What if a resident wants blinds, but they are not allowed or cannot be screwed into the window frames?

As a dealer in the blinds industry, you sometimes have those projects where you really work together with the supplier to realize 'the wish' for the end customer. This goes beyond delivering and installing a standard sun protection solution because there are bigger challenges. Jurjen Lula, salesman at Ambiance Dekazon in Apeldoorn, can relate. "I'm talking about 'Marialust' in Apeldoorn, a three-story apartment complex that is completely equipped with aluminum frames. The residents were looking for screens but ... these could not and were not allowed to be screwed onto the window frames. Well, how do you solve this?"

"For us it was important - as a sunshade supplier to this apartment complex - to find or create a solution that would go in the direction of floor/ceiling mounting," says Jurjen. In consultation with our supplier ROMA Benelux, we discussed the possibilities. They turned out to have the right solution in their assortment. An additional challenge was that some apartments had no electricity on the outside. So there the Solar variant of the chosen ROMA zipSCREEN.2 became the logical choice."

Acting together

"When we reported to ROMA, we discovered that they had just added this floor/ceiling assembly to their product line. A recent addition that exactly matched our specific needs. The screening committee of the Owners Association then visited the showroom. In addition, the residents were approached personally, which reinforced their confidence in a good execution. For example, we decided to mount the screens on the raised edge of the balconies - instead of on the water gutter. This made the whole look tighter and was more in keeping with the architecture. The upright of the guides came as close as possible to the downspout, which provided a neat finish."

"What I really loved was that Geerling Petersen, the ROMA representative, was very involved. He came by regularly and showed genuine interest. With his patience, we found the perfect solution together. Of course, he too knew that such a process within a VVE cannot be completed overnight. It was also nice that Geerling gave me the conductor in my hands to personally show it to the customer. This made the story even clearer. So all compliments to the team of ROMA Benelux who helped us in every detail to deliver the right thing. As far as I am concerned, this was the textbook example of optimal cooperation."

The benefits

Claudia Emmerich, responsible for marketing and communications at ROMA Benelux in Zevenbergen says that this project demonstrates exactly the advantages of the zipSCREEN.2 with free-standing guide. "This system is ideal in situations such as canopies, sliding doors and, in this project, so spacious balconies. Here, wide screens could be installed up to 6 meters where standard guides cannot be used. The free-standing guide also offers very flexible mounting: simple with a wall bracket and optionally an additional ceiling bracket. Thanks to this solution, multiple systems can be linked effortlessly."

For this apartment complex in Apeldoorn, which catches a lot of wind, ROMA's heavy-duty undercarriage system therefore offers a stable and ideal solution. "Most importantly, of course, the residents of these 14 apartments are extremely satisfied," Claudia and Jurjen conclude. "They also saw our joint efforts: that not only inspires confidence but also ultimately leads to the best end result."