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Market Trends
On the Move
Lift, tilt or draw, window treatment operating systems
continue their technological evolution.
by Kathleen Stoehr
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Special Section: On The Move
Window treatment operating systems combine style, performance
and opportunity.
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As technology and awareness continue to advance the field of window
coverings automation, more and more consumers are opting to investigate
the possibilities of employing motorized treatments in their homes
and offices. In order to best serve customer clients, one must be
knowledgeable of the market trends and the array of products offered,
from battery-operated to hard-wired systems, from value to high-end
systems.
Says Sheryl Wisecup, Hunter Douglas director of marketing for Duette®
honeycomb shades, “As technology continues to become more advanced,
I think we will see some of today’s higher-end systems becoming
more affordable and accessible . . . similar to what has happened
in the computer industry.”
Kevin Keenan, general manager, BTX, concurs. “There is no denying
it, motors are here to stay,” he says. “Technology is
just now catching up with the demands of the consumers. As time
passes, motors will become an integral part of everyone’s window
coverings.”
Rob Collette, president, Techniku, Inc., agrees. “Every year
we continue to see the automation segment of the market growing.
We believe this will continue to be the case in the future.”
“People motorize for many reasons,” offers Jan Berman,
president, MechoShades Systems, Inc. “Some windows are out
of reach. Some homes have great rooms full of glass and a slider
and the owners have their home theater and TV in here and they just
don’t want to go to each window and bring the shade down. They
want to press a single button and have all the shades go down at
one time and do it from the same, single, consolidated remote control
that they use to control the home’s lighting, or the TV or
the audio.”
Yes, home automation is definitely becoming more of the norm, and
motor companies are responding with innovative enhancements and
new products to fill the bill. Let’s take a look at what’s
new in the industry, and how motor companies are working hard to
create products for every niche in today’s window treatment
industry.
COMPANIES ARE FOCUSING ON . . .
Collette: Techniku is focused on creating a full line of
simple, user-friendly automation solutions that will best satisfy
the market’s requirements for control and options. To that
end, Techniku has three product families developed to cover this
wide range of needs, from residential to light commercial. They
include TrimLight battery-operated, infrared automation for tilting
horizontal and vertical blinds; StyleLight battery-operated systems
for lifting; and DayLight, a low voltage, wired automation system
for lifting shades.
Wisecup: PowerRise® is Hunter Douglas’s battery-powered
product family available in Silhouette®, Duette and Brilliance®
pleated shade models offering two sizes of motors with weight capacities
unchanged from last year. These are primarily infrared (IR) controlled
devices with a manual switch on the cover or remote eye. These can
also be activated via the X-10 system for home automation applications
for Duette honeycomb shades.
Within the EasyRise™, Skyrise® and Vertiglide® products,
Hunter Douglas continues to offer these as hardwired installations.
Last year, Hunter Douglas introduced a new Universal Remote Control.
It will operate both motorized and PowerRise shades, making it a
great option for consumers with both types of products in their
home.
Jessica Bennett, director of marketing, Hunter Douglas Window
Decor division: The PermAlign® and PermaTrak™ headrail
systems are available as battery-operated or low-voltage remote
control tilt-only. Both systems provide maximum closure in both
directions.
The remote control system has three selectable frequencies allowing
operation of multiple window coverings independent of one another.
Keenan: BTX is introducing its new Cord Pull Motor for draperies.
It is a very easy system to install and use as well as being incredibly
cost effective. The best thing is that there is no need for an electrician,
because all you need to do is plug it into a standard house outlet.
The Cord Pull Motor can pull a drapery weight of about 30 pounds,
while our heavier duty systems can pull upwards of 280 pounds.
Berman: MechoShade is excited to be coming out with a wireless
remote control system where there is no exterior receiver; it’s
built into shade motor. You don’t have to worry about any control
wiring. You can put a switch on the wall and/or have a handheld
remote in single- or four-channel. This will help us do a lot of
motorization for the home, especially retrofits.
TANDEM OPERATION
When asked if the new motors for 2002 are able to connect easier
to one another to operate groups of windows, rather than singly,
both battery-operated and hard wired motors filled the bill.
Collette: With our Universal Remote Control, all of our automation
solutions can operate with the touch of a button either through
individual control or group control. TrimLight and StyleLight automation
systems [both battery-operated] come standard with a three-channel
remote control that can operate an unlimited number of blinds and
shades or can operate up to three groups of shades individually.
Also, with the “All” option, all blinds/shades within
line of sight can be controlled at the touch of button. Our DayLight
[hard-wired] automation systems can be operated as a group or up
to 12 units can be individually controlled.
Wisecup: All of the hard-wired systems can be connected together
easily—phone cord plug-in connection between control units.
Bennett: Our current tilt and traverse VS3000 Motorized Specialty
System Headrail allows multiple windows to be operated as a group.
Up to 50 blinds can be operated with a single control.
Keenan: Depending on the control that has been chosen by
the end user, you can easily connect many motors together to form
sort of a network of motors, by which you can have individual, sub-group
as well as master control of the motors.
Berman: What we provide is the ability to interface with
just about anybody’s system. In the worst-case scenario, they
have to provide dry contact closures and we provide controllers
that will allow their systems to talk to our shades. We have come
unique controllers that provide intermediate positioning where the
shades can be at a number of intermediate stops. That will line
up the shades. Press a button and the shades go exactly to the 50
percent point or wherever. That’s a very cool thing. With regular
controls that don’t have that property, if you simply cut power
off when the shades look like they’re halfway down, the variations
in motor speeds will often show the shades are not aligned.
LOW-VOLTAGE MOTORS, HIGH-VOLTAGE VALUE
Motors executives were delighted to discuss low-voltage motors.
Collette: In the coming months, Techniku is introducing its
newest line of automation systems within the DayLight family of
products. These low-voltage systems will use a simple plug-and-play
control unit and can operate up to 12 shades, individually or as
a group, on the infrared universal remote control or can operate
from switch control options.
The LC900 (for lifting cellular and pleated shades), the LR900 (for
lifting roller shades) and the LTS900 (for lifting and tilting shading
systems) connect with speaker wire and phone connections. Because
they are low voltage, installing these systems does not require
electricians. Most installers are used to pulling and hiding wires
for low voltage automation systems.
Rachel Lord, Hunter Douglas Silhouette window shadings division:
Low-voltage motors are better and safer to use and allow for better
control of speed of the shadings. When designing these types of
systems, more options can be added to the product with the use of
these motors.
Also, cost and availability are significant factors. With the smaller
low-voltage motors the added cost of step-down transformers (AC
to DC) is inexpensive.
Keenan: Low-voltage motors are normally easier to hide than
their high-voltage counterparts due to their smaller size. I prefer
not to run “thinner” wires for low-voltage applications.
The low-voltage motors tend to operate much better with a higher
grade and quality of wire, especially over longer runs of the wire.
Berman: Twelve- and 24-volt motors have advantages and disadvantages.
The advantage is that you may not need an electrician if you can
run wire from the transformer, which can plug into a regular duplex
outlet, to the motor. And they’re small so they are easier
to conceal. It’s a little tricky sometimes to get them to run
reasonably equal in speed if they have different weight shades and
different distances from the power source. There are some weight
limitations. We specialize in oversize shades for very large windows
and roller screens with heavier lifting requirements than the low-voltage
systems can work with.
UPLIFTING!
When asked to discuss lift systems and how they impact cordless
products, here’s what our executives said:
Collette: In addition to the three new automation systems
in the DayLight family of products, our newest battery-operated
automation system, the StyleLight LC100, is the premier automation
systems for opening and closing cellular and pleated shades. These
systems eliminate the control cords of the shade, enhancing the
aesthetics and overall safety of the shade.
Tom Santer, product manager, Hunter Douglas Window Coverings
division: We recently refined our design for the LiteRise Touch
system. This smooth cordless operating system, available on Duette,
aluminum, woods and pleated shades takes less force to raise and
lower than any other cordless system on the market.
Wisecup: Ultraglide® for Duette honeycomb shades has
been a tremendous success. A new product development in this area
is the 1 1/4-inch Ultraglide.
David Cross, senior vice president of sales and marketing, RollEase:
The Spring Assist received Honorable Mention, Best New Technical
Innovation 2002 for Pleated & Roller Shades from the Window
Coverings Manufacturers Association (WCMA) this spring (see D&WC,
April 2000, page 20). It is a single, pre-assembled unit which,
when loaded to required tension (per rotations provided by RollEase),
reduces the pull force necessary to raise and lower wide and heavy
shades weighing up to 30 pounds to an average of six pounds.
The number of rotations needed to rotate the spring is calculated
by a formula proprietary to RollEase. It is based on the weight
and thickness of the shade fabric, weight of the hembar, roller
shade tube size and overall width and drop of the finished shade.
Keenan: BTX has several options to choose from. Radio frequency
(RF) is getting more popular by the day because it can work at a
fairly good distance away from the receiver, which is typically
mounted near the motor, and you do not have to point it at anything.
Infrared is also available. IR is popular because of its flexibility
in installations. The audio/visual industry uses it in several ways.
For example, they can utilize the IR’s ability to have its
codes “learned” and use a high-end touch screen to repeat
the codes and control the window coverings.
INSTALLATION TECHNIQUES AND FABRICATION
One area of great concern for many consumers and designers is installation.
High-end motor installations seem too complex for some; battery
operated motors may not be enough for more complicated needs.
Collette: The TrimLight automation systems are one of the
simplest means to get involved with automation. The motor, receiver
and battery holder simply snap together and can fit most manufacturers’
rails.
With the battery-operated automation systems, installation is simple,
as the motorized treatment installs in the same manner as a manual.
The Techniku systems offer a variety of placement options for the
receivers and battery holders to maximize the convenience and control
of the automated systems.
Our systems can accommodate top treatments and side treatments with
our Eagle Eye receiver. The receiver comes with flexible cable that
can be adjusted to maximize the range of the infrared remote control
and provide aesthetic options.
Wisecup: Motor fabrication and installations are essentially
unchanged from last year, although new fabrication and installation
manuals have been created. Last year, Hunter Douglas added a more
powerful component for the PowerRise lifting system. The extra-power
motor allows for PowerRise shades to be built up to 35 percent larger.
Keenan: BTX has changed the way it fabricates motorized systems
as advances in technology have come about. When there is a better
way to do something, and this makes the product better for the customer,
we have to change to meet their needs.
As for installation, it’s getting easier as new parts to aid
the installer are being developed. Frankly, it is the installer
that drives what motor manufactures develop as far as brackets and
new wiring schemes.
Bennett: Simple plug-in connectors make for easy installation.
Our motorized systems do not require special wiring.
Cross: The Cassette System received the Best New Technical
Innovation 2002 award for Pleated & Roller Shades from WCMA.
This stylish, curved enclosure for roller shades provides quick
and easy two-step installation and greater aesthetic appeal for
upscale residential and commercial applications.
This system is designed to work easily with standard RollEase components
and can accommodate a patio door sized shade in a compact, attractive
enclosure. A specially designed intermediate bracket allows for
two shades on one headrail, reducing the light gap usually resulting
from shades hung side by side.
BENEFITS
Motors provide a wide array of benefits, from controlling light
and interior climate to simply adding an additional level of convenience.
That’s for the customer. There also are advantages for the
dealer. Berman explains, “A dealer makes money based on the
amount of product he can bill each day or each month. An installer
can put up so many units a day. If those shades are worth $150 each
for manual, they’re worth $300 each if they’re motorized.
If you want to double your business without having to double the
number of installers you have to hire and train, the number of orders
you have to place with your suppliers, or the number of units that
have to pass through your hands, the best way to do that is to sell
more expensive products. And motorization provides more money per
window.”
Kathleen Stoehr is president of Chemistry Creative, based in Minneapolis,
MN. She has more than six years’ experience covering window
treatments and interior fashions as the former editor-in-chief of
Window Fashions magazine. Stoehr can be contacted for comments,
queries and trend information at kstoehr@chemistrycreative.com.
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