As the year comes to a close, we take a look back at the past twelve months. The year has flown by, and we can’t fit everything we’ve done into one article, so we’ve picked our highlights.
New products
As a leading designer and manufacturer of commercial blinds, product development is a core focus every year. We know our customers love our products, but we remain committed to expanding our product ranges across the Yewdale brands.
ShadeBox® is one of the most innovative products we have ever released. It’s a recessed box system which is designed to conceal roller blinds when they’re not being used.
ShadeBox® blends in with the ceiling, so when the roller blind is lowered, it looks like it’s coming out of the ceiling. The image below demonstrates why this system is perfect for high-end properties with a minimalistic interior design.
Anti-ligature products
During the year, we released four new anti-ligature products which are designed for mental health settings and other high-risk settings. The shared goal of these products is to reduce the risk of ligature. Any piece of furniture can be used as a ligature point, which is why we produce products to replace them and remove common risks.
The K08 fixed mounting plate holds accessories such as soap dispensers and ensures that people can’t create a ligature using them. Accessories are attached to the K08 mounting plate via load-release magnets. If a downward force is applied, the accessory will detach from the mounting plate. The mounting plate is fixed to the wall and cannot be removed, which reduces the size of the item that can be removed from the wall.
SafeDoor 2 is the updated version of our anti-ligature en-suite door. It utilises the same load release magnets as the previous door but with added tamper-defence and a higher fire rating. It also features a curved profile that’s only 9mm thick.
SafeArt allows mental health trusts to introduce calming images printed on soft foam artwork without creating a ligature risk or weapons risk. Load-release magnets are stitched into anti-tamper products within the back of the product.
The K2500 reduced-ligature fixed curtain track does not feature load-release magnets. Instead, it utilises anti-ligature curtain gliders, which ensure the curtain falls if a downward force is exerted. This new design is focused on reducing weapons risk by ensuring the curtain track cannot be removed and used inappropriately.
Wide fabric widths
We’re always striving to offer as many shading solutions and fabric options as possible. Customers who manufacture their own blinds requested that we started manufacturing wider-width fabrics, so that’s exactly what we did.
We now supply Dart Iron in 3000mm width and Dart Vanilla in 2500mm & 3000mm widths. These wide-width fabrics help customers save money because the fabric can be used to create two blinds instead of one, reducing waste. It also means that two pieces of fabric don’t have to be joined together to create a large blind, saving time.
Expanded to new locations
The acquisition of our new warehouse was a historic moment for Yewdale and a sign of our growth over the years. We were able to free up space in our factory and expand our production teams, installing new cutting tables. The added production space and expanded departments should reduce our lead times and enable us to handle spikes in demand and large orders.
The warehouse isn’t the only way we expanded the business this year. We also opened an office in Northern Ireland, which we see as an avenue to achieve growth in the Irish market.
Trade shows
We attended a wide range of trade shows which allowed us to promote our products to professionals from a plethora of industries, including healthcare, education and architecture. Here is a list of conferences we attended:
- Infection Prevention and Control
- Clerkenwell Design Week
- Design in Mental Health
- Education Estates
- Healthcare Estates
- Learning Places Scotland
- Education Buildings Ireland
Clerkenwell Design Week was a particularly special event for us because we were able to host delegates at our showroom in London. It was the first time Yewdale was involved in the annual event, so we wanted to ensure we made an impact. Our showroom was bustling throughout the event and our stone-baked pizza stall was a hit in our courtyard.
Our carbon audit
We want to hit the ground running with our carbon reduction progress, which is why we commissioned an environmental consultancy agency to conduct a carbon audit of Yewdale. They provided a detailed carbon report which will help us to achieve significant reductions in our greenhouse gas emissions. You can read all about this audit and our Net Zero target in our recent article.
Other highlights
We received a large volume of positive Trustpilot reviews and we want to thank everyone that provided feedback. Our average rating of 4.7 out of 5 demonstrates that we provide an unmatched service, premium products and the best after-sales support in the commercial blinds industry.
We truly value your opinion and invite you to tell us how you feel about Yewdale.
Another highlight for 2022 is that we welcomed a number of fresh faces to the business, each bringing their own expertise and ideas to help us improve the business and provide an unbeatable experience to customers.
Elsewhere, the marketing team set up a new photography and filming studio, providing the perfect space to create visual content that we know you’ll love. If you'd like us to create a demo video or take additional images of a specific product, please let us know here.
Summary
We want to thank all our customers for your support in making this year so special for us. Our plans for 2023 are very exciting and we can’t wait to start putting them into action. See you next year!
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