Smell of New York in a coastal town

I look around the balcony, filled with my family friends; I have been here several times before, but somehow still feel the need to sit back and take note of the space around me. The balcony is large enough to fit us all, filled with nice furniture, completed with a Lumon 2 balcony glazing. The balcony shades are new; they were not in place last time I was here. They were made in the neighbouring town and the sale was closed over the phone in Kouvola, I recall. “They look good," the lady of the house praises from the living room, when she discovers me looking at the new shades.

“Can we sit down over here?” I ask. “Why not?” says the master of the house, my longtime friend. This is the exact spot where we have spent numerous evenings, sometimes mornings, over the last two decades. “Did you have something in mind regarding the maintenance?” I ask him. “Oh yes, a maintenance team came by,” he says. “The balconies were all checked, property management oversaw all of the maintenance duties. We weren't even home when the maintenance team was here. They left a note on the table stating the glazing system functioned properly over all these years, but could have certainly benefited from maintenace earlier than this. The glass panes slide much better now and the check-up revealed them to be properly in place. The wind poses a bit of a problem though. It blows, on and off, quite roughly against the panes, because of the coastal location. But, the shades are good and the maintencance was necessary” my friend continues, almost as though he were muttering to himself. In the back of my mind, I think he might just be too polite to complain about anything, but then I remember that we've known each other quite a long time; I have been open about my views and have received frank feedback from him many times before.

We briefly go through the balcony glazing history in Finland and both agree that it has turned out to be an outstanding invention that has changed the way we use our balconies. I skip over a long lecture about balcony glazing, as I'm on vacation, to allow us to enjoy a friendly banter with one another.

His feedback sounds good to me; I feel that I'm part of something that is of real value to these people – customers and friends. Somebody made the right choice to install balcony glazing in this building and now the residents are pleased with how it expands the usability of their homes. On top of that, it looks good, and will continue to do so into the future, too. The selected panes have been strong enough to withstand the sometimes harsh winds in this coastal town. The successful processes, pricing, customer satisfaction surveys, additional sales and other everyday matters that relate to my work suddenly come to my mind, reminding me that it is all necessary to provide these experiences for our customers. “How long will they actually last from now on?” my friend asks, bringing my thoughts back to the present. I reply that they'll last an additional ten years, maybe more. He asks when the next maintenance is due and I promise to tell him when the glazing must undergo its next check-up.

I stand up to open the shades a bit, the sun comfortably warming my shoulders. From the mug I'm holding, I smell the strong aroma of freshly brewed New York coffee. Spending time with my friends on the windy coast of my previous home town, I feel a strong sense of peace and happiness. 

Housing company - Tarina

• The building was completed in 2003.
• At the time of construction, all balconies were completed with balcony glazing installations.
• Property management is responsible for ordering maintenance for the balcony glass panes.
• Previously, some of the installations had undergone maintenance, which raised the question about the condition of other residents' balcony glass installations. Residents wanted to know the maintenance date for all other installations within the building. 
• In the autumn of 2018, property management requested an estimate for maintenance
• All balconies underwent maintenance, completed by Lumon in January 2019, to ensure operational safety.
• Maintenance guarantees that the balcony glazing can be used safely for an additional five years. Throughout these five years, maintenance and repair visits will take place free of charge, while the operational safety guarantee is valid.