. Cord locks, though initially
a cost saving option, lack the benefit of seamless performance when
consumers have to search for the lock or when their blinds and shades
are not straight. Additionally, many of today’s popular window
coverings such as woven wood shades and wood blinds can be extremely
heavy. Recommending a clutch operated or motorized system will go
a long way in satisfying the consumer who needs to raise and lower
that heavy shade or blind every day. Suddenly, cost savings are
not as important as carefree operation. These issues are addressed
in the development stage of all our premium operating systems.
DESIGNING FOR THE END USE
A large part of keeping current with consumer needs is monitoring
changing trends in the marketplace. For example, we noticed sunscreen
fabrics, traditionally used for the contract market, becoming increasingly
popular in the residential market as well. Our answer to this trend
was a cassette system, an attractive enclosure for sunscreen roller
shades. Hardware is hidden within a stylish, curved fascia. Moreover,
the shade installs like a headrail, so the need for exact positioning
of end brackets is eliminated, making installation simple. The result
once again is style and function without noticeable effort.
In the contract market, commercial window designs are becoming larger,
requiring wider and heavier shades. Responding to this trend, we
developed the spring assist for roller shades. Completely invisible
to the end user, the spring assist allows shades up to 30 pounds
to be raised and lowered with a minimum pull force of just six pounds.
Ease of operation, again, is unseen but a welcome advantage.
Universality is another key to providing customers with value-added
products. Systems that work with more than one end product type
offer greater versatility and greater selling opportunities. Our
one-inch, two-inch and workroom systems work with multiple applications.
The more end products operating systems can be applied to result
in reliable, unnoticed operating efficiency on more of the products
consumers want.
Keeping close to the pulse of consumer needs and market conditions
is paramount in the design and manufacturer of operating systems.
Of course, having proprietary technology from a full-time staff
of engineers to back up performance helps.
In a sense, we have to be like a well-tuned elevator, a ball player
at the top of his game, a clean running engine . . . you don’t
want to notice anything unexpected, you just want it to look good
and work.
David M. Cross, senior vice president at RollEase, Inc., Stamford,
CT, has more than 15 years experience in the window coverings industry,
including running the vertical blind and made-to-order drapery businesses
at Burlington House. Cross has co-authored four window covering patents.
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