ETI helped reshape the window-treatment business by making vinyl a viable alternative to cloth in vertical blinds. In the mid 1980s, about 80 percent of all vertical blinds were made of fabric. Vinyl blinds were considered a low-end commodity with little visual appeal. ETI’s transfer process changed that.
In 1985, Graber Products, now Springs Window Fashions, a major blind producer, adopted ETI’s process. Their fashion-printed blinds were an instant hit. Homemakers and interior designers discovered they looked great, cost less, and were easier to install and clean than fabric blinds. In addition, the high-quality designs allowed the industry to charge a premium for what had been a commodity item.
Today, ETI supplies hundreds of designs to window-blind manufacturers whose products are sold everywhere from local specialty shops to mass market outlets like Home Depot and J.C. Penney. As a result, vinyl now accounts for about 80 percent of the material used in the industry, and fabric just 20 percent.
In addition to blinds, ETI’s designs and transfer process have been used to add value to contract and residential furniture, floor tiles, mats, bath and kitchen accessories, footwear and other items. Customers include Congoleum, Hunter Douglas, Levolor, Manco, Royal Plastics, Uniroyal/Naugahyde, Spradling and Springs Window Fashions, among others. 2000 Enhancement Technologies Inc.