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SAFETY SPOTLIGHT
With patented hybrid technology, the HV2 Safety Barrier offers high containment and low deflection upon impact.
SAFETY THROUGH
INNOVATION
FOR THE PAST 30 YEARS, SAFEROADS’ INNOVATIONS IN DEVELOPING ROAD AND TRAFFIC SAFETY PRODUCTS HAVE HELPED SAVE MULTIPLE LIVES IN AUSTRALIA AND BEYOND. ROADS & INFRASTRUCTURE LOOKS AT THE COMPANY’S JOURNEY AND HOW THE BUSINESS HAS NOT JUST SURVIVED BUT THRIVED OVER THE PERIOD.
F
rom humble beginnings in 1992 at the tyre shop of its founder Darren Hotchkin to becoming an ASX-listed company with an extensive sales network in the Australian and international road safety market, Saferoads’ journey over the past 30 years has seen both great challenges and extraordinary growth. This year, the company celebrates its 30th year in business with a product portfolio that’s become known across the industry for being innovative, well-engineered and importantly, trusted for safety and performance. The ups and downs the company has been through over this journey to build that reputation, while bringing all of its research and development and most of its manufacturing in-house, offers
lessons in business resilience. Saferoads began life primarily to commercialise an innovation from Hotchkin himself, which was to produce reboundable guide posts from recycled car tyres. At the time, guide posts in Australia were made from wood, which was brittle and would fail after only a single vehicle impact. Using recycled tyres meant Saferoads – which was called Rubber Tough Industries then – could produce guideposts that were more durable than timber, while helping divert an end-of-life product from landfill. Over the next few years, the company used rubber from used tyres to manufacture more traffic-related products, such as speed humps. In its fourth year, Saferoads also began distributing road safety products from
a US-based firm across Australia. By this time, the rubber side of the business became less of a focus and was superseded by the company’s expansion into road safety, barriers, crash cushions, truck-mounted attenuators (TMAs) and many other new products. The Rubber Tough Industries brand was sold, and road safety became the core focus for the company – hence the name change to Saferoads. In the years that followed, Saferoads expanded its team and established itself as a well-regarded distributor of crash barriers, traffic calming products, lighting and other road safety equipment to the Australian market. In 2003, the company was listed on the Australian stock exchange to attract outside investors, which led to roadsonline.com.au
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