The ACCENT makes a difference

"This term perfectly captures what our products contribute to or stand for," says Jan de Paepe, owner of the Belgian company ALINEL. "Our products can pursue only an aesthetic or functional purpose, or even a combination of both." 

As an example, De Paepe mentions aluminum siding. "Here both the aesthetic aspect and effect in the façade are important, but they are also essential to finish the ever-widening distance between the frame and the outside of the cladding."

Sensitive chord

That ALINEL knows how to strike that sensitive chord with the ACCENT architecture products, De Paepe notices from the fact that many attempts have been made to imitate the vertical aluminum cladding. "Yet that is not where the real competition lies," De Paepe knows. "This does lie with what we call the money competition. In the case of ALINEL, this then concerns kitchen and/or bathroom fittings, or interior fittings in particular." 

According to De Paepe, this is because of the considerations and choices that have to be made within the available budget. "This is also no different for larger projects and the developers involved in them," he believes.

New type in the range

"We will always continue to develop and come to market with new products, especially in the area of aesthetics of cladding," says De Paepe, referring to the new Type E that ALINEL is adding to its existing range. Based on the same construction depth as Type A - allowing some detail profiles to be combined - but especially different in look and feel. 

"With Type E, the characteristic look of a typical wood/plank facade can be achieved, but in aluminum with all the added benefits. Consider the fact that aluminum is maintenance-free and does not undergo discoloration." 

De Paepe also notes an increasing demand for irregular cladding. Therefore, Type E components are available in different widths: 30-60-80-120-150 and all possible combinations of these. 

"So that a beautiful random plank motif can be realized. Totally contemporary." 

The price of the new E-Series is identical to the entry-level A-Series. This may be an additional argument and convenience in choosing this. For the rest, ALINEL profiles remain available in virtually any powder coating shade, as well as in anodized and/or anodized-look coatings.

Spring premiere

Another first this spring is the choice of a wood-look imitation within the ALINEL range and specifically within the Type B series. "It remains to be seen whether this will catch on," says De Paepe. "I am very curious how the market will react to this." 

De Paepe points out that in the development of all ALINEL products, two requirements are always paramount: comfort for the end customer and comfort for the installers. "For the end customer, this comfort means the ease of maintenance of aluminum as a building product. Homeowners or tenants want more than ever to add a fun factor to their leisure activities, and maintaining a building is not at the top of the list," he laughs. 

"On the other hand, we consider the ease and placement speed of our product very important to our partners. I can safely say that of all providers, our unique and patented hook system places the fastest." 

De Paepe knows that there are factors that are not always considered when professionals choose a product, but can afterwards make the difference between profit or loss on a project. "And with enough experience, between getting a project in or not."

Premium partnership

"And to better reflect that experience, this spring we are launching an ALINEL Premium Partner network. With this we want to further strengthen our relationships. Because we may owe our success on the one hand to our products, but on the other hand very much to a group of professional partners who are loyal to our ALINEL system. From now on, the label ALINEL Premium Partner will guarantee experienced partners, who have the right technical knowledge and can guarantee the secure implementation of our ALINEL systems." 

These can be facade professionals, but also window and door professionals, garage door professionals or gate professionals. With the right mix in composition of professionalism and region, we ensure that a customer can always come out to an experienced professional, where the range can be seen in the showroom, who can give the right advice and master everything 100%." 

De Paepe concludes, already giving a hint: "Alinel is releasing several new series this year, but is also breaking new ground for the first time with a totally new product. In this way, we want to get ready for the future."