What “Factory-Direct” Actually Means for You

What we make, and what we don’t

Let’s do the honest part first, because it’s the part most companies skip.

We manufacture our venetian, roller and vertical blinds in our own factory in Otahuhu. That’s the core of what we do and it’s been the core since 1999 — our founder has been making timber blinds for over 35 years, which is why people around Auckland still know us as Cedar Blinds.

The rest of the range — shutters, Roman blinds, honeycomb, zebra and curtains — we hand-pick from suppliers we trust and make to your measurements. We don’t manufacture those ourselves and we’re not going to imply we do.

What the factory actually changes

1. There’s no middle margin on the ranges we make

When you buy a blind through a retailer, the manufacturer sells to the retailer and the retailer sells to you. Both need a margin. On our roller and venetian blinds there is one business in that chain, so there’s no second margin to carry.

That doesn’t automatically make us the cheapest quote you’ll get. Someone importing a container of stock-size blinds will beat us on price, and they should — it’s a different product. What it means is that for a made-to-measure blind, you’re paying for the blind rather than for the arrangement.

2. Lead times are shorter on what we make

Our roller, venetian and motorised blinds are usually made in less than two weeks, because making them doesn’t involve a shipping schedule. The ranges we source take longer — shutters run around 8 to 10 weeks — and we’ll tell you the real timeframe when we quote rather than after you’ve ordered.

3. Odd windows aren’t a problem

This is the underrated one. A raked gable window, a shape that isn’t rectangular, a width that no stock size covers — when you own the machinery, that’s a Tuesday. See angled and shaped venetians for the sort of thing we mean.

4. Repairs are possible years later

If we made your venetian, we can usually get the parts and match the slats a decade on. Our repairs service covers roller and venetian blinds, ours and most other brands. A blind that came off a container from overseas is a much harder thing to fix, because nobody local has the components.

Worth being clear on one exclusion: we don’t service motors. Motorised blinds we make are covered by our warranty, but the motor is the motor manufacturer’s to support.

5. Colour and finish are open

Because we spray and finish timber ourselves, custom-painted venetians in any colour are genuinely available rather than a special order with a long wait. Matching a blind to existing joinery is a normal request for us.

What factory-direct doesn’t mean

Three things it doesn’t mean, so nobody feels misled:

• It doesn’t mean cheapest. Made-to-measure costs more than stock-size. We’re competing on fit, materials and being here afterwards.
• It doesn’t mean every range. See above — five of our nine ranges are sourced, not manufactured.
• It doesn’t mean instant. Making a blind properly takes the time it takes. We killed off our old turnaround guarantee because promising speed is how quality slips.

How the buying process runs

We come to you anywhere in Auckland, measure every window ourselves, and bring real samples so you’re choosing fabric in your own light rather than under showroom lighting. You get a written quote, usually within a day. Then it’s made, then we fit it — and if something isn’t right afterwards, you’re calling the people who made it.

Outside Auckland we supply made-to-measure blinds NZ-wide for you to fit yourself. Our how to measure guide takes about five minutes and is the difference between a blind that fits and one that doesn’t.

The short version

Factory-direct isn’t a slogan, it’s a description of who does what. On our roller, venetian and vertical blinds it means no second margin, short lead times, awkward windows handled, and someone local who can fix it in ten years. On the ranges we source, it means we’ve chosen the supplier carefully and we’ll say so plainly rather than blurring the line.