Growth in the shading products market continues to drive innovation and technological development

As the outdoor shading market continues to grow in both the domestic and commercial sector, expectations have increased for more advanced products and greater technological development.

Duncan Chapman, managing director of Shading Products UK, which specialises in providing a full range of products for the shading products market, said: “We know that high grade accessories can make a real difference to the usability of an outdoor shading product. For example, manual operations have been standard for many years now, but the majority of awnings are sold with electric operations as this means that customers can easily respond to changes in the weather and make full use of their awning or terrace cover with the minimum of hassle.”

Combine these motor systems with the latest weather-reacting controls, whether it’s a sun sensor, wind sensor or vibration sensor, and the customer does not even have to raise a finger and can operate the system from inside a shop or restaurant or even from the bottom of a garden.

As technology has advanced, so has product development and customers are now looking for more sophisticated and larger solutions.

“As the market has grown there has been an increasing trend for more substantial outdoor solutions which offer greater flexibility whatever the weather,” said Duncan. “Two of our terrace cover products, the Patiola and Med, are some of the most advanced in the marketplace.”

The Patiola, which is manufactured by Winsol, has been at the forefront of the terrace cover market here in the UK for the last 10 years. It can be used at any time of year and, with the use of the triangle apex infill blinds and drop-down side blinds, helps to create a snug environment on those cooler days while on sunny days the flexible roof can be automatically retracted to take full advantage of the sunshine.

Although the Patiola has been the flagship product in this field for many years, Winsol has continued to invest in the product and its development, with the introduction of integral lights and speakers in recent years.

More recent advancements on the Patiola have been made with the Orchestra max fabric as standard, which is now treated not only to add waterproofing qualities, but also a self-cleaning treatment helping to prolong the life and look of the system.

Top gutter system can also be added along with storm rollers to further reduce the risk of water ingress in those particularly windy areas.

Shading Products UK also has exclusive UK distribution of the Gibus range of terrace covers. Mr Chapman added: “The new Med has a PVC retractable fabric roof which retracts back concertina-style to provide all-year-round flexibility and, designed in Italy, it is innovative and stylish in look. It has a really wide application both commercially and domestically and it is doing really well in the UK marketplace. This really is the next generation of terrace cover product with levels of product advancement not seen before in the UK – it is bound to be a market leader.”

To assist retailers, Shading Products UK has launched a complete sales package to aid selling including a customer brochure, a training manual, and technical information on the entire range. Recognising that the needs of domestic and commercial customers are very different, the company has produced two separate brochures, one targeted specifically for domestic and one for commercial customers.

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