Mermet: 'New collection of cloths for indoor blinds in six sub-collections'

Mermet is the new brand name under which Hunter Douglas now develops, manufactures and distributes all screen fabrics in Europe. Z&R reported on this in detail in the previous edition (Z&R 1, p. 36-38). This development brings together the expertise built up over years by the Belgian specialists Helioscreen and Copaco, the French company Mermet and the Spanish distributor Sceen Protectors into one collection. At the R+T in Stuttgart, the brand presented a completely new collection of fabrics for indoor blinds. 

The original sunscreen fabric

Since 1951, passionate experts have been on a common mission to do their part in creating restful and intimate working and living environments. Their goal is to provide end-users with thermal and visual comfort and optimize their energy consumption using high-quality sun protection fabrics. These are also fabrics that are long-lasting and easy to maintain. The original sunscreen fabric immediately forms the basis for the renewed Mermet. 

"Under this new brand name, we are bringing together the four screen fabric manufacturers within our group to offer our customers even more added value," said John Risman, CEO of Hunter Douglas Europe. "Indeed, in this way we can link expertise, make the product portfolio unified and clearly identifiable, optimize production and distribution, and pool available R&D and marketing resources. We are investing in a new 8000 m² central warehouse in Bavikhove, between Waregem and Kortrijk, as well as in new software and new production lines in the various production facilities in Belgium, in Bavikhove and Lokeren, and in France in Les Avenières Veyrins-Thuellin, east of Lyon. An additional distribution center is located in Igualada, Spain, west of Barcelona." 

Mermet has a total of 450 employees. As General Manager of the existing Mermet, François Lacquemanne takes charge of a rotating management team with representatives of the other manufacturers. He is assisted in this by Luc Janvier, Managing Director at Helioscreen and Copaco. 

New collection of cloths for indoor blinds

At the R+T in Stuttgart, Mermet presented a brand new collection of cloths for indoor blinds. It consists of six sub-collections, each with its own angle: Essentials, High Performance, Evolution, Darkening, Decorative and Basics. 

Head of Product Management Leo De Maeyer explains the sub-collections. "The Essentials are our most prized indoor awning fabrics. This range includes the Screen Vision, M-Screen and Panama Pro cloths, which are all woven in different densities in order to be able to optimize sun protection depending on the orientation of a building. In turn, the most advanced cloths are grouped together under High Performance. Indeed, Optimal, Panama Chrome+ and Acoustis® 50 all have improved properties in terms of glare control, temperature control or acoustics. With the Screen Nature, Ulterio, Zilario 3 and Sea-TexTM Sterling from the Evolution line, the focus is on the sustainable life of tomorrow, and with the Darkening line - Kibo, Flocké, Karellis, Opac Plain and Ruka - we aim to optimize blackout and privacy options. Finally, the new collection also includes the Decorative sub-collections with unique decorative fabrics, such as Panama Deco, Impressions, Abu Dhabi, Oslo, Pentagrama and Riyadh, as well as the Basics range for a price-conscious audience, which includes Natté PES in four densities and Shadow 24."

"Whatever color, density or width the customer is looking for, we always offer a suitable solution today within the very extensive range of about 300 different references for indoor blinds," concludes marketing manager Caroline Mermet. "By the end of 2024, by the beginning of 2025 at the latest, we also want to launch a completely new collection of screen fabrics for outdoor blinds. Only screen mesh will we still distribute under the Copaco brand name."