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Industry Profile
The Royal Treatment
Royal Windows Inc. offers dealers a competitive edge through price,
quality and service.
D&WC: Tell us about your company.
Daniel O’Neill, marketing and sales: Royal Windows Inc. is
a wholesale fabricator of custom-made window treatments. The company
was founded in 1992 by Wen Sheng Liu, our president, who started
with only six employees. The original, main office building was
only 20,000 square feet.
D&WC: What best describes your niche in the marketplace?
O’Neill: Royal provides an excellent quality product with
an exceptional value without any name branding involved to keep
the price competitive.
D&WC: What window coverings products did you handle
initially? What products do you handle today?
O’Neill: Royal Windows began making one-inch aluminum mini-blinds.
Today we make aluminum, two-, 2 1/2- and three-inch PVC, two- and
2 1/2-inch composite, two-inch basswood and two-inch hardwood blinds,
two-inch curved PVC, arches, eyebrows, custom wood shutters, imported
wood shutters, composite wood shutters and single-cell shades.
Royal also is a Comfortex fabricator providing the Symphony double-cell shade
and the Shangri-La Sheer Shading while distributing the complete Comfortex line.
D&WC: What is your approximate sales volume? What was it after your
first
year in business?
O’Neill: Royal’s first-year volume was $20,000. Today’s total
sales volume exceeds $15 million a year.
D&WC: What one product or line stands out above the rest?
O’Neill: The PVC programs far outweigh any other horizontal blind items
in our program. The PVC programs combined represent about 50 percent of our total
sales.
The two-inch Budget Envirowood program has been our single fastest growing product
line this year.
D&WC: What distinguishes you from the competition?
O’Neill: Royal Windows continuously strives to offer new and unique products
that offer a competitive edge to our dealers. Quality, price and service remain
the focus of Royal Windows.
D&WC: Who are your customers? What parts of the country do you service?
O’Neill: Royal Windows is a wholesale fabricator servicing customers nationwide
and now servicing Canada. Royal Windows does not sell direct to the public or
to the mass merchandisers.
We currently have 14 independent sales reps in many major markets.
D&WC: What are some of the key factors involved in your growth and
success?
O’Neill: Persistence. Royal Windows is responsible for introducing the
foam PVC materials to the marketplace back in 1995. This one product is the backbone
of our company. Royal Windows has also had some “hungry” sales reps
in the field opening more and more territories for us.
D&WC: What are your strengths in the marketplace?
O’Neill: Great quality. Great price. Great service.
Producing product from three different factories is a major factor in our production
times as well as having a wide assortment of products. The two-inch PVC product
remains our No.1 item.
D&WC: Is your business computerized? Do you have a company Web site?
O’Neill: Royal is computerized throughout: Order entry, customer service,
inventory, accounting and sales. Our Web site: www.royalwindowsinc.com was developed
as a sales tool to inform dealers of our company and products.
D&WC: Do you educate your customers?
O’Neill: The Royal Windows Sales Team is mainly responsible for educating
the dealers. Customer Service for both shutters and blinds does a great job with
dealers as well. With having three lines of shutters, Royal Windows offers quarterly
seminars in Dallas, Houston, San Antonio/Austin, TX, and Oklahoma City, OK, to
re-educate the dealer and teach the new ones.
D&WC: How has your segment of the industry changed since you first
began?
O’Neill: The supply side has evolved over the last 10 to 15 years seeing
the addition of foam PVC, composite materials and alternate woods to make blinds.
Also, with the addition of cut-down programs, you can become more competitive
and offer a stronger product mix to the customer.
The Internet customer has become a much greater presence in this business and
through it they can certainly reach more end-users. These customers represent
some of the highest volume accounts we have.
D&WC: What trends and cycles do you see occurring in the industry?
How is
your business addressing them?
O’Neill: I think the biggest trend is making products available as a stock
program. Blinds, arches and shutters are just a few products that have made a
big impact so far in providing both quality and price. Royal Windows carries
all three categories and continues to look at others as well.
D&WC: Where do you see yourself and your company five years from
now? Are there additional areas within the industry that you would like to get
involved
in?
O’Neill: I feel Royal Windows will continue to grow and open up more markets,
both domestic and international to strengthen our position. Royal Windows will
also be moving towards becoming a supplier of materials and components to other
manufacturers.
D&WC: What advice would you give to other window coverings professionals?
O’Neill: In today’s market, there are tremendous opportunities available
to sell window treatments. Offer a wide variety of products, service after the
sale and competitive pricing. There is enough business out there for everyone.
Royal Windows Inc.
3109 E. Randol Mill Rd.
Arlington, TX 76011
(817) 640-4433
(800) 872-2693
fax: (817) 633-3441
www.royalwindowsinc.com
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