Door Industry Journal - Summer 2012

Also online at: www.dijonline.co.uk 55 THE door industry journal summer 2012 across the pond THE HOTTEST NEW PRODUCTS AT EXPO 2012 GARAGE DOOR OPENERS WIN TOP THREE SPOTS By Tom Wadsworth, Editor, Door and Access Systems Newsmagazine Three garage door openers from three different manufacturers claimed the top three spots as ‘the hottest new products’ at Expo 2012, held in Las Vegas in May. This distinction was earned in a nationwide Door & Access Systems survey conducted online immediately after Expo. (See survey details at end of story). Hot Product #1: Genie Commercial Openers The Genie Company announced several new products and accessories at Expo, but its new line of commercial openers collected the most mentions of any product in our survey. To attract attention to these openers, Genie gave regular product demonstrations at its booth and gave away several iPads. “The anticipation has been building for a while, so we knew it would be very popular”, said Dave Osso, Genie brand manager. “Plus, many of the products’ features are not offered by competitors. That resulted in a constant flow of booth traffic”. “This is not just a new product; it’s a completely new category for us,” he added. “We went from having zero commercial openers to having a full offering of light, medium, standard, and heavy-duty models. Dealers can now get Genie residential and commercial openers from one source”. Launched about a week before Expo, Genie commercial openers are now available and being shipped. Hot Product #2: LiftMaster MyQ Residential Openers In second place was LiftMaster’s new MyQ-enabled residential opener that allows operation via a smartphone. Even though the product was actually introduced a year ago at Expo 2011, the product continues to attract attention from dealers. “Our industry is quick to look at a new product, but typically slower to take it on,” said Dan Nixa, director of channel management. “So, more dealers are taking a closer look at MyQ to see how it works and if it's easy to use.” In 2011, LiftMaster offered MyQ with models 8550 (belt drive) and 8360 (chain drive). At Expo 2012, LiftMaster showed its expanded MyQ-enabled line, now including the residential model 8350 (belt drive), two commercial gate operators, and the new LA500 residential gate operator. “For us, this is our future,” he added, noting that more products and greater functionality will be added to the MyQ line. LiftMaster television commercials will also soon be promoting MyQ to homeowners. Hot Product #3: Marantec Side-Mount Opener The third-hottest new product was Marantec's Dynamic Vario-R side-mount residential opener, scheduled for release this fall. This jackshaft opener requires no cable tensioning device or rail system, ideal for applications with space constraints or aesthetic needs. Meikel Nagel, president and CEO, said dealers were attracted to the opener because it's only the second residential jackshaft opener on the market. “What makes it very unique is that it requires no cable monitoring device,” Nagel explained. “We get around it by using our sensitive software technology. It constantly monitors the door weight as well as sensitivity and force requirements.” Marantec plans to offer two models, available in September or October: one for residential (Dynamic Vario-R) and one for lightduty commercial use (Dynamic Vario-C). *About Our Survey Invitations to our online survey, conducted immediately after Expo 2012 from May 12 to May 19, were sent to 2,057 dealers throughout the United States and Canada. Of the 289 dealers who completed the survey, 128 attended Expo and 88 of them responded to our question about the hottest new products. The survey asked, 'In your opinion, what were the hottest new products displayed at Expo 2012?’ Respondents were not led to any product category or brand. All respondents had to draft their own responses from their memory of all the products at the show. The 88 respondents identified 47 different products. Some respondents mentioned more than one product, while 16 said nothing was new. Genie commercial openers were specifically mentioned by nine respondents, the LiftMaster MyQ openers were mentioned by eight, and the Marantec side-mount openers were mentioned by seven respondents. Reproduced with permission of the author, Tom Wadsworth, and Door and Access Systems Newsmagazine. 1 2 3