The art of problem-solving

A-SAFE has not been around that long, it formed in the 1980s and did not move into the safety barrier world until 2001.

Its entry, through inventing the world’s first polymer safety barrier, has had such a profound impact on the logistics space however, you could easily be forgiven for assuming that A-SAFE has been around forever and a day. The growth it has achieved in a relatively short space of time has been very impressive, and it is clear, seeing the investment in the plant in Elland, that the firm has not put on the brakes.

The factory is clean and modern with much investment in machines, including rapid prototyping equipment and rotational moulding kit. A-SAFE is determined to stay ahead of any ‘me-too’ competitors seeking to follow its example into the plastic safety barriers market.

As much a part of its strategy to stay ahead as the hard, on the ground realities of cutting edge machinery and well run facilities, is a value-add, customer-facing mentality that is summed up in the company slogan ‘We believe in the problem solved’.

Indeed, Steve Grange, Health, Safety and Environment Manager at Communisis gave a presentation to fellow customers of A-Safe illustrating this by outlining how A-SAFE is helping his firm to meet safety goals. The company uses counterbalance trucks to lift heavy reels of paper and when its business emphasis shifted, doubled throughput over a few months. Safety, always a priority, came into even sharper focus.

“My biggest fear is someone getting hit by a truck,” says Steve. “We set out to segregate people and forklifts as much as possible using walkways and safe routes. The A-SAFE barriers are an integral part of our overall safety plan.”

Another illustration of the problem solving ethos is the plethora of products that have been launched as well as those that are in the pipeline. 

A-SAFE has developed many iterations of its barrier concept, protecting rack uprights, loading bays, corners, and much else. It has also developed beyond its initial logistics and industrial setting, with car parks and airports becoming important markets.

What these products universally come back to, however, is the Memaplex three-layer composite technology that underpins the barriers. This uses deceptively sophisticated engineering to create barriers that can withstand very heavy impacts and revert back to their original shape. This is something metal barriers can’t do, making them far less resistant to repeated impacts. While metal barriers tend to be cheaper to purchase, the repair and maintenance costs associated with them tend to be significantly higher.

It was my pleasure to see the barriers being stress tested at the site, and it is truly remarkable how quickly Memaplex regains its shape after a hefty thump. This isn’t just for customers either. The respected product certification and inspection body TUV has provided independent verification of its product tests. Indeed, the gantry crane at one of the test areas features 10 cameras that help to precisely measure deflection rate and accurately record test results. You needn’t visit the A-SAFE site to see the barriers perform. There are many videos of the protective barriers in action on the company’s website.

The ‘get on with it’ ethic is also embodied in the firm’s approach to standards. None exist for safety barriers, so James Smith, co-owner of A-SAFE, authored PAS 13 – a fast-tracked, company-sponsored standard for safety barriers.

A-SAFE completed the customer day with input from a switched-on consultant Josh Valman, who has a background as something of a prodigy, having arranged supply chain relationships between UK firms and Chinese manufacturers while still at school.

He held the audience rapt, saying firms, small and big, can be more agile and fast-to-market than ever. With A-SAFE now operating 16 wholly-owned subsidiaries worldwide, the manufacturer is a fine example of being quick to market and pressing home the advantage relentlessly.