'Home automation for all comes from Doetinchem'

"Home automation must be reliable, affordable and accessible." A statement by Erik Budding, co-owner of BREL Nederland BV. From Doetinchem, BREL serves the Benelux market with its own range of drives and controls for indoor and outdoor sunshades. Owners Erik Budding and Reinoud Arts have both more than earned their spurs in the patriotic sun protection industry and use their expertise daily to raise the motorization level of sun protection to a higher level. 

"We have long been at a point with BREL where we have a more than complete proposition for the awning trade," Budding outlines. "We recognized in time that good motorization in combination with home automation systems is becoming the norm. This is reflected in our program, where we pay as much attention to indoor as to outdoor awnings." 

The best of both worlds

Whereas indoor and outdoor blinds used to be two demarcated worlds, today there is integration when considering motorization and control. Logical, thinks Budding. "We see a change in what consumers want. Meanwhile, motorized outdoor blinds are the most normal thing in the world and we find it quite normal to operate them through an app. Indoor blinds are catching up in that respect. If an end user has automated outdoor blinds or shutters and finds it comfortable to motorize window decorations or curtains as well, it would be strange if you needed a separate remote control for that. At BREL, we combine the best of both worlds in the easiest way possible: indoor and outdoor blinds are thus controlled with the same app or remote control." 

At the heart of BREL Home is the BREL Home wifi bridge.

'Alexa, shutters open!

BREL Home offers consumers the ability to give voice commands via Google Home, Amazon Alexa and Apple's Siri in addition to control via the BREL app. "This is all possible thanks to the BREL Home wifi bridge," Budding explains. "Again, we place enormous importance on reliability and security, especially since these are cloud services. The icing on the cake is that this system is also affordable." 

BREL now also has a range of bi-directional motors with feedback to the control system. "That was not to be missed within our program," states Budding. "Especially within home automation systems, you want an interaction between motor, control system and end user. That is now possible without any problems." 

If wireless really must be wireless....

"Furthermore, we are making solid progress in the area of 100% wireless motors, and we are not just talking about the controls," Budding continues. "Our battery-powered motors with solar panels no longer need an external power cable. We continue to follow this development closely at BREL and we are doing everything we can to be at the forefront of solar technology with them." 

Same company, but in a new look

Matching the path taken and the status BREL has now achieved in the Benelux, Arts and Budding have had a complete rebranding of BREL as a brand developed. "The new corporate identity is future-proof and fits completely within our company philosophy in terms of appearance and use of color," said Budding. "With the payoff 'Power in Motion' we indicate two things: that we have the power to put something in motion and that as a company we dynamically keep up with innovations."