Client profile

KE Durasol was founded in 1984. Manufacturing and corporate headquarters are located in Chester, NY, 50 miles north of New York City, in the Hudson Valley. With over 100,000 square feet of state-of-the-art production floor space, KE Durasol produces world-class motorized patio awnings and motorized window awnings that add lasting value to homes and businesses.

For over 30 years, KE Durasol has been providing service and benefits to its loyal dealer network that is unmatched in North America. KE Durasol has direct access to the research, development, and innovation of one of the world’s largest awning manufacturers; parent company is BAT SpA.

The strongest distribution network in the industry provides consumers with the perfect shading solution for that difficult application that other dealers must walk away from. In addition to the exclusivity of products, KE Durasol has the most expansive line-up of interior and exterior shading products. KE Durasol also has comprehensive marketing programs geared towards supporting our dealer network and driving business to our business partners.

The KE Durasol Commercial awning office was founded in 1976 by a local businessman in Vermont who successfully grew and expanded the company. In 2003, the Middlebury office became the home of KE Durasol’s Commercial Awning Division, handling the manufacturing and installation for retail and restaurant groups, developers, and general contractors located throughout the US and Canada.

The story

After some research about Durasol, our Velocity Account Manager recognized the potential and benefits that our custom e-store solution could bring to the company. A meeting was arranged to assess their current challenges and to explore the benefits of a custom online solution for their extensive dealer network.

Challenges and Business Objectives:

• Improve ordering efficiency for 400 plus dealers
• Consolidate ordering to one vendor instead of multiple vendors
• Inventory tracking and reporting
• Outsource shipping to one vendor instead of utilizing in-house staff

Solutions and results

Velocity worked with the Durasol marketing staff to create a custom solution that would fit their unique needs.

The client was looking for a way to consolidate distribution to their 100 plus dealers utilizing one vendor instead of many. They recognized that utilizing in-house staff to coordinate and ship materials was too costly and time-consuming.

Materials include brochures; sell sheets, apparel, promotional products.

Key Benefits:

• A rebate program with an integration of co-op dollars to encourage the use of branded material
• Time savings with online inventory control
• Centralized billing and reporting
• Simplicity and ease of use with all materials managed under one roof
• Timely and efficient shipping within 24 hours
• An online custom branded storefront for direct dealer ordering