Louvolite asks ‘how many of you have shied away from potentially very profitable order opportunities because they involve window blind systems for conservatories which include a requirement for roof blinds?’

The primary reason for this reaction is that many salespeople are unsure of how to measure for the appropriate shades and are concerned that any blinds ordered would actually fit the windows they have measured. What would happen if the blinds ordered did not actually fit? Who would pay for the blinds? What additional costs would be incurred to rectify the situation? Even if they get the blinds right – the side blinds are not too bad to fit but how on earth would they fit the blinds to the roof system. It would probably take a number of installers all day to fit them.

Most people involved in the industry now know that the Louvolite Perfect Fit installation system removes the labour, effort and time taken to install great looking blinds perfectly. In addition to the original system created to satisfy typical side windows and doors, the Perfect Fit International programme satisfies the need for beautifully fitted blinds in roofing systems. All this is well and good, but how do we overcome the fear of failure?
For Louvolite the key was to create a systematic approach for those involved in surveying conservatories. If there could be a simple, logical and repeatable method for measuring windows accurately and efficiently, this could be used to provide accurate and consistent blind size requirements to the other person involved in this scenario, the blind manufacturer.

The first step in this process was to better understand the challenges that face those individuals who survey conservatories for window shades. In many instances these tasks are carried out by third party retailing customers who buy their window blind products from local or national blind suppliers.  A blind manufacturer would serve many such retail operators and typically receive blind size information in a wide variety of formats that would only add to the anxiety of expensive mistakes in the blind measure/order/manufacturing process.

Louvolite set out to create a step-by-step procedure to survey the windows within a conservatory.

Louvolite first produced a survey sheet that was formatted in a defined way to receive information in a step-by-step method.  The surveyor uses the Louvolite survey sheet to record the details of the windows.

First step: Simple but important information such as style of opening, i.e. window/door or skylight or roof system

Perfect Fit Frame colour required

Establish bead depth used for side windows and doors. This is done by utilization of a simple tool provided by Louvolite. Enter information on the survey form.

Measure the windows as defined by the form and record the sizes.

For roof systems, two choices are detailed and explained and the surveyor selects the appropriate style that matches the one used within the conservatory.

Further simple to answer but defining questions are asked. All questions are answered by ticking appropriate check box beside the question, thereby eliminating individual explanations and defining the language used.

Similarly, surveyors are advised to establish the starting point for openings to be measured and identify that point on return to install the blinds.
The procedure continues and allows the surveyor to progress to roof windows. Roof systems usually feature shaped windows and in truth these are the windows of which surveyors and installers are most fearful. Louvolite simplifies this task by first establishing the shape of the window. This is done by selecting the shape of the window to be measured from a selection provided on the survey form. Each window shape has a letter prefix and the surveyor selects the appropriate letter to the shape.

A simple measuring procedure, which always measures sides of the opening in a clockwise direction, allows the surveyor to detail window sizes accurately and effectively. The system even allows the surveyor to identify any obstructions that may be relevant, such as tie bars, which are sometimes found in conservatory roof systems. All this takes much less time than you would think and once completed the form will be sent off or faxed through to the chosen supply company to make the Louvolite Perfect Fit blinds. As you would expect, Louvolite has created a pictorial instruction manual fully covering all actions of the survey sheet to assist surveyors and act as an aide memoire.

In order to help facilitate the manufacturing of the blinds, Louvolite has taken this process to the next stage. Each manufacturer of Louvolite Perfect Fit has received a CD from Louvolite which allows them to run the Perfect Fit order entry programme.

The programme essentially operates in tandem with the completed Perfect Fit survey form. For speed and ease of use, the system is staged to allow input of the order data in line with the flow of information from the survey form. The CD programme will not let the entry proceed until all relevant answers have been given.

A few deft key moves allow all the relevant details to be input. When the order details are printed the system also produces a detailed bill of materials automatically.

The bill of materials provides the manufacturing staff valuable and accurate information detailing exact measurements for aluminium sections, pleat number, all four sides of the fabric dimensions to accommodate the various window shapes, in fact everything that is required to assemble the frame and the blind. The system makes all the required adjustments to ensure the manufactured blind fits perfectly into the frame and the frame fits perfectly to the window; this is not magic, just good engineering, fantastic products and an accurate and logical manufacturing method.

After manufacture and delivery comes installation; if you think the previous sections sounded easy wait until you read this. The installers simply identify the first window measured as a starting point and install the Perfect Fit blinds to the appropriate windows. Remember no drilling or screwing, simply slide in the brackets and clip on the frame. No mess, no fuss, just great looking blinds.

For the roof openings the benefits of Perfect Fit are even more apparent. A typical shaped roof window can require 110 - 15 screw fixings to install a blind in the traditional way if a conservatory roof has say 15 windows, that is 150 to 200 drill holes and screws to be fitted to install the window blinds.
Each window blind installation will take a significant time as the tensioners for the wires/cord will have to be expertly measured and installed at the exact point required to receive the tensioning wires/cords.

With Perfect Fit all this work has been done already, installers simply slide in the brackets and click the assembled blind/frame combination into place; and of course with Perfect Fit there are no unsightly gaps around the edge of the fabric. Once again instructions are provided in picture format showing the first time installer exactly what is required.

Those companies regularly using Perfect Fit for Conservatory installations state that before Perfect Fit, it took a number of installers all day to fit blinds to a conservatory now installers can fit a number of conservatories in a day.

So next time you are asked to quote for window blinds to a conservatory, remember, there is nothing to fear but fear itself and there will always be someone at Louvolite to provide advice and support if it is needed – that’s what we are here for.