For forty years, roller shutter and sun protection specialist SOPROFEN has been constantly improving and modernizing its range. Relying on its long-standing expertise, the manufacturer has once again rolled up its sleeves to bring an important innovation to its range of front roller shutters. A patented and certified innovation for optimal sleeping comfort.
A major player in shutters and blinds, Soprofen produces and sells approximately 390,000 shutters in France, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, with Belgium alone accounting for 30,000 units. The roller shutter market in the Netherlands represents about 300,000 units per year. To earn this success, the manufacturer by no means rests on its laurels, but keeps its R&D department constantly on alert. The range is based on three different types: built-in roller shutters, surface-mounted roller shutters and front roller shutters. The offered models are continuously improved in order to make the shutters as compact as possible, to further optimize the sound and thermal insulation but by making them more and more secure, among other things thanks to the patented burglary-resistant suspension springs.
The latest development, launched at the end of 2020, is specifically aimed at front roller shutters. Clara Burtscher, product manager for external and traditional roller shutters, comments on the innovative improvements, "The starting point was that we started thinking about the essence of roller shutters, which is to keep light out. We noticed that many existing products still let in a lot of light when closed. We wanted to return to the basic function, blackout. At the end of our R&D phase, we applied for several patents. A patented insert profile of black PVC in the slide rail, with black black blackout brush seals and coextruded seals on either side of it, ensures optimal blackout. Moreover, this blackout is further enhanced at the cabinet level by the seal on the first slat, and by the crushing effect of a special seal on the last slat. In addition, this system offers real savings in terms of thermal insulation."
To demonstrate the real benefits of the patented 'Goodnight' solution, Soprofen has developed test booths, mini booths (smaller models that can easily be installed in a modest showroom) and, more recently, micro booths (even more compact versions) that allow the difference in darkening between a standard shutter model and a 'Goodnight' version to be noticed. "The two shutters are placed side by side and illuminated by powerful spotlights. When the two shutters are fully rolled out, the difference between the two models is clearly visible," says Clara Burtscher. The experiment was also validated by a bailiff.
The production site in Charleroi, Belgium, recently invested 1.3 million euros in a state-of-the-art powder coating booth. This innovative facility can process profiles up to 7 meters in length, reinforcing our independence from external service providers. This project is fully in line with our CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) approach, as it significantly reduces the number of trips for powder coating our profiles, which were previously transported by truck. This investment is an important step forward in our pursuit of more sustainable and efficient practices.
Recognizing that trends in joinery are moving toward a wider range of colors, Soprofen last year introduced contemporary colors from the VEKA SPECIAL color chart. Now the manufacturer is offering Mars Sablé, part of Interpon's Futura collection and the "Fusion of Worlds" color palette defined by Akzo Nobel specialists. Mars Sablé is a color with a fine texture and speckled finish in a reddish-brown hue.
"Customization is certainly not limited to the choice of colors, it also concerns the shape: for example, the front roller shutter is available in a DECO version (a patented design by Soprofen), as a straight cut-out, quarter-round or even semi-circular. There are also several options for operating the roller shutter: in addition to manual operation, there are motorization options, either wired, 230-volt radio or solar powered. For your information, the solar-powered motor accounts for more than 60% of sales in front roller shutters," said Clara Burtscher.
There is also a "seacoating" option where the paintwork is adapted for coastal areas exposed to salt spray but has already proven its value in highly polluted areas as well.
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