"Everyone said: It's not working. Then someone came who didn't know and just did it "(Goran Kikic)
This is exactly what happened with the SHADE shadow system.
Review & vision of Peter Lang, the SHADE system developer
From the first SHADE today´s SHADE shadow-system
2009
My terrace needed a replacement due to the previously defective, fixed sun sail. This time, however, a rolling sail variant that should be inexpensive; easy to use, operate and assemble; and durable. When rolled in, the new awning should be almost invisible.
There were rolling sun sails on the market, but they were very expensive and did not meet the specified requirements satisfactorily.
Sketch of the SHADE system's basic principle
As a passionate developer, I experimented a little with a piece of paper glued on a pencil and two strings mounted on the side and came up with the basic principle of today's SHADE system.
Here the fabric roller rolls out with the rolled up cloth. According to the saying mentioned at the beginning, this fabric winding system was completely the opposite of conventional, rolling shading systems with permanently positioned fabric rollers and had not been implemented by anyone until then!
After a visit to the hardware store and an outlet for sail fabrics, the first functional model was manufactured and set up.
The first functional model in 2009 - Terrace Graz
The functional sample fulfilled its task very well and over time the idea developed to create a marketable product.
From my start-up past experience, it was very clear that a financially strong partner from the sun protection industry was necessary. To find such a partner, you need an almost perfectly functioning prototype, which I built in the next step.
Prototype 1 to 4 at inventors' trade fair
Prototype
As a result, every opportunity was used to present the new “product”. Starting with inventor trade fairs, idea competitions, investor placement agencies and presentations to every contact from the personal network that seemed somehow useful.
2010
After a lot of failures, empty kilometres, much patience and some chance encounters, my path crossed with Florian Aulinger, owner of the Bavarian Mayle & Fellermeier GmbH and long-time producer of high-quality sun protection products who is extremely enthusiastic and enterprising.
2011
In the middle of the year, after several meetings and negotiations, Florian Aulinger and I founded shadesign GmbH & Co. KG with headquarters in Villach/St.Magdalen (Austria).
The company's initial goals were:
- producing a commercially viable and profitable product, which should be presented to the real test at the upcoming world's leading trade fair for sun protection
- as well as securing patent rights for this novel functional principle
Various prototype superstructures
2012
At the end of February, the first SHADE sails were presented to the world public at R+T 2012 in Stuttgart - the final functional principle and the patent specification only being set the week before.
The trade fair booth was well attended beyond our expectations by the professional world and a large number of interested parties wanted to place immediate orders for the shade system presented - the product having passed its real test!
Booth R+T 2012 Stuttgart
Within a few weeks, shadesign-Österreich and Mayle & Fellermeier turned a prototype into a series product, which could then be delivered to interested specialist dealers in late spring 2012.
SHADE order processing took place entirely through shadesign-Österreich and production through the Mayle & Fellermeier GmbH company in Germany.
2015
In three years, teething troubles were eliminated and at R + T 2015 we were able to present the completely optimised SHADE-System in the BASIC, INOX, STRUCTURE variants as well as with column height adjustment and offset.
Furthermore, the national patents were granted and the national word marks were registered.
STRUCTURE + INOX systems and column variants
2018
Further developments followed, such as the CUBEsystem; the combinable MODULARsystems MULTI, FRAME, MULTI-FRAME, TWIN, MULTI-TWINsystems; a universal motor drive and the elegant rolling canopy.
In addition, the organisation was completely changed:
- Shadesign-AT became the licensor
- Mayle & Fellermeier GmbH became a licensee and renamed SHADESIGN GmbH
2019
The highlight was the technically very complex CE certification according to DIN_EN_13561.
2020
We are currently working towards new products for 2021 and new product presentations for the World's Leading Trade Fair for Roller Shutters, Gates and Sun Protection, R+T 2022, which has been postponed to 2022.
Winning the “GERMAN DESIGN AWARD 2021” was especially gratifying.
9 nationalities are represented in the German Design Award 2021 jury. It is made up of design experts from business, education and science as well as the design industry.
We are very pleased to have won the German Design Award 2021 in the area of "Excellent Product Design - Gardening and Outdoor Living" with our SHADE shadow-system!
The German Design Award places the highest demands on determining its award winners:
In a nomination process, expert committees of the German Design Council invite only those products and communication design services proving they differentiate from the competition through their design quality to participate in the competition.
The winner of the German Design Award recognises outstanding and exemplary design achievements in the context of a specific category.
What's next?
"The better is the enemy of the good" (Voltaire) - we are now continuing on our way under this motto ...
