Safety barrier makes Sunday Times Export Track 100 list

Industrial safety barrier manufacturer A-SAFE has won a place on the prestigious league table for the Sunday Times BT Business SME Export Track 100.

A-SAFE was placed 33 on the leaderboard, which ranks Britain’s fastest growing small and medium-sized companies for overseas sales. The Halifax-based manufacturer demonstrated export growth of 71% over the last two years, with its  international sales reaching £6.4m in 2014.

The company invented fixed polymer safety barriers, made from Memaplex, which are used in industrial environments to protect personnel and important structures from the impacts of workplace vehicles. Some of its big clients include Nestle, Unilever, Jaguar, Landrover and Heathrow Airport.

A-SAFE Director James Smith said the prestigious listing is a testament to the continual growth and expansion the company has seen internationally.

“We now have offices in seven countries and resellers around the globe - and we will be opening more overseas subsidiaries this year,” said Smith.

“We have a world-leading product that performs essential health and safety duties in the strongest, most innovative and cost-effective ways - and that’s something that businesspeople understand wherever they happen to be in the world.”

A-SAFE barriers are often a preferred alternative to steel barriers as they are non corrosive, highly modular, durable and low maintenance.

To earn a place on the Sunday Times leaderboard, A-SAFE went through an extensive vetting process that included examination of company accounts, interviews with directors and a tour of company headquarters in Elland, near Halifax. Criteria for inclusion demanded that exports accounted for at least 20% of total sales.

A-SAFE was also a winner of the Queens Award for International Trade in 2014.

Image caption: A-SAFE directors Luke and James Smith (left to right).