BUILDING SHUTTERS: 'It's all about passion'

At any company in the sun protection industry, things like innovation, product design, service and sustainability are woven into the DNA. It typifies the industry. But each company puts its focus elsewhere. At BUILDING SHUTTERS from Nokere, near Waregem, they say they rely primarily on passion and craftsmanship. "We are one of the leading specialists in roller shutters and in the meantime have also built up a solid reputation in the awning market," says marketing manager Femke Desmet. "We can now be called an 'old hand' in the business, as we will soon be celebrating our 50th anniversary!" 

'It's all about passion,' Femke Desmet is convinced. "The company has been around for half a century and that makes you stop and think about the past. We can only conclude that it has always been about passion. The drive of our people, the love for the product, the passion to keep evolving." 

A successful business is propelled by a healthy dose of daring and spirit from the management. This naturally radiates to the employees, who in turn have that same drive to do their jobs to the best of their ability. At BUILDING SHUTTERS, some employees have been with the company half their lives or longer. "That says a lot," Femke Desmet believes. "People who know their metier and the industry like the back of their hand, that's craftsmanship and passion at its finest!" 

BUILDING SHUTTERS is not the most well-known brand name when it comes to shutters and screens. "Indeed, we are rather low profile and not fixated on name recognition. We have the good reputation of being accessible and committed as a supplier. Our installers have our service departments on speed dial and are personally followed up and helped. That drive is greatly appreciated by our customers." BUILDING SHUTTERS, incidentally, does not sell directly to the individual, but counts on a solid network of distributors who act as a local point of contact for the end customer. 

In marketing, BUILDING SHUTTERS is primarily focusing on these "local heroes. They receive support in various areas to market BUILDING SHUTTERS' shutters and screens. "Full go for co-branding with our dealers, it is a different approach, but we believe that our distributors are the best ambassadors of our product. They are all craftsmen and craftswomen with whom we have a solid partnership. Some have been loyal to our products from the beginning." 

Products that are made close to home, which is one of the guarantees of quality and design in the sun protection industry. "The shutters and screens from BUILDING SHUTTERS are Belgian made, and that's not just a claim," Femke Desmet believes. "Product development, a sustainable production process, painting, fabric manufacture, assembly and even transport, everything is done in-house and in Belgium. Our production lines for extruding and profiling slats and cabinets are particularly impressive. We have every right to be proud of that! There are few companies that imitate us. We rely on our many years of experience in the production of aluminum and plastic profiles. The fact that we have mastered this ourselves is yet another validation that passion for our product runs like a thread throughout." 

"The wide range of profiles is finally processed into high-quality roller shutters and screens, designed and manufactured with living comfort, security and energy-efficient living in mind. With the Minirol® series, we offer a suitable roller shutter for each specific application: for surface mounting the MONO roller shutter, for recessed the INTEGRATED and the TRADI, and for pre-fitted the Minirol®, also available solar powered as Minirol® SOLAR." 

"Our windproof screens are manufactured based on our proprietary Lockscreen® technology. There too, depending on the application, different types are available. For a thorough renovation, where windows are also replaced, there is the Lockscreen® TOP surface-mounted version. The Lockscreen® FRONT is a solar-powered front screen available as FRONT Solar, ideal if no solar shading was provided in advance when a house was built, but equally suitable for free-standing integration, for example in a pergola or pool house. The Lockscreen® INTEGRATED is completely concealed in the cavity wall and is equipped with a fully retractable bottom batten and, optionally, brushes to seal everything off nicely." 

"When you do something with passion, you do it well," concludes Femke Desmet. "And that certainly applies to BUILDING SHUTTERS' shutters and screens. They are carefully made, with the use of baking experience and know-how. Both the BUILDING SHUTTERS employees and their distributors are masters of their trade. 'It's all about passion', and has been since 1973!"