Airport sales set high-flyer on course for growth

A-Safe (UK), a manufacturer of polymer safety barriers, has invested £2.5m to buy larger premises in response to soaring demand.

The company has bought a 66,000 sq ft property on the Ainleys Industrial Estate in Elland, West Yorkshire, and is aiming to move its operations to the site by Easter next year.

The new premises are almost double the size of the company’s existing base in Halifax.

RBS provided A-Safe with funding to help complete the deal.

Established in 1984 as a plastic extrusion company, A-Safe has developed a polymer-based safety barrier system which can be locked into place without the need for special screws or adhesives.

The system doesn’t need painting if scratched, and it also protects floors from expensive damage.

Its product range includes traffic and pedestrian barriers, car park barriers, bollards and handrails.

A-Safe’s products are used at several international airports including Gatwick and Manchester and by blue-chip manufacturing businesses all over the world, such as Nestle, Coca Cola, Kimberley Clark and Toyota.

A-Safe’s products are also used at RBS’s processing centres in Haydock and Manchester, where they protect staff from forklift trucks.

In response to a growing demand from European customers, A-Safe established a German subsidiary company last year.

The company’s turnover has broken the £5m barrier and A-Safe’s directors are confident the move to new premises will bring further growth.

Luke Smith, a director at A-Safe, which has 42 staff, said: “It was clear that we were rapidly approaching full capacity in our existing premises.

“There was limited space on site to expand the business and if we had remained there it could have hindered our operations. Moving to a much larger site gives us the capacity to continue growing the business.

“It also ensures that we can configure our production, assembly and warehouse facilities to operate as efficiently as possible.”

Marie Nicholl, a senior relationship manager at RBS, said: “A-Safe is a great example of a successful British manufacturer which is growing its exports due to the quality of its products.

“The move to a larger site will aid the company’s expansion plans and we are very happy to provide financial support to the management team.”