Manufacturer commits £1m into R&D with plans for second premises
A Coventry manufacturer has committed £1m into research and development and outlined plans to open a second premises in the city on the back of continued growth.
The investment has been ringfenced by Safetyflex Barriers to enable it to continue to lead the way in the design and manufacture of anti-terrorist bollards and barriers.
The family-owned and managed firm is rooted in Coventry but has excelled in the global market since forming out of GME Springs in 2010, becoming a market leader in anti-terrorist hostile vehicle mitigation and protecting high-profile sites from London to Sydney.
It has secured 36 patents worldwide and has won more than 15 awards for its innovation, with the new funding in its 2023/24 budget coming alongside plans to expand with a second premises in Coventry to add to its existing base in Foleshill.
The research and development drive will be focused on furthering its crash-rated street furniture range, with the company subsequently looking for new design engineers to help keep it at the forefront of cutting-edge innovation.
Director Rob Gerrard said: “We have made tremendous strides as a company in recent years and are now one of the fastest-growing manufacturers of anti-terrorist bollards and barriers in the world, supplying to 15 countries across five continents.
“Our crash-rated street furniture range in particular has been a real success story for us, and this latest funding underlines our commitment to remain world leaders in the design and manufacture of anti-terrorist bollards and barriers.
“We have been keen to grow our footprint in the city we call home for some time, and we are pleased to confirm we have now actively started looking for a second premises in Coventry to provide additional warehouse, manufacturing and office space.
“Coventry has always been a fantastic city for innovation and we see this as the natural next step for the business as we aim to continue our proud record of year-on-year growth.”
Safetyflex’s crash rated street furniture range includes seating, planters and cycle racks – all of which have been crash tested to stop vehicles travelling at varying speeds of up to 50mph.
They are manufactured or part-manufactured in Coventry and crash tested to PAS68 and IWA14 standards the Horiba Mira centre of excellence in Nuneaton, becoming a leading choice to protect shopping centres, public realm, and stadia.
Safetyflex recently added to its innovative street furniture line with the launch of the Crash Bench 40, which is completely surface mounted and requires no foundations, pinning or fixings.
Its innovation utilises special military grade steel, with Safetyflex the only company in the world that uses this type of material for anti-terrorist bollards and barriers.
