Hunter Douglas, which is celebrating 35 years of success in the Middle East, continues to introduce innovative products that are produced to the highest standards of quality and fashion with the launch of the innovative Luxalon Qudroclad Panel.

The Luxalon Quadroclad is a sandwich pre-coated aluminium, stainless steel panel open-joint system based on the rain screen technology. Channels are integrated within this unique system to allow ventilation and for rain and condensation water to drain out from behind the cladding surface.
The systems are based on composite technologies from the aircraft industry, whereby pre-coated aluminium is formed and combined with aluminium honeycomb reinforcement in order to produce strong, flat, lightweight and made-to-measure façade elements.
The Quadroclad system comes in many variations owing to the method of production, which allows for great flexibility in panel thickness, size and shape, as well as curving and folding. This flexibility is continued in the actual application of Quadroclad because these extremely rigid elements can be fixed to almost any superstructure, says a spokesman for the company.
He continues: “The panels are developed to provide architects and consultants with a complete system for the growing rain screen market and are designed for high quality façade designs where the following attributes are of importance: Durability; capability to withstand high wind-loads; large façade elements; extreme panel flatness; total façade solution that includes integrated windows, doors and louvres for both flush and recessed façade designs.”
The system is said to offer several advantages:

• Extreme panel flatness combined with ‘crisp’ design;
• Individual panel replacement;
• Large elements 1,500 mm by 6,000 mm;
• Wide range of system solutions;
• Tightly controlled joint systems within the range of 10 to 15 mm;
• No thermal bow due to the aluminium honeycomb construction;
• Limited number of supports;
• Panel erection sequence can be top-bottom/bottom-top or any sequence to suit building programme/progress.

The Hunter Douglas group started off in 1919, when Henry Sonnenberg, father of the current CEO, started a machinery distribution and manufacturing company in Germany and later expanded the operations to Holland and the UK. At the outbreak of World War II, he moved to the US, where he founded the Douglas Machinery Corporation.
With a thriving post-war economy and a booming housing market, Henry Sonnenberg, with his partner Joe Hunter, developed a new technology. They applied a revolutionary continuous casting and fabrication process for aluminium in the production of lightweight and durable slats for Venetian blinds. The new product quickly gained leadership in the market and Hunter Douglas, as we know it today, was born.
Today, the Netherlands-based group includes 155 companies with 64 manufacturing and 91 assembly plants and has set up marketing organisations in more than a 100 countries. The group generates sales of $2 billion and has more than 15,500 employees on its payroll.
Says the spokesman: “Despite these changes, the initial thoughts and innovative thinking of the founders of Hunter Douglas remain the same. As a pioneer of coated aluminium products including blinds, metal ceilings and facade systems, we have a consistent record of innovation and new product launches. The stream of innovations and new product launches continues to this day and has allowed Hunter Douglas to remain the market leader in window-covering products (WCP) and a major supplier of architectural products.”
As a market leader in WCP, the group continues to introduce new innovative products under its internationally renowned trademarks of Luxaflex, Helioscreen, Silhouette, Duette and Luminette. These brands are synonymous with products of the highest standard, quality and fashion.
The company offers turnkey solutions with an extensive range of alternatives for commercial buildings, including motorisation, audio-visual operation and solar-sensitive controls with freestanding BMS (building management systems). 
Says Jean Chemali, sales manager WCP (Window Covering Products) division: “Hunter Douglas products are found in millions of homes and commercial buildings across the globe. Projects are our field of expertise. No matter which Hunter Douglas product is selected, every blind is carefully assembled, by local licensees, to the customer’s requirements, ensuring a perfect fit every time.”
“Window coverings has become a science of combining fashion with technicality. It’s a game between day and night, between artificial light and sunlight, heat and cold combined with modern looks, privacy and functionality.”
“Today, we offer the largest range of window dressing products for internal as well as external applications. The many options within each of the product ranges offer different degrees of privacy, colour and material, making it possible to create a truly unique look that expresses the personal taste,” he says.
Details about Hunter Douglas products can be obtained from the websites www.hunterdouglas.com and www.luxaflex.com.