Not all roller shutters are equal

When you first think of roller shutters for commercial buildings, what do you picture?

A vision of grey, galvanised steel sections from ground to ceiling level? That would be a common reaction. And from shop fronts to loading bays all over the country, many roller shutters are of this straightforward kind.

But a roller shutter in plain steel is far from the only type available to today’s security-conscious commercial building owners and tenants.
After all, these same customers are likely to be appearance-conscious as well. And one thing they’re bound to be is cost-conscious. That’s why such a broad range of roller shutters has been developed to meet these needs.

Transparent roller shutters

Instead of shutting off a building visually as well as physically, many retailers like to opt for a security shutter that their customers can see through.
The concept starts with perforated steel shutters, which can be seen through from near and far. Greater visibility is afforded by lighter shutters that consist of tubes and links, providing some degree of physical protection while allowing a lot of light to pass through.
For even less visual obstruction, the solution at the higher end of the range is a shutter with transparent polycarbonate sections – allowing the customer to see your displays out of hours as if they were behind just a window.

Low maintenance roller shutters

Although the appeal of a transparent shutter is ideal for indoor applications such as shopping malls, there are many business customers who desire to keep down the costs of ownership and keep it simple from a maintenance point of view.

Generally speaking, roller shutters are low-maintenance. However, an outdoor-sited security shutter has occasional need of cleaning, lubrication and perhaps adjustment. That frequency depends on where the shutter is sited and what level of use it gets.

On the side of a busy road, to counter the build-up of dust and grime, this maintenance could include using silicon lubricants to help keep the mechanism as friction-free as possible. Also, doors that open and close once a day may need only annual maintenance, whereas a loading bay near a main road that opens 20 times a day may need a visit every two to three months.

Of course with the services of a roller shutter supplier and installer these visits can be written into the annual service contract.

Whichever type of security shutter you opt for, it’s clear that they come in many forms to suit just about every blend of cost, maintenance, appearance and security concerns. With such a wide selection, you might need help choosing!