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How Yellow Can Really Be Green - A Sustainability Fast Five with Paul Taylor
It’s well known we are passionate about all things safety here at Tru-Gard, but what you may not know is that this extends to the safety and protection of our environment. We believe that sustainable steps today will make a big difference to the future. Every day, we’re looking at new ways to make small but mighty changes – from removing paper cups and using good old ceramic ones in our break rooms, to recycling our steel offcuts into products for charity. We sat down with our Operations Manager, Paul Taylor, to learn more about how green yellow can be – read on to find out more. Q – What does sustainability mean at Tru-Gard – and why does it matter? P.T – At Tru-Gard, sustainability means making workplaces safer today, without compromising the ability to do so tomorrow. By ensuring that every Barrier, Bollard, Handrail and safety system we design not only protects lives but also respects the environment and supports long-term value for our customers. Q – What are some of the key sustainability initiatives Tru-Gard has introduced so far? P.T – We are passionate about waste reduction of materials by continuous improvements every week. Tru-Gard has shifted toward using fully recyclable materials in core product lines. This ensures that at the end of their lifecycle, products don’t end up in landfill but can be recycled or reused. With all Tru-Gard products made here in New Zealand, this all leads to reducing freight and boosting local jobs for just-in-time delivery. Q – How do you approach sustainability in the day-to-day running of the business? P.T – Every small improvement we make today is an investment in tomorrow. At Tru-Gard, sustainability is not just a product feature – it’s embedded in the everyday decisions and operations of the business. We believe that everyday actions add up to long-term impact for our people and our planet. Q – What challenges has Tru-Gard faced in its sustainability journey – and how is the team working to overcome them? P.T – Tru-Gard’s journey toward sustainability hasn’t been without its challenges. Each hurdle has sparked innovation across the team. One major shift has been in our supply chain: while we work with a wide range of suppliers, we've successfully brought most of these partnerships back to local providers. This not only reduces freight but also supports regional economies and gives us greater control over sustainable sourcing and quality – actually makes business fun and rewarding. Q – What’s your vision for Tru-Gard’s environmental impact in the next five years? P.T – Well, it’s a mindset shift, as sustainability isn't a bolt-on at Tru-Gard — it's built into every weld, every folded piece of steel, every shipment, and every workplace we help protect. Over the next five years, we aim to set the benchmark in the safety industry by proving you can save lives and the planet at the same time. Shop our Solid Steel. Solid Cause charity range here.
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What it means to Live Yellow - a Fast Five with Mark Taylor
With years of experience making workplaces safer, we took the time to sit down with our Managing Director, Mark Taylor, to find out more about how we got here, what inspired the change from doors and docks, why our mission is so important, and what it means to "Live Yellow" – read on to find out more. __ Q - What inspired you to move away from doors and into workplace safety? M.T - It was a company decision in 2019, as our range had become too big, and we had some hard decisions to make as to the future of the company. We had some top advice that made us have some significant light bulb moments and down that path we went. Five years down said path and we are getting more and more passionate about making workplaces safer by the minute. Q - You talk to us as a team about, 'Living Yellow" – what does that mean to you? M.T - Living Yellow is a way of life for us at Tru-Gard, it's more than safety it's about making sure every single member of our team understands what we do, why we do it and the difference our work makes on a daily basis. We aren't just supplying any old off-the-shelf solutions, but from design, to manufacturing, to consulting, to installation, and every step in between we are working with our customers to help them reduce harm and save lives. Q - Tru-Gard's mission is to make workplaces safer. Why is that so important to you? M.T - Keeping people safe is our top priority, and our mission is simple: to save lives. If we can prevent just one accident or one loss of life, we know we’ve done our job. We can say with certainty we have done that. Q - What's one moment that made you realise Tru-Gard was making a real impact? M.T - It was after one of our staff visited a site in 2022, they came back and said that the site needed a consultant to recommend safety changes as it was very dangerous in its current state. We engaged a trained consultant who went to site and recommended a plan to the customer, which we then priced, supplied, and installed. The pivotal moment came when we told the consultant the customer had proceeded, and his words were "you have saved lives on that site, as it was only a matter of time before someone was badly injured or killed" – that was one that will definitely stick with us now and into the future. Q - So, what's next for Tru-Gard? M.T - Product innovation and continuous improvement is a core part of our company's DNA so it will be no surprise we have some exciting plans for the near future, alongside the market, legislative, and other industry changes we see all the time. It's an exciting time to be selling yellow!
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Behind the Design of Tru-Gard Flex - A Fast-Five with Myron Norman
Tru-Gard Flex has broken new ground in steel safety—and for our Manufacturing & Design Coordinator, Myron, it’s a career milestone too. This world-first design is his first-ever patent. We sat down with him to learn more about the design process behind Flex, how it feels to have a patent to his name, and where he thinks the future of workplace health and safety is heading. Read on to find out more. Q – Big milestone! How does it feel to have your first patented product out in the world?A – Really great, I thought patents were more for very large American companies but this has been a great and eye-opening process. Q – Without giving away the secret formula, what’s something clever / interesting / exciting about the design or design process that you’re especially proud of?A – It’s design can be used on many of our products such as barriers and bollards giving a complete range of steel products that can Flex. The design is easy to manufacture which helps being able to bring this new safety product to the market at a great price. Q – What is the toughest challenge taking a product like Flex from concept to completion?A – Many different ideas and concepts were made with iterations being too soft, too stiff, too difficult to manufacture etc. But that is part of research and development, trying things until a great idea appears and then working the bugs out to get a great product. Q – How do you see safety products evolving over the next ten years?A- I see there being an increase of safety devices on vehicles/machinery e.g cameras and sensors, and AI to alert drivers & pedestrians to reduce the likelihood of accidents. I also think we will see increased traffic safety plans with barriers to reduce the chance for terrible accidents to happen. Q – How does it feel knowing your product designs are being used to keep people safe at work every day?A- Honestly it feels great! Workplace accidents can and do happen anywhere. People going home to their loved ones each day is the most important thing, and knowing that our products help make this happen is a great feeling. Want to learn more about Tru-Gard Flex and how it’s shaping the future of steel safety? Read our full Flex launch article here.
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