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Platform on sun and daylight control, shutters, patio covers and closures
Over time, the Schlappi name has become a household name in Dutch market land. Dennis and Charlotte Schoormans not only take advantage of it, they do everything they can to keep it that way or even strengthen it. "Schlappi, of course, is really a household name," says Dennis Schoormans. "The name 'Schlappi' stands for the highest quality. To underline that, we chose the payoff 'Schlappi, the quality standard for awnings'. It underlines the position our awnings occupy in the market."
Schlappi Marquees wants to be a good supplier for its dealers, Schoormans emphasizes. "This is why we not only supply awnings, but also offer dealer support, for example by helping our dealers reach end customers who are thinking about awnings, both individuals and companies."
Thus, Schlappi anticipates the corona pandemic to help business owners be able to properly accommodate their customers, despite the distance measures. "For the time being, fewer people will be allowed in stores. If people then have to wait outside, an awning is particularly suitable to protect them from the elements in the queue. Schlappi has designed a flyer especially about that product for its dealers. An inspiration video was also made that can be viewed on YouTube can be viewed.
Because you sometimes see awnings that no longer look very nice, Schlappi also developed a flyer focused on restoring and reupholstering old awnings. "Even if a awning is a bit older, that doesn't mean it can't be made presentable," Dennis Schoormans knows. "Complete replacement is by no means always necessary. Repairing and repainting the frame, but especially a new covering often works wonders. For the dealer it is not only extra work and turnover - excellent margins can be made on reupholstering - but it is also extra service towards his customers. This will certainly be appreciated and may lead to other orders. To accommodate the dealers even more, we are offering a winter discount of 15% on all cloths from the standard collections of Dickson, Sattler and sunvas."
It seems that nothing has changed in a hundred years, but of course that is not true. The shape and appearance may still be the same, but in the meantime numerous improvements and innovations have been made in materials, construction, operation and extras, such as built-in lighting. Schlappi, for example, has an in-house developed lighting concept for awnings. This remote-controlled, dimmable LED lighting is built into the profiles on the inside of the awning and can be directed downward or toward the hood. Another innovation Schlappi has introduced after an intensive test period. It is an awning fabric from Soltis Lounge 96 and Soltis 96 by Serge Ferrari. The cloth has micro-perforations, which create natural air circulation. As a result, the wind chill under the fabric is lower, the feeling of freedom is greater and there is see-through but glare is prevented. Also new is a solar power supply for electrically operated awnings. An innovation presented this year is lighting in the awning, to illuminate a name or slogan. "It is developments like these that keep the awning up to date without losing its classic look," Schoormans believes.
In 1927, the headquarters of insurer De Nederlanden of 1845 was completed in The Hague. The building, revolutionary for its time, was designed by the famous architect H.P. Berlage. De Nederlanden van 1845 later became Nationale-Nederlanden, which used the building until 2003. Initially, the plan was to give the Berlage House, as it was now called, a residential use, but that ultimately fell through. It was then decided to turn it back into an office building. To bring it up to modern standards - including climate control and lighting - thorough modernization was required.
Why focus attention on the Berlage House? Because Schlappi, in cooperation with the executing party Decolux Projectzonwering from Rotterdam, supplied no less than 286 electrically operated aluminum awnings for it. Ochre cream was chosen for the fabric in a - very appropriate - Hague block stripe. "It's not just that we can handle a project of this scale," says Dennis Schoormans. "We have also demonstrated that we can deal with the heavy demands of this particular assignment. In fact, because the Berlage House is a national monument, a number of very specific requirements had to be met. We have shown that we can also make such a large and demanding project a success."
Incidentally, the Berlage House is not the first major project Schlappi Marquees has created. "Certainly not," says Dennis Schoormans. "We have done large projects before, such as hotel The Manor and Minervaplein in Amsterdam." For The Manor on the well-known Linnaeusstraat in Amsterdam East (which Z&R reported on in 2019), Schlappi supplied 54 awnings of various sizes in the hotel's house style. The Manor is located in the former Burgerziekenhuis, a monumental building from 1889, designed in the Neo-Renaissance style, where awnings are of course perfectly suited.
The project at Minervaplein involved 120 wooden awnings operated with a Somfy IO motor. This project was carried out by Excelsior Zonwering of Amsterdam. For Excelsior, after completion of the project at Minervaplein, Schlappi created a leaflet to also interest nearby residents in awnings. "Customization for this dealer towards a specific group of potential end customers," Schoormans said.
"We want to guide our dealers in the best possible way," Schoormans concludes. "I keep personal contact with all our selected dealers and take extensive time to provide them with the best possible professional advice. We also make sure that artist's impressions, technical drawings and logistics are tiptop. In this way we try to support our dealers in everything as well as possible.
