Health & Safety Company Profi le
Safe and sound W
ith three decades of dedication to innovation, product development, manufacturing and business
systems, today A-Safe describes itself as a British manufacturing success story. “I’d worked for several large fi lm manufacturing companies before, and always felt I could offer a better service if I set up my own fi rm,” says David. Initially called A-Fax, within four years the company had added stretch wrap extrusion to its offerings. After a prosperous start, in 1989 A-Fax was dealt a huge blow when localised fl ash-fl ooding badly damaged the factory, and every piece of machinery needed to be replaced. The setback cost six-fi gures and necessitated rebuild. Hard work and determination meant that David got the fi rm back up on its feet again quickly, and in 1992 A-Fax
adopted the skills of profi le extrusion and the recycling of scrap fi lm to produce plastic cores (used to wrap stretch fi lm around).
NEW PREMISES
A-Safe: keeping warehouse personnel protected
Then....
By 1994, the company had outgrown Dean Clough and moved to Shay Lane in Halifax. Looking for new areas to grow the business, A-Fax moved into making bespoke plastic pallets. It was granted the patent for the Rivlock in 2000, with Coca Cola in Entrea, Africa, buying 10,000 units. But the success of the plastic pallet venture didn’t bring the company the rewards it had hoped: “We recognised that with bespoke plastic pallets, we were always struggling against the price of wooden pallets,” says David. So A-Fax moved swiftly again, inventing ‘interlocking’ of plastic. This led to the realisation that the design of the plastic pallet could be evolved to create fence, which later became a safety barrier system competitive compared to metal alternatives. The Flexi Barrier prototype was created in 2002, and the fi rst major order followed a year later, with Alcan Packaging buying the fi rst ever fl exible pedestrian barrier for its site in Midsummer Norton. As safety barrier trade grew, the fi rm rebranded to A-Safe in 2005. Its success is based on the strength of its products. A-Safe says its barrier does not dent or crumple when hit. Its ‘built- in memory’ means it’s fl exible, returning
....and now: 30 years on...
NEW PRODUCTS
The year 2006 saw A-Safe working with Heathrow to produce a fl exible barrier that met the strict standards needed in airports. A-Safe developed the Atlas barrier, which exceeded the standards, and later Gatwick installed this barrier throughout its North and South baggage handling halls. The innovation behind the fl exibility of the product meant that Gatwick ended up slashing repair damage costs from over £100,000 per year, to just £3,000 over a three-year period. A-Safe launched its installation service in 2007, and with new products being added to the range all the time, 2010 saw A-Safe supply and install its safety barrier system to blue chip companies such as Kimberley Clark, DHL, Coca-Cola, and Toyota. A-Safe GmbH was set up in Germany in 2010 as the fi rst of now 10 global A-Safe offi ces around the world, including USA, France, Italy, Scandinavia and Australia. Its global pedigree was confi rmed this year, as it won a Queens Award for International Trade. David concludes: “The development of the
fi rm has come about through a combination of innovation and pure luck! The future of A-Safe is extremely positive. We are going from strength to strength, and with the foreign exports business developing rapidly, we are confi dent for the next 30 years.”
www.asafe.com 78 September 2014
www.shdlogistics.com
In June 1984, David Smith started up a small polythene manufacturing company in rented premises in Dean Clough, Halifax. Thirty years on, his business – A-Safe – is a family-run global hit.
to its original shape after impact. As a result, it doesn’t need to be replaced, and doesn’t tear from the ground, thus minimising fl oor damage repair costs. The business continued to grow as David – and now his sons James and Luke – listened to customers’ needs and matched them by launching new products.
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