FF INFO 70 EN

REFLECTION full vision redefined

The Power of Local Introducing Bart Goetzee, President FlexiForce Group

Winners!

SUSTAINABILITY

DESIGN

CONVENIENCE

GB FlexiForce INFO magazine #70, July 2015

SECURITY SAFETY

www.flexiforce.com

all u o y h s i We w g n i x a l e r d happy an lidays! ho r e m m u s

Content

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• Editorial: RETHINK patiently • News: FlexiForce companies and market updates • Introducing: new innovation team and product council • From the Pages of History: 35 years!

• Introducing: Mr. Bart Goetzee, president of FlexiForce Group • Interview: Julian Lopez, 10 years of Iberian presence • The power of LOCAL! • Opening News: Information and updates on our door automation products • Favorites: Winners are core FlexiForce products going strong • Innovations: REFLECTION, Full Vision redefined • New products!

• Innovations: Impressions of Silhouette

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The information presented in this booklet is subject to change. We regularly update, expand our product range, offer new services. We share all our news, even daily, with you via our website, our online product catalogue (no login needed!), our YOUTUBE/Vimeo channels FF-TV, our Flickr-photo stream and through the FlexiForce social media platforms on Twitter (twitter.com/flexiforce), Facebook (www.facebook.com/flexiforce), and LinkedIn. Follow us to stay up-to-date with our news and information!

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INFO

SILHOUETTE

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Editorial (Frank Goedhart)

Innovation talk: Rachel, Jildert, Frank

Editorial RETHINK PATIENTLY In our previous INFO magazine and also on the R+T exhibition in Stuttgart this year, we proudly presented to you our RETHINK ambitions and directions for this year. I am happy to inform you that we have made good steps forward in translating the RETHINK strategy to pragmatic actions. The product development direction was clearly redefined with a strong focus on new product families like REFLECTION (full vision system redefined), SILHOUETTE (ultimate form fit function pass door), RSC and ISC residential and industrial hardware set systems. A good example of RETHINK is our new revolutionary tool for tensioning industrial torsion springs, ISTT. It received major appreciation, not only from people testing the 20 prototypes we sent out to the market, but also from R+T visitors and people that watched the introduction movie online.

Our new approach in product development, allows you as our customer to play an active role in the design process. Our reinforced innovation team is now following a structured route from product idea up to market introduction.

Meanwhile there is a team of software engineers working hard to finish the first phase of CREATE ISC, our online configuration and ordering tool for industrial hardware sets. And last but not least, our online web store FLEXISHOP is now in the beta-phase where we are testing it with selected customers.

So, all the reason to be very happy with ourselves? Well, we are not. The timeto-market of our innovations is still way too long. For example, our SILHOUETTE pass door was planned for introduction in Q2, but we now are doing everything we can to get it released in Q3. However, apart from us (and you) being impatient because we really need this product today, the reason for this delay is in fact very positive. Showing SILHOUETTE on the R+T and explaining it in long sessions with several customers, has lead to valuable recommendations for

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improving the system. We took these recommendations seriously which meant that on some parts we had to go back to the drawing board. This slows down the process, since new drawings mean new samples and new testing of the system. But, where in the past we received your feedback once the product was launched and ready, now we are co-creating a product together with you. With mutual commitment to the end result. This process is now in place for all our R&D projects and by practising it more and more, our time-to-market will decrease rapidly. And our RETHINK-impatience will disappear.

The second half of 2015 will be an exciting one, given the fact that all mentioned product families will be ready and introduced. We are aiming to give you access to these innovations before the high-season starts. In this INFO magazine you will get more detailed information on the systems and plans. Of course you can follow more actual news via our website and via our social media platforms (www.facebook.com/flexiforce provides you with daily updates!). Expect a lot from us this year!

Enjoy reading this INFO magazine. Do not hesitate to contact me personally for any ideas or comments that you might have.

Best regards, Frank Goedhart Managing Director FlexiForce EMEA frank.goedhart@flexiforce.com nl.linkedin.com/in/nlfrankgoedhart/

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News

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News FROM FLEXIFORCE COMPANIES AND MARKET UPDATES Industrial hardware sets from FFNL to FFHU As announced, we decided to outsource our Dutch industrial hardware sets production to our new LEAN and efficient, high volume, factory in Hungary. In the Netherlands we now focus on torsion springs and steel profiles production.

Today all the hard work for the transition has been completed and our customers have received their first “Made in Hungary” sets. The space that was freed up in FlexiForce Netherlands is now used for RSC FlatBed production and new warehouse racking. Many changes and challenges, but all with the same goal: Continuous improvement of our service to our customers.

LEAN in Poland In Holland we have a saying: “New brooms swipe clean”. It translates perfectly when looking at what our new Managing Director in FlexiForce Poland, Andrzej Suchodolski, has literary taken on as one of his first priorities.

Cleaning out the warehouse floor and looking closely at how to make the processes LEAN. After a work shop, lead

by LEAN-ambassador Co Bakker, the Polish team achieved to clear out enough mess to now offer a three doors loading floor for customers to pick up their orders. No more queuing of trucks, but efficient and fast handling of the loading. This is just a tiny example of what the LEAN-virus will infect more in FlexiForce Poland.

Introducing new leaders Andrzej Suchodolski Mr. Andrzej Suchodolski is the new Managing Director of FlexiForce Poland. Andrzej has a strong back ground in sales and marketing of technical construction products and services. Together with the experienced team his ambition is to take our Polish company into the next level of growth and increased customer service.

Bart Goetzee FlexiForce Group announced the appointment of Mr. Bart Goetzee as President of FlexiForce Group B.V., effective April 1, 2015. Bart joins FlexiForce from Philips where he has served in a variety of roles and functions since 1998. See a full introduction in this magazine!

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Gyula Gal We have decided to adapt the way that FlexiForce Hungary is organized, to be more aligned with its current size and functions. We are creating a dedicated FlexiForce Supply Chain entity in which all warehouse and production activities will be managed. And a separate FlexiForce Direct Sales entity that can fully focus on providing service, reliability and focus to our direct customers in the sales region: Hungary and surrounding countries. Emphasizing our ambition to increase the level of customer satisfaction. At this moment we are recruiting for a Plant Manager for our factory unit. Mr. Gyula Gal, our former Sales Manager, is the new Managing Director for the direct sales company. He is now also member in the FlexiForce EMEA management team.

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Completion FlexiForce Hungary

FlexiForce Hungary has successfully finalized the move from the old building into the new Debrecen plant. All activities are now concentrated in one brand new facility. This means that from now on you can find us on the following contact details: FlexiForce Hungary Kft. Medvef str. 0374/16.

4031 Debrecen Hungary

T: +36-52561260 F: +36-52561262 E: infohu@flexiforce.com E: orderhu@flexiforce.com VAT Nr. HU12618398 FlexiForce Hungary will continue to be your reliable supplier of hardware sets, components and door automation products.

R&D test rig for industrial door openers Sietse Bekhuis, our R&D testing engineer for door automation products, has finished a testing facility that allows him to simultaneously run various testing and approval programs on industrial door openers. As you know, in FlexiForce we live by the “testing is knowing” motto. We are happy to see that now we are gaining even more know-how on one of our core product groups: Door automation.

RSC Flat Bed production streamlined With all the earlier mentioned changes in FlexiForce Netherlands, we created space and time to streamline and relocate our RSC FlatBed assembly line. In a new set-up we now produce all our made-to-order RSC hardware sets, exactly to customer specification. The quality has improved even more by implementing a residential pick-to-light system for the hardware box content. We are happy to see that our FlatBed sales are booming, which means that a lot of our customers appreciate the service we provide.

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Sietse Bekhuis

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News

INFO

FlexiForce Spain explains panel service in clear video

FlexiForce Iberica has followed their Polish and Turkish sister companies in providing door panels to her customers. The availability of local stock of panels in Oliva (Valencia) means that door companies no longer have to order full truck loads of panels directly from the panel suppliers. Very easy and convenient if you realize that the number of different panel designs in today’s market is growing. FlexiForce Iberica made a video to explain exactly how this service will lower your costs while increasing your flexibility! Find it on our Spanish website, panel page.

MollEspresso in FlexiForce Italy

If you realize that “Molle” is Italian for torsion springs and “Espresso” is a fast and concentrated coffee, it is easy to understand that the new service “MollEspresso” stands for fast and reliable supply of torsion springs and other spare parts. For customers that urgently want to repair or maintain their doors.

FlexiForce Italia made a video explaining you the details.

1034FL > 1034FLN: Less is more The 1034FLN door pusher has better features, higher quality and a lower price compared to the 1034FL door pusher. So it is obvious that our customers favour the 1034FLN, which is reason for us now to take the 1034FL out of our range of products. Customers that still bought the old version are being guided to the 1034FLN.

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News

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1030BOX5: Up-sell opportunity in consumer package The 1030 water weir (or threshold, or storm shield) is the product that is most requested by end users that find our website catalogue. The request is often for a 5 meter piece of this profile. Of course, we do not sell this product to end users. But, we think that you could sell it easier in a nice consumer packaging, of course in the requested length of 5 meter. Including glue and clear instructions on how to install it. A great and visible up-sell to any new or installed door! Put it in your showroom, on your counter or in your service van. Sales results could pleasantly surprise you!

IDD Parts opens up web-store in English and French After sales maintenance, repair and service might well be the part of the door business with the highest growth and earnings potential. That is, if you can have easy access to spare parts and panels needed to service “third-party� branded installed doors. Our sister company, IDD Parts, offers you an online shop full of parts, automation, panels and tools for all (!) brands and types industrial overhead doors and docking systems. For those door companies that have not realized this yet, we recommend that you rethink the business by also focussing on service and repair of the installed base. The web store and team of IDD Parts are now ready for you in English, German, French and Dutch. Visit the website and see clear videos explaining IDD Parts in detail. www.iddparts.nl | www.iddparts.be | www.iddparts.de | www.iddparts.fr | www.iddparts.eu

New ISC industrial manuals downloads Our R&D department has recently been very busy creating five new installation manuals for the ISC systems, covering the lift systems NL, HL, VL, FTR and FHL. All manuals display the recommended FlexiForce hardware selection which can be found in our online catalogue. Find the downloads now on our website (download section). In the near future we will be able to print order-dedicated installation manuals, containing the hardware set as selected in our upcoming CREATE ISC configuration software program.

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Introducing new innovation team and product council

The FlexiForce EMEA innovation team is now complete. A new product manager, Ben Klaassen. A new product designer, Rachel Saounera. And a new approach to R&D and innovation projects. With intensified customer sessions, weekly meetings of the product council (= management, marketing, R&D and purchasing) and a new way of LEAN product development, we aim to improve the quality of our innovations and our time-to-market. Bringing those products to market that you need to grow your business. Please meet the two new members:

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Ben Klaassen

“Hi, my name is Ben Klaassen, 28 year old. I have joined the innovation team of FlexiForce EMEA as product manager since the beginning of this year. With great enthusiasm I joined FlexiForce to create a better connection between the R&D team and the different markets FlexiForce EMEA is serving. In close collaboration with the sales teams of FlexiForce I will make sure the Voice of the Customer is heard within the innovation team more than ever before.

Within product development good communication between all disciplines is important and I see it as common sense that the innovation team, sales, customers and suppliers, all work together andreflect the chosen route of our technicians at R&D for our new products: what do our customers think of it? And does it answer the need of today and more important: of tomorrow?

I am new to the door market, so to dive deep into it and to learn about all the ins and outs, I had only one priority: Visit customers and FlexiForce subsidiaries as quickly as possible. Ton Peterse joined me in my Tour d’EMEA and I was motivated by the warm welcome that many of our customers gave us. It has become even more clear to me that together we can achieve a lot, and grow even more in the future!”

“Hi, my name is Rachel, I am 26 years old and I can describe myself as a driven and motivated designer, always on the hunt for a challenge. I have a passion for design and I love to bring form, fit and function together in a stunning design.

Functionality, design and sustainability are important for me. One short year ago I graduated as a bachelor Product Design (Engineering, Design & Innovation).

FlexiForce is my real first job and so far I like it a lot! With my creative role in the more technically orientated R&D team, I think we can provide products that will make the overhead door a real eye-catcher!”

Rachel

Product Council meeting

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Product of Today videos continued appreciation

vimeo.com/ flexiforce

Season 2 of the well-known and appreciated video series “Product Of Today” has started with again the focus on explaining you all about new products and door automation parts. The leading role of Johan van der Linde has been taken over by our new product manager Ben Klaassen, but the strategy is still the same: Explain details about features, application, prices, advantages, and installation tips for different FlexiForce products. Find all the movies and seasons on our website (www.flexiforce.com, English site, chapter Product Of Today) or via www.vimeo.com/flexiforce. Feel free to tell us which product you would like to have explained in the upcoming movies!

Up-selling presentation The American door association DASMA issues a very interesting magazine ever quarter, called Door & Access Systems Magazine. Representing the door industry, their articles and subjects are usually also an interesting read for European door producers and suppliers. One of the latest issues was about “Up-Selling”. Since we at FlexiForce are also convinced that up-selling is a good way of growing business in a market where the number of doors is not increasing, we would like to recommend that you download the Powerpoint presentation that the magazine issued on this subject. It is compiled by door producers worldwide, so real know-how sharing. “If you get the customer to talk about what he wants in his garage, he will forget about the question: How much is a regular door?”. One other quote: “Is your purchase only about money, or do you want to consider quality and convenience options?”

Find the complete presentation on: http://issuu.com/flexiforce/docs/successful_upselling_2015

FlexiForce Italia on Instagram If you have not heard from it, then ask your children: Instagram. FlexiForce Italia has opened up an account on Instagram, the popular photo-sharing platform. You can follow them and find many interesting updates in your time line. A new way of staying closely up to date with our Italian team.

U-values? Energy calculator EDSF The European Door and Shutter Federation, EDSF, is very active on the subject of energy efficiency on overhead doors. Since there are many opinions and different truths about how to deal with the insulation and thermal values of doors, you will find it convenient to use the online energy calculator that EDSF has available on their website. All about air leakage, U-values and infiltration, with the calculated effect on the energy efficiency of a building.

Find it on: http://www.edsf.com/calculator/

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News

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Saving you money: FF05NL12 FF-4-13

Did you know that our FF-4-13 drum is completely interchangeable with the 32% cheaper FF05NL12 cable drum? Now you know!

FF05NL12

Celebrations: 5, 35, 10, 10 2015 is a celebration year for many of our companies. FlexiForce B.V. in the Netherlands started 35 years ago on the 1st of march 1980 (see the history update in this magazine). FlexiForce Group was incorporated in 2005, the same year that we started FlexiForce Iberica. So both celebrate 10 years of existence.

Last but not least, IDD Parts, our company for after sales spare parts, has reached the age of 5. They treat customers with a bag of Dutch liquorice to go with their orders. Happy birthday to all!

.com email addresses You may have already noticed, but we have made changes in the e-mail addresses that we use in FlexiForce Netherlands and FlexiForce Hungary. All .nl and .hu extensions are changed to .com. Easy to remember that now full names are used, separated by a dot. At the moment, e-mails sent to the old email addresses will no longer be forwarded, so please change the data in your address book to make sure that your e-mails arrive.

Looking back R+T and IDA Expo For us, the high quality of the R+T Stuttgart was proven again this year by a large crowd of people visiting the FlexiForce booth over the five days of exhibiting. We proudly presented our RETHINK strategy and product families and we received valuable and positive feedback from customers and other visitors. Thank you all for your visits. See you back in Stuttgart in three years time?

As a yearly, very compact event of only two days, IDA Expo is a good way of meeting and catching up with our customers in the Americas. The FlexiForce booth drew lots of attention, not only because of the range of new products that we displayed, but also because of the miniature race-track that was laid out. A clear reference to the location of the event, Indianapolis, home of the INDY500!

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From the Pages of History: 35 years!

INFO

From the Pages of H Exactly on the first of March of this year, we issued a video showing an interview with FlexiForce founder, Frans Meijer, about the early days of the company. We received positive feedback from both employees and customers on this video. Many of you told us that they were not aware of the extensive history of FlexiForce.

So just for you, one more time: the major milestones in 35 years of innovations for overhead doors.

FFES

FFNL

FFCN

FFHU

FFPL

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FFNL

From the Pages of History: 35 years!

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History: 35 years!

1980 On March 1, 1980, Frans Meijer creates the FlexiForce company in a chicken barn in the fields of Barneveld, Holland, seeking to standardize hardware parts for sectional doors in Europe.

1989 Having become the European market leader for hardware parts for commercial and residential garage doors, FlexiForce moves to a new facility in Barneveld, combining its office, warehouse, and production facilities.

1990 FlexiForce invests in a state-of-the-art torsion spring production line that shot peens and powder-coats springs to increase lifespan. The springs are coated blue/grey, FlexiForce’s trademark colour.

2000 A new management team takes over the company, seeking to grow the company into a worldwide market leader for hardware components.

FFHU

2001 To meet increasing demand, FlexiForce opens a production plant for residential hardware systems in eastern Hungary, in the city of Hajdúböszörmény.

2003 FlexiForce opens a fully owned company in China, starting in a rented building in Wuxi, near Shanghai. Local production, coordinating Asian sourcing, and sales to the domestic market.

2005 FlexiForce opens FlexiForce Iberica, a distribution centre in Oliva, Spain, providing a cost reduction for door producers in the Iberian Island area.

2007 FlexiForce China officially celebrates the opening of a new manufacturing facility and distribution centre in Wuxi. During the celebrations the new FlexiForce logo is launched.

2007 FlexiForce Italia opens with a distribution centre in Alfianello, Italy, the next step in the FlexiForce strategy to get “close to the customer”.

2009 FlexiForce purchases a majority share in the Polish company, Bramtec, to develop it into the FlexiForce distribution centre for the Polish and Baltic region.

2009 FlexiForce LLC opens in Dixon, Illinois USA, to provide sectional garage door hardware to manufacturers and dealers in the United States, Canada, and Latin America.

2010 FlexiForce Group is acquired by Assa Abloy Entrance Systems, a division of Assa Abloy of Sweden.

2012 FlexiForce acquires Helton Industries, a producer and distributor of hardware parts for the garage door industry. Helton Industries, founded in 1981, is based in Abbotsford, B.C., Canada.

2012 FlexiForce invests in a sales company and a distribution centre in Istanbul to serve the Turkish and Middle East region.

2014 PC Henderson, a British manufacturer of sliding gear systems for sliding doors and folding doors, is added to the FlexiForce Group. FlexiForce now has four divisions: Americas, EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa), APAC (Asia Pacific), and PC Henderson.

2014 FlexiForce Group builds a new state-of-the-art hardware factory in Debrecen, Hungary.

FFNL

2015 The company marks its 35th anniversary. Today, FlexiForce employs 650 people worldwide as it continues its strategy of being a reliable supplying partner of overhead door parts, door automation and related products to door producers and assemblers worldwide.

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Introducing: Mr. Bart Goetzee

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Introducing: Mr. Bart Goetzee, Since April 1st you are the new CEO of the Flexiforce Group.

How were the first weeks?

“I have been looking forward a lot to this starting date while I was transferring my responsibilities within Philips. In the first weeks I have visited many regional FF offices like Debrecen, Dixon, Abbotsford, Bowburn, Wuxi and, of course, Barneveld. I have spent a lot of time to understand the business challenges and to support setting priorities. All businesses have opportunities to grow and to further improve their operations but, as we have limited resources, we need to focus on those activities that give us the highest return on our investment. In the many discussions I had, I have been able to get a good feeling for these priorities. I think that we have an excellent group of people in every business. At the same time in all businesses we have issues that we need to solve quickly”.

Is it a major change moving from the lighting industry to doors?

“My conclusion after 6 weeks is that both businesses are very similar. If you compare a lighting fixture (luminaire) with a (complete) door, you will notice that also in lighting there are direct sales (projects) and indirect sales (distributors).

Next to that there are also lighting component suppliers that supply to OEMs and to distributors/dealers. Big companies do often both: they supply the lighting fixture to the end-user for large projects (like hospitals or shopping centres) and they sell the same products through distribution. On top of that large lighting companies (like Philips) also sell components, both internally as well as to external customers. Although the door business has its own characteristics, there are obviously many similarities”.

Do you, at this stage, already have a feeling about the direction of the company?

“I think we have not yet unlocked our full potential. Worldwide we still act very much as 4 independent business units which is a missed opportunity. By sharing best practices, product innovations, marketing tools etc. we will be so much stronger and the well-known ‘1+1=3’ will then become a reality. Especially in the areas of manufacturing, purchasing, product innovation and marketing, we have many opportunities to learn from other companies in the FF Group. We need to work together more as a true global company. Once we have that established, nobody will be able to beat us in the marketplace”.

How does your life look like when you are not working?

My wife and I have three children, two boys and one girl, with ages between 12 and 16. We also have a dog and two rabbits that keep us busy. I coach the hockey team of my daughter on Saturdays and I play in a hockey competition myself on Sundays. Next to that I like music, theatre, tennis and sailing.

I am looking forward to work together with all customers, suppliers and employees of FlexiForce to further develop and grow our business. I am convinced that we have a great future if we are able to change and be open for different ways of working. Let me support this with a quote:

“ Change is the law of life.

And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future” ~ John F. Kennedy (1917-1963)

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Introducing: Mr. Bart Goetzee

president of FlexiForce Group

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10 years of Iberian presence

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JULIAN LOPEZ,

10 years of Iberian presence

youtube.com/ flexiforce

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10 years ago, in 2005, FlexiForce investigated the next step in her “Close to the customer”-strategy by opening up a warehouse and sales office in Spain.

Coincidentally, at the same time, Julian Lopez Montaño contacted us with a proposal to start a local FlexiForce company for the Iberian market.

Coming together, we decided to start FlexiForce Iberica S.A.. Today, FlexiForce Iberica is still going strong and most of the people of the early days are still working happily for the company. We sit down with Julian.

10 years of Iberian presence

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a lot f o t n e m t r a dep l a ic n h c e t ay!” e d h t y r e r e a v e e it w . e . “. lov e W . s r e m o of our cust Hi Julian, could you give us a short introduction of your background?

I’m a Mechanical Engineer. My father had an auto repair shop and it allowed me, from a very young age, to start “playing with bolts and screws”. I enjoyed helping my father and I learnt a lot things that, later on, have been very helpful in my career.

Have you always been working in the overhead door industry?

No. When I finished my studies, I was working in machinery parts industry in Barcelona in the Spanish subsidiary of NSK, Japanese producer of bearings and ball screws. These years gave me lot of experience on business! But it was always on my mind to come back to my home town: Oliva. And the chance came from Hierros Costa, a door producer at that time. They were looking for a Production and Technical Manager and this is the way I started working on doors. As a purchaser, I introduced FlexiForce as a supplier for Hierros Costa.

This was the first contact I had with FlexiForce. It was more than 15 years ago.

After 5 years in Hierros Costa, for a short time, I was working in another door company called Ediver, where FlexiForce was also supplier.

Why did you contact FlexiForce to talk about a FlexiForce subsidiary in Spain?

Things were not going well in Ediver and I started looking for a change. Then, I thought about the rapid developments that the sectional door industry was

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experiencing in our country and the difficulties for the companies to get parts easily. Local door companies had to buy full trucks (high investment), in foreign languages, with a different business culture, custom duties and more hassle.

I was convinced that, with local presence, FlexiForce would become market leader! Then, through Laurent Berthou, at those times the sales man for our market, I contacted FlexiForce to comment my idea, which was immediately appreciated and understood by Bert Fransens and Frank Goedhart (my mentors in FlexiForce).

So, their need for a local “hub” was clear to you?

FlexiForce was already supplying to the Iberian market, but only few big door companies had the capacity to deal with FlexiForce Netherlands directly.

The Spanish market was growing from the traditional one sheet basculant door to the sectional door. This ignited many start-ups of small door producers.

These companies needed easy, quick service, own language, technical support, flexibility, and local stock. A local subsidiary of FlexiForce did put all these advantages at their disposal! And it worked!

What is the core of FlexiForce Iberica today?

Well, we have been adapting our service to the different trends and movements in the market such asgrowing market, FlexiForce range expansion, crisis of last years, emerging markets gaining importance. In my opinion, a company should

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always be alive, seeing what her market is requesting and continuously RETHINKING to improve. Currently, geographically, we are serving our traditional market, that is Spain, Portugal, Canary Islands plus North of Africa and South America. About products, apart from the typical FlexiForce door hardware business, parts and complete sets, we are rapidly growing on door automation.

And recently we have started supplying panels. With local stock and competitive prices, we are offering our customers the chance to avoid high investments in full truck loads of panels while providing high flexibility.

10 years of Iberian presence

another kind of service. From FlexiForce we offer them easy access to full range of products and, what is a basic need for them: SUPPORT and SERVICE. We train, we advise, and provide a range of personalized excel sheets and other tools to facilitate their tasks. We adapt our service to the needs: in quantities, in packaging, in timing, in logistics and more. We used to joke sometimes that we are the technical department of lot of our customers. And we enjoy it day after day!

What are your plans for the future? Do you still see possible growth?

What is different in Spain and Portugal compared to the rest of Europe?

Price! It is the main driver in our market. Other features as sustainability, safety, green efficiency, are taken into account but always price is the first. This makes our market very, very competitive! Besides that, there are still some other door types in the market, cheaper ones, which the sectional door has to beat. And peoples’ mentality is also different. People really like to produce as much as they can by themselves. They could buy parts from us, reducing financial expenses, converting indirect cost into direct, more flexibility adapting to demand, but they do not yet value these advantages. In economic downturn, you see that some companies that have invested in own production face difficulties to survive.

How is the economy in your region today?

Well, this is an answer that everybody would like to know! It’s a fact that things are running better, not only in our market but in general. Still there is not a general feeling of optimism but you see that the faces and talks don’t reflect the hard, hard times we have passed. In Spain, for instance, unemployment is lightly decreasing but still over 20%, which is really a drama! After these years, surviving companies are healthier and better structured. Banks start being more open to issue credits to the companies, which is needed to re-activate the business.

Personally, I’m confident we will recover from the crisis, but things will not be as they were 6 years ago.

What can you offer to the smaller door producers or people that want to start door production?

The market has developed into a more local approach. Now the market players that are producing doors are companies with a regional ambition. And they need

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Yes, of course we can grow! First step to growth is helping our current customers grow too. Expanding our product range is another way. As said, we have recently started a panel business. E-products is another field we are continuously adding to. In short we will have a competitive, complete new line of garage door openers available, specifically dedicated to our market.

You have been successful in FlexiForce Iberica for 10 years now.

What is your secret?

There is no secret, just hard work, keeping your promises, picking up the telephone and fix it when something goes wrong. I’m lucky to share my work with a nice group of people, my colleagues, very enthusiastic and involved with the company. Now 5 people, all of them working at FlexiForce Ibérica for at least 7 years. I want to thank all them: Pablo, Ramon, Eladio, Surdo and Carlos for their great support and hard work. This has created a nice atmosphere at the company, having fun by working and enjoying our challenges. And this is reflected hopefully into our performance to our customers!

So, the future is bright for FlexiForce Iberica?

Yes, it is! We are tremendously lucky to live and work in this region full of sunshine and close to the beach. And part of that sun light will be reflected in our company, for sure! But only by working hard and properly, caring about our customers problems and caring for their growth, which is ours as well!

The power of LOCAL!

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The power of LOCAL! The mission of FlexiForce is to support the small- to midsize door producers. Companies that produce roughly between 500-5.000-10.000 doors per year. Offering the best possible services and products. To allow them to compete against big, integrated, global companies. Today we are happy to see that this target group is outperforming the big global door companies in growth and in profitability. Why? It’s the power of “LOCAL”!

PRE-ASSEMBLED LOCAL PANELS

E-OPERATORS

HARDWARE PARTS

Small and midsize door companies, do not always realize how big the advantage is of being a flexible, local door producer. It is commonly accepted that the max. economical distance to ship a complete overhead door from factory to end user is approximately 500km. The costs of a door increases in line with the distance between producer and installation site. The closer you are, the bigger your advantage is. Being a local producer, you are able to produce a door “just-intime”. For example, a door producer in the Netherlands that has a dealer in Austria that has a customer that urgently needs a door, can never match that.

Producer

< 500 km

HARDWARE SETS

FULL VISION SECTIONS

SPARE PARTS

to beat the “big guys”. There clearly is a continuing need for local, reliable door producers that can supply a wide range of products like: industrial doors, garage doors, gates, shutters, blinds, awnings.

On top of that, there is a growing importance of local after sales service and repairs. The ultimate opportunity to start a lifelong relationship with local customers. Being a local producer, it is easy to explain WHY people should buy from you: The door is proudly produced in the area, employing local people and supporting the local economy. A very strong argument nowadays. Add to that the fact that you install the door to your own high standards. You maintain the door carefullyProducer and you are available 24/7 when anything might happen Home ownerto the door after installation. It will give<you a strong 500 km “word of mouth” recommendation to any new door or gate that is needed in the area. In the end, you can easier escape the traditional price fight by providing something that others cannot provide: LOCAL.

Home owner I need a new door!

Buy local! Good guy!

FlexiForce has reinforced “the power of local” by opening up warehouses in the Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Poland, Turkey and Hungary many years ago. Our local stock allows door companies to lower their own inventory costs. Making them more flexible by ordering smaller quantities and through our rush-order service.

I need a new door!

Buy local! Good guy!

We offer a free choice on how door producers want to organize their business with us: • hardware parts in full pack quantities • electrical operators per piece • small quantities of panels • pre-assembled springs and tracks • complete flat-bed hardware sets • ready-made full vision sections • spare parts and panels for after sales service (IDD Parts) Up to you!

This provides a door producer totally independent flexibility to run his local business in the way he wants, allowing him to exactly pinpoint where he wants

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FlexiForce aims to remain your consistent and reliable partner in this. We truly are very fond off the small- to midsize local and regional door entrepreneurs. We know these people are investing their own money, take a lot of risk in growing their company. And we know that these people want to be in control of their own destiny, being a real producer instead of a dealer of somebody else.

This year, our “RETHINK” approach offers new solutions and products to reinforce the strategy and results of our customers. RSC residential hardware sets (now also for 20mm panels!), REFLECTION full vision, SILHOUETTE pass door and more. We would love to sit down with you personally to hear what you need from us for your local market. Invite us for a coffee!

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OPENING NEWS

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OPENING NEWS:

News of door automation products and accessories Two new Evolution Garage Door Openers!

LM50EVO

LM55EVO

LM60EVO

NEW!

Garage door opener 500 N, chain drive doors up to 60kg 100mm/sec 0,8w standby power 24DC, incl. 2 remote controls.

Garage door opener 600 N, belt drive doors up to 90kg 100mm/sec 0,8w standby power 24DC, incl. 2 remote controls.

Garage door opener 600 N, belt drive doors up to 90kg 160mm/sec 0,8w standby power 24DC, incl. 2 remote controls and push button.

Evolution door automation offers you premium, stylish, state-of-art garage door openers. Advanced technology, silent operation, “green” energy use and an unbeaten performance reliability. Not only that, Liftmaster Evolution garage door openers are enabled for MyQ internet access allowing control of the door via your mobile smartphone. To complete our range and grow your business opportunities, we now introduce two new products into the range: • LM55EVO: 600N, belt-driven. Closing the gap between the opening price point LM50EVO and the more advanced LM60EVO. • LM130EVO: 1300N, b elt-driven. Seeing an increased use of draw-bar operators in heavier, even sometimes industrial applications, we now introduce the strongest opener ever!

Industrial Force line of operators now complete!

Our now well-known line of industrial door openers, providing state-of-art technology and simple usability, is now complete. ForceIQ, the control system that tells you what you need to know, when you need to know it, in your own language, now controls our force70XQ (70Nm, 1ph, 230V), force100XQ/XC (100Nm, 3ph, 400V) and force140XQ (140Nm, 3ph, 400V) industrial door openers. All available in stock in our warehouses around Europe!

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OPENING NEWS

INFO

LM80EVO

LM100EVO

LM130EVO

NEW!

Garage door opener 800 N, belt drive doors up to 110kg 200mm/sec 0,8w standby power 24DC, incl. 2 remote controls and push button.

Garage door opener 1000 N, belt drive doors up to 150kg 200mm/sec 0,8w standby power 24DC, incl. 2 remote controls and push button.

Garage door opener 1300 N, belt drive doors up to 260kg 130mm/sec 0,8w standby power 24DC, incl. 2 remote controls and push button.

924WLKIT: Pull switch Sectional doors and high-speed doors that need to be frequently opened and closed, by pedestrians or fork-lift trucks, are often equipped with a pull rope switch that activates the door opener. FlexiForce has introduced new, green technology that satisfies the demands of door producers, installers, end users, and the maintenance team: 924WLKIT. A pull switch that needs no power supply and has no battery. Convenient: no maintenance, no wiring, applicable on all operator brands!

It sounds like magic, but it simply applies existing â&#x20AC;&#x153;piezoâ&#x20AC;? technology. How does it work? Certain, crystalline, materials, generate an electrical power (voltage) when mechanically pressed. So using it in a switch, the pulling of the cord,

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presses the piezo-element inside the switch, thus activating a wireless signal.

Without power supply or battery.

924WLKIT has already proven its value for more than a year now. The kit contains a transmitter (924WLTX) and a receiver (924WLRX). It is possible to order more transmitters to use with the same receiver. The reduction on installation costs and lack of maintenance costs (including hiring personal lift for changing batteries high in the building) make the investment in this switch a logical one. See our online catalogue for more technical specifications and prices: 924WLKIT

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INFO

WINNERS:

Core FlexiForce products going strong There are many FlexiForce products that do not get a lot attention from us because they are already well-known by most of you.

“Silent giants”, proven and tremendously successful products.

Products that clearly represent the core of what FlexiForce stands for: Offering good quality solutions for a fair price, allowing you to complete your door without any worries. Internally we call these products: “Winners”. Not in the least because they count for a large part of our business with you. We present to you our Winners on these pages. And in ten online “My Favourites”-videos where we re-emphasize the details, features and application guidelines. For those of you that do not know or buy these products yet: Time to RETHINK!

670LH/RH industrial spring break device Never change a winning design.

In the early days of FlexiForce this product was launched. Today, in giant quantities sold, it still does the job: Making sure that the door leaf does not fall down when the spring breaks. Safety first!

725V chain hoist Of course, an increasing majority of industrial doors is now power operated. But for those doors that aren’t (still close to 100.000 doors per year) this chain hoist is THE solution. Sleek design, good quality and competitive pricing.

444 cable break device As co-inventors of cable break devices, FlexiForce took the 440-600 experience into this smart, adjustable cable break device for doors up to 400kg.

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3086S/C industrial side bearing plates Use of High Tension Steel allowed our designers to go for optimal dimensions and material use. Easy to install and apply on any industrial door. Winners!

INFO

1034N industrial pass door hinge We could easily forget that still many pass doors installed today are non-fingersafe, industrial pass doors. This continuous, pinless (piano) hinge is, with easy configuration and installation, the answer for those doors. Included also in our ready-made pass door kit 1034KIT.

Powder coated torsion springs â&#x20AC;&#x153;I want those blue springs, from FlexiForceâ&#x20AC;? is repeatedly the best compliment that we get out of the market. Shot-peened and powder coated springs also showyour customer that you take important details seriously.

650-40RAL garage door lock It is not often that our products are visible on the outside of a door.

So, for those products that are, we take extra care for the design and appearance. Our range of 650-40 locks in black and aluminium lift the curb-appeal of a door.

FF200 and more spring fittings Aluminium die-casting products like spring fittings form an important part of our product range. We have taken the classic worldwide design of spring fittings to a new level. Minimizing the use of material, securing the springs automatically into the fittings and stronger than ever before.

Clever!

FFNL12 cable drum Our own design on our own tooling.

And a history in quality and safety by consistently sticking to the best solution: Two safety windings. Our much appreciated range of cable drums.

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2400-90 window This 2400-90(SN) window, and also sister window 2397(SN) represents a long proven track record in quality. By now millions of these windows are applied in industrial doors all over Europe.

Unbeaten design/value/quality ratio!

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REFLECTION Full vision system redefined

INFO

REFLECTION

Full vision system redefined 2 x 3mm SAN

Efficient use of aluminium

- Epco/Kingspan - Metecno/...

- Industrial

We have been rethinking our approach and product line in full vision aluminium profiles and complete sections. Of course with the aim of increasing our mutual business in this high-value product line. REFLECTION is the result of this rethinking process: a revolutionary system that is now available in produced-to-order complete sections out of our Hungarian and Polish assembly plants. It deserves your attention, given the significant savings we have achieved in the use of aluminium in combination with a very nice and sharp, minimal design of the section. The elimination of glass beads (laths) makes this system easy to produce while giving it a high-end design appearance.

On top of that, it opens up interesting after-sales opportunities for door producers. The choice for quality has been made by offering you double glazing, in two sheets of 3mm thickness as a standard. You will be convinced by the quality look and feel coming from this glazing. Opt for quality and convenience: Order your sections!

Selection of material We think there is only one choice when it comes to material selection: The best.

• We have selected high quality aluminium for the profiles of REFLECTION. • Double glazing with 3mm SAN sheets, optimal choice for improved U-values and a solid quality look and feel. Optional is glazing with scratch resistant coating on the outside! Higher investment, but clearly an up-selling opportunity.

• The reinforcement strut is now integrated into the profiles. Providing the strength needed for larger doors, but still maintaining the high-end design appearance we strive for.

• To complete the look of the sections, we have eliminated the glass beads which makes the door really look great, also on the inside. Architects love it!

• Our powder coating process for the sections is strongly improved and brought to a new quality level.

New powdercoating process

No glass beads

which even becomes more attractive if at the same time your costs are going down.

Ready-made sections!

The REFLECTION sections we offer are pre-assembled to specification in our factories in Hungary and Poland. Here we have organized a complete lean production line to produce these sections in a very efficient way. Profiting from our big economies of scale in low cost countries. Any colour that you like and any size that you need. The panels are packed neatly, branded REFLECTION to increase the value of the package, and shipped, if needed, directly to the installation site. This enables you to offer high quality products without the cost of stock or investment in production of these sections.

Easy ordering

We have designed REFLECTION to fit perfectly on different panel brands. The traditional industrial panels (40mm), universal for all brands. On top of that we have two finger-safe versions: One universal design for Epco and Kingspan panels (40mm) and one version for Metecno (and comparable shaped) panels.

Ordering is made easy by giving you an Excel calculation sheet which you can use for configuring, pricing and ordering, single or multiple aluminium-glazed sections. The outcome of the selection goes to a pdf-document which you can email to your sales contact in FlexiForce. They will confirm the price and delivery time. Another option is that you put your selection into our online order/quotation form for REFLECTION on www.flexiforce.com.

Lower cost

Lead time

With this new REFLECTION design we have been able to achieve significant material savings and with that of course cost savings that are reflected in our market pricing. For door companies, full vision is a great up-sell opportunity,

The standard delivery time for sections is 2 – 3 weeks from order. Standard, non-coated sections within two weeks from order date. We are always open and flexible to help you in certain cases on urgent rush orders.

REFLECTION panel combinations

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INFO

REFLECTION Full vision system redefined

Pricing Since every section differs from the other, it is hard to give you all the gross list prices in advance. To help you estimate on where we are with pricing, below you will find 3 example sections and the gross price. Your general discount applies. We are open to give you any quotation you need for other general pricing.

Intermediate section 1: 4.000 x 610mm, 3 fields, industrial (non-finger-safe): List price: € 334,00 Intermediate section 1: 3.000 x 500mm, 3 fields, Kingspan/Epco (finger-safe): List price: € 248,00 Intermediate section 1: 5.000 x 610mm, 4 fields, industrial, coated (non-finger-safe): List price: € 618,00 We are happy to inform you all the details and specs of REFLECTION in a personal meeting with you. This will also open up the opportunities that REFLECTION offers to your business. In the end, a full vision section means higher turn-over compared to a standard panel section. Contact us!

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New products

INFO

New products!

ISTT = Industrial Spring Tensioning Tool We said it before: It is remarkable that as long as overhead doors exist, people have been tensioning torsion springs by using two iron bars. A process that not only demands too much of human muscles and shoulders, it also contains major safety risks. ISTT represents a new approach: A spring tensioning tool that is operated by a power drill bit. For 95 and 152mm springs.

Patent pending.

The testing of the 0-series with selected customers was very successful.

Now we are starting up production to aim at a market launch in September. Our designers are working on spectacular packaging for this device!

421AC Adjustable bottom bracket for garage doors Now we offer a solution to people that prefer to adjust the cable length at the location of the bottom bracket. A light and price efficient solution, available in Q3.

RSC-T phase II: Tension springs up to 126kg door weight After introduction of our RSC-T tension spring system we realized that we could do better. Immediately we started, together with customers, the design of phase II of the system. This now leads to a design where the maximal door weight is 126kg, allowing wider and higher doors. The pulley bracket is changed to a single one, placed above the top curve in the vertical angle. So the cable stays inside the track (safety!) and it allows for pre-installation of the springs in the track set. Furthermore the springs are now fitted with a nice design plug and cover.

All details of the new system will be presented soon. Expect market launch in Q3/4 (follow our updates online).

<126kg! www.flexiforce.com 28

INFO

Impressions of SILHOUETTE

Impressions of SILHOUETTE We will come back to you after summer with extensive and detailed information on, in our humble opinion, the stunningly good pass door system: SILHOUETTE. For now, we limit ourselves to sharing some impressions of the new product to you. As Jildert Gaastra, R&D Designer stated earlier: â&#x20AC;&#x153;The system is very easy to produce. No milling is needed. Only easy straight cuts in the aluminium frame. It will have best-in-class sealing, preventing air and light to pass through.

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The construction is extremely solid and, even more important, very forgiving when it comes to compensating tolerances. External hinges offer the needed rigidness in opening and closing. We think that SILHOUETTE has all the potential to become a new standard in industrial and residential pass door systems.â&#x20AC;?

More details soon!

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INFO

SYSTEM OVERVIEW: RSC(-T)

RSC-T 20mm parts in stock FlexiForce has introduced a line of hardware parts, perfectly matching the Epco 20mm panels with our well known RSC-T track systems. The advantage of this new panel thickness is that, while the outside appearance of the garage door does not change, the new panel results in significant cost advantages. The 20mm panel has a 15% lower weight, this leads to a lower panel price, to cost efficient hardware parts (light) and a wider range of application (door width and height) of our tension springs! Our standard (40mm) vertical and horizontal RSC(-T) track sets apply! Online configuration software CREATE is upgraded with 20mm selections and of course we update our CE-ITTR accordingly.

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SYSTEM OVERVIEW: RSC(-T)

INFO

20PS500L/R, 20PS55L/R end caps

4020S Bottom brackets

4020CZ side hinge

4020HZ intermediate hinge

1020T5500 Top profile

1020B5500 Bottom profile

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AFTER SALES IS A GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY, ONCE YOU HAVE ACCESS TO THE RIGHT PARTS!

After sales maintenance, repair and service might well be the part of the door business with the highest growth and earnings potential. That is, if you can have easy access to spare parts and panels needed to service all door brands in the European installed base. Our sister company, IDD Parts, offers you an online shop full of parts, automation, panels and tools for all (!) brands and types industrial overhead doors and docking systems. For those door companies that have not realized this yet, we recommend that you rethink the business by new focus on service and repair of the installed base. The web store and team of IDD Parts are now ready to talk to you in English, German, French and Dutch. Visit the website and see clear videos explaining IDD Parts in detail.

www.iddparts.nl | www.iddparts.be | www.iddparts.de | www.iddparts.fr | www.iddparts.eu

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