So you’ve landed on our website and you’ve seen that we specialise in flexible industrial barriers. One of the questions we get on a daily basis is can you compete with A-safe? The purpose of this article is to demonstrate where we stand in the marketplace and whether our barrier offering meets the standards required for your factory.
Firstly, who are A-safe?
A-safe are the pioneers in industrial flexible polymeric barriers. They are a UK manufacturer and produce a wide range of barriers to protect your people, your assets et cetera. As a UK Manufacturer, A-safe are more than capable of offering very competitive pricing, along with the full range of industrial barriers, gates, and racking protection.
By contrast, Clarity Visual Management are not a manufacturer, but a distributor of MPM protections and we are proud of it. In many circumstances, distributors don’t even get a look when trying to compete against a manufacturer. However, fortunately for us, this is not the case. Not only can we compete against A-safe, but we can also offer a full suite of services to compliment the MPM barriers.
So, how can Clarity Visual Management compete against A-safe?
There are actually four reasons why we can compete with A-safe. Firstly, when MPM protections joined the market for flexible industrial barriers, they knew that to offer a “me too” product like so many competitors it was just a race to offer the lowest prices, so instead, they took the market leading product at that time, and looked for ways to make it better. That includes using a different polymer PVC, they offered the V0 fire rating, and they changed the profile from a big fat round tube to a flat-faced base rail to save space. On top of this, they made the system modular giving long-term benefits as the barriers can be moved as needed. This is what we call the big 4: Polymer Material, Fire retardants, Flat-faced rails, Modular Design.
The A-Safe barriers are made from HDPE Plastic (High Density Polyethylene). This material is flexible, weatherproof and has a good chemical resistance. The MPM barriers however are made from PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride). PVC is a very strong flexible, recyclable polymer. By optimising the manufacturing efficiency, MPM were able to produce an alternative flexible industrial barrier with the big four incorporated into the product. By using PVC, MPM protections are able to produce shapes and sizes that are not possible with traditional polymer barriers, as the shapes produced do not compromise the impact resistance of the barrier.
Anybody investing in barriers for their factory needs to be taking a serious look at the long-term investment. Consider Grenfell and the effect it had on the construction cladding market. Any building which has been built using non-FR cladding is now having to be re-clad with the correct product. The PVC material has a melting point of 212 degrees Celsius, whereas HDPE has a melting point of 135 Degrees Celsius, which is considerably lower. MPM protections already has the V0 fire rating, meaning you are unlikely to have to change these in the event of a legislation change. And in case you are wondering, the V0 fire rating is where vertical burning stops within 10 seconds with no flaming plastic dripping off the test piece.
It is also important to consider the shape of the barrier posts when deciding which option to go for. The MPM barriers offer a Flat-sided rail which means that the forklift trucks prongs will not slip above or below the barrier when impacting it. A-safe however, do not offer this feature, and therefore have a disadvantage when it comes to accidents where the forks on a forklift truck penetrate the barrier itself. The flat-faced rails also mean that space is saved in terms of the amount of room a singular barrier takes up. If you are concerned about optimising space in your factory (which we hope you are!), these barriers may be perfect for your warehouse.
On top of this, the MPM barrier systems are fully modular, allowing you to adapt and change the barrier layout within your factory without having to reinvest in a whole new set of barriers. A-safe’s barriers are modular too, so we don’t have an advantage in that sense, however we can definitely compete with them. If you know you have an area where barriers need to be moved often for ease of access, removable plates can also be provided where the actual plate which is bolted into the ground and not the barrier itself.
So, if Clarity Visual Management can compete with the MPM barriers against A-safe, what are the downsides?
Across Europe, there has been a consortium of barrier manufacturers who have agreed on a set of standards. MPM protections, as well as A-safe and many other manufacturers are included in this consortium. So, to answer any concerns as to whether MPM protections meet the requirements for your factory, you’ll be pleased to know that MPM protections pass all of the stringent tests to comply with these new standards.
One of the typical marketing tricks that manufacturers like to use, is to write their own standard to prevent other legitimate manufacturers from competing with them. It allows you to write an obscure specification causing customers to pay a premium for their own certification. The introduction of the new European standard helps prevent this problem and gives a level playing field for all barrier manufacturers.
So hopefully now you understand that Clarity Visual Management can compete with A-safe, the products meet the strict criteria set out in the New European standard and we also offer turn-key packages. Why not give us a try by getting in touch here for a free, no obligation quote.