Case Studies
Safety Starts at Home: Protecting Our Own the Tru-Gard Way
At Tru-Gard, safety isn’t just something we supply – it’s something we live. Aka “Living Yellow” as it’s known around the office. Here in our Dunedin warehouse, we use the very same products we deliver to sites across New Zealand and Australia to keep our own team and assets protected. With forklifts, people, and products constantly on the move, we understand first-hand how these can create a hazardous mix. That’s why our warehouse is a showcase of our safety solutions in action, from pallet racking protection and handrail walkways to personnel gates, bollards, and even pallet stops to keep skips securely in place during adverse weather. We’ve considered each workstation, hazard, and product we have to find the best solution for our team. Our pallet racks are protected by pallet stops to keep products (and rubbish bins) in place, along with a combination of end-of-bay rack kits and upright protectors to guard against accidental forklift damage. Our walkways feature personnel gates and handrails, and we even have bollards in place for robot welding protection. “We help protect workplaces around New Zealand and Australia every day, so we know how hazardous a site can be, which is why we prioritised making sure our people and our assets are protected first. From pallet racking to handrail walkways and personnel gates to bollards, our site isn’t designed to meet safety requirements; it’s there to exceed them.”— Mark Taylor, Managing Director By putting our own products to the test every day, we’re proving that safety really does start at home and showing our customers exactly what the Tru-Gard Difference looks like. If you’d like to know more about turning your site safety from zero to hero, contact our team today.
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Bollards, Barriers, and Beyond at Bunnings Timaru
If you’ve ever shopped at a Bunnings Warehouse, especially on a sunny day or public holiday, you’ll know just how busy the place can be. With customer vehicles constantly on the move, trucks making deliveries out the back, forklifts shifting stock, and plenty of pedestrians and staff on foot, it’s a hive of activity. With all these moving parts, it was essential to develop a safety solution that considered every aspect. We worked closely with the team to identify risks and hazards specific to their store and create custom safety solutions to suit. The Tru-Gard Solution: At the front, Tru-Gard Bollards keep pedestrians safe and the building protected from any accidental “put it in drive instead of reverse” incidents. Out the back, Tru-Gard Barriers safeguard team members and the building from damage caused by wide-swinging trucks and forklifts laden with heavy pallets of hardware. We also supplied Tru-Gard Expanding Barriers, enabling staff to create temporary safe zones while they work and redirect pedestrians around short-term hazards. The Products: Tru-Gard Certified Safety Bollards Tru-Gard Certified Safety Barrier Tru-Gard Expanding Barrier By working together, this store is now safer for staff, shoppers, and store assets. If you’d like to know more about customising a safer space for your site, contact our team today.
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From Sketch to Safety Solution: Reinventing Safety at Winstone Wallboards
We recently had the privilege of designing and manufacturing a cutting-edge safety walkway system that has set a new standard for pedestrian protection in busy warehouse environments. This game-changing solution has transformed Winstone Wallboards state-of-the-art facility in Tauranga, New Zealand, into a highly secure zone for foot traffic, significantly enhancing safety in high-risk areas. From the outset of this new-build project, our Research and Development (R&D) team was partnered with Fletcher Building to bring their vision to life. Taking into account the risk, we customised a safety walkway system tailored to the unique demands of the site. Drawing on decades of experience and innovation we created an outcome to suit the strict safety and operational requirements. Key Features:The final product represents a seamless integration of innovation and functionality, delivering outstanding safety outcomes, including: – Encased Protection: Fully enclosed on all sides, safeguarding pedestrians from hazards such as falling objects and vehicle impact. – Space-Efficient Design: Modular installation with a minimal footprint preserves valuable storage and operational space. – Structural Integrity: Long, straight tunnels engineered for exceptional strength, durability, and impact resistance. – Code Compliance: Fully tested to meet and exceed regulatory standards. – High Visibility: Finished in a vibrant, safety-yellow coating for maximum visibility and awareness. – Personnel Gates: Strategically placed for convenient and safe pedestrian access and egress. “Tru-Bilt Industries exceeded Winstone Wallboards expectations by engineering and delivering a solution that surpassed everyday safety measures. Their ability to innovate and adapt to the unique layout and risks of the warehouse ensured that all safety concerns were comprehensively addressed. They engineered the optimal solution to meet our needs”– Stewart Vaughan, Project Lead – Tauriko Development, Winstone Wallboards Ltd This bespoke safety solution has not only enhanced the operational safety of Winstone Wallboards warehouse but also demonstrated the power of close collaboration between manufacturers and clients. By addressing site-specific challenges and delivering a system that exceeds safety standards, we’ve created a protective environment that supports productivity without compromise. Read more about the product here. Our thanks to Stewart and the team from Fletcher Building for trusting us to create a solution that makes their workplace a safer place to be.
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Heavy Haulage Meets High Safety at Mainfreight Hobsonville
We’re excited to introduce Mainfreight’s brand-new distribution centre on Westpoint Drive, Hobsonville. This state-of-the-art facility allows Mainfreight to service its customers in western and northern Auckland from a strategically located base, reducing reliance on facilities over an hour away. From this new location, Mainfreight supports freight operations across a vast region, stretching north from the Auckland Harbour Bridge to Te Hana and west from Henderson to cover all of West Auckland. This area represents a significant portion of Auckland’s freight traffic—approximately 35-40% of the city’s total volume. To accommodate this, the depot has been built on a grand scale, with a massive 15,000 m² footprint that includes the main depot floor, loading zones, and extensive truckways and breezeways. The facility also features three raised dock levellers, a commercial-grade gantry truck wash, and parking for 100 vehicles, ensuring the site is equipped to handle the high volume of activity it sees daily. To protect key areas of this high-traffic site, Mainfreight partnered with us to install robust steel solutions. The project included our Tru-Gard™ Downpipe Protectors, large Cast-in Bollards, and several runs of Certified Safety Barrier, all designed to safeguard vulnerable parts of the building from heavy transport and lighter vehicle movements. Our signature, high-visibility, galvanised yellow was chosen to withstand outdoor weather conditions while ensuring safety—plus, it perfectly complements Mainfreight’s bold corporate colours. The result? A bright, functional, and resilient depot ready to meet Auckland’s freight demands. Tru-Gard Products Used on this Project: Bollards Safety Barrier Downpipe Protectors Wheel Guides
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Transforming Pedestrian Safety at Mainfreight Derrimut
What do you do to ensure uninterrupted deliveries for your customers while also completing a safety upgrade at your depot? You call the team here at Tru-Gard. Keeping a busy 3PL depot running smoothly while updating the safety system is no small feat, but when the team from Mainfreight Derrimut contacted us to upgrade their barrier system, we were confident we were up for the task. Working alongside National Operations Support, Shane and Derrimut Branch Manager, Nathan, our team created and quoted a custom safety solution, coordinated the installation, and even arranged environmentally friendly disposal of the old system. The Tru-Gard Solution: Working closely with the team, we recommended our 610-1-1100 Barrier System and a combination of Personnel Gates, designed to keep people and forklifts apart, keep pedestrians away from active roller doors, and generally make the area a safer place to work. After the initial system design, our team and the approved installer conducted a site visit for final tweaks. This visit offered the chance to understand the daily workings of the depot and make essential alterations, including additional gaps in the barrier system to allow for higher traffic flow areas. The Tru-Gard Products: Barrier – 610-1-1100 Flat End Caps Personnel Gates Tru-Gard Certified Barriers keeping pedestrians, freight, and forklifts separate. The Process: To ensure the depot could continue to run smoothly, we conducted the installation in phases, working on different areas to suit and avoiding any major disruptions to day-to-day operations. During the installation process, we also removed the existing damaged handrail and old gates, using a Sims Metal skip on site to ensure the steel was recycled wherever possible. “We are thrilled to have provided a safe solution for the team at Mainfreight in Derrimut. Our longstanding relationship with Mainfreight makes this project particularly meaningful for us. Ensuring the safety of their team aligns with our core values, and we are proud to contribute to their ongoing commitment to a safer working environment” – Mark Taylor, Managing Director Tru-Gard Before & After – The old gates and barriers and the new Tru-Gard Certified Solution. We have used Mainfreight to transport our products for decades, so our team was thrilled to work on this project, helping keep the team who keep our products moving safe from harm. If your branch’s safety systems need an upgrade, or you are looking for a new, fully customised safety solution, contact our team today to find out more. Our thanks to Nathan and Aleks, from the Derrimut Branch, and Shane from Mainfreight Australia, for choosing Tru-Gard. __ __ __
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