Streamlining Blind Installations
Streamlining Blind Installations
The Blinds Syndicate and Upat celebrate a 33-year partnership
Established in 1996, the Blinds Syndicate based in Durban is a long time Upat customer and is one of the earliest adopters of the latest anchoring technology. Producing customised blinds and shutters under its main Luminos brand, the company prides itself on being a leading innovator in the industry.
The team at Blinds Syndicate make use of a variety of Upat products including fischer SX nylon plugs, hollow-wall fixings, and the latest universal Duopower nylon expansion plugs. “We were the first-ever Upat customer to order stainless steel nail plugs in bulk and have effectively been a Upat customer for the past 33 years,” Blinds Syndicate Managing Director Ridwan Peer comments.
Priding itself on its customised blind and shutter solutions, the Blinds Syndicate provides some of the most advanced bespoke systems in the industry. A major contributor to this is the highly engineered products and tools supplied from Upat.
My long-standing relationship with Upat extends to the initial 23-year-old business I was involved with in conjunction with my father, where we used stainless steel nail plugs. When I started my own business 15 years ago, I decided to only use the highest-quality fixings available from Upat’s fischer range. This is a philosophy that has been carried over to our own dealer network,” Peer explains.
While cheaper imported fixings are readily available, these often compromise on quality and safety. This is particularly important with external blind and shutter installations, where it is critical to use heavy-duty, non-corrosive fixing solutions only.
In addition, the Blinds Syndicate notes the benefits of partnering with Upat which gives access to both aftermarket support and technical back-up. “We do not only receive advice based on Upat’s extensive experience, but the fact that solutions like fischer fixings are laboratory-tested, meaning that the performance of the products are underwritten by facts. It is a highly professional approach on behalf of Upat and has stood us in good stead over the years,” Peer elaborates.
Upat also hosts a fitters’ training workshop on a bi-yearly basis, where it introduces the latest technology and product developments, as well as elaborates on correct installation procedures, and how to ensure the correct fixing is selected for a given application.
“When Duopower was launched by Upat, we were one of the first South African customers to apply these new universal nylon expansion plugs. We have used the plugs internally with great success and have begun to roll it out to our dealers. Our high-end blinds and shutters depend on a solid and secure installation and that is why we use the best fixings available on the market today,” Peer concludes.
