Founded in 1914 in New York, USA, Potters Industries, the world’s largest manufacturer of glass beads, which are an essential component of safety-enhancing road and runway markings, today supplies more than 70% of the total needs of the planet. Their European division, Potters Europe, will showcase their expertise at this year’s Gulf Traffic exhibition in Dubai.
“When applied with an appropriate road marking product, glass beads reflect at night the light from the headlights of the vehicle back to the driver, thus making markings highly visible, particularly in adverse weather conditions such as fog or rain, thus increasing road safety,” said Sarah Woodbridge, Group Director - Exhibitions, IIR Middle East - organisers of Gulf Traffic, acknowledged by the industry as the Middle East’s premier transport and infrastructure show. “Staged every two years, the event brings together international manufacturers and suppliers offering the latest products, services and technologies for the road, rail and public transport industries,” she added.
Potters Industries has consistently maintained its position at the forefront of innovation for anything related to the production of glass beads, their performances and their applications. Its long history, expertise and 25 production facilities make it a reliable partner that always ensures on-time, consistent supplies to its customers, wherever they may be in the world. The company is also highly committed to protecting the environment, recycling over 500,000 tonnes of glass every year.
Potters Europe covers the Middle East and Africa in addition to Europe, providing full technical support and customer service, as well as on-site advice and guidance. 5 plants (located in France, Great Britain, Germany and Poland), all of which are ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certified, produce a wide range of glass beads for road and airport runway safety markings, including; drop-on glass beads for road markings; premix beads for thermoplastics and cold plastics plus high index beads for airport markings.
Road safety depends not only on drivers and pedestrians behaving properly in traffic situations, but also on their ability to do so. This is where ingenious (and well-maintained) road markings enter the picture. LKF Vejmarkering A/S of Denmark, which is one of the world-leading companies taking part in the 2009 Gulf Traffic exhibition, has over 40 years experience as a manufacturer and distributor of advanced high quality thermoplastic marking materials that are widely used worldwide as road markings, decorative markings and tactile markings.
LKF, a modern and well-founded company with over 150 employees all over Europe, is focused on the development and production of marking material for a wide variety of different purposes, ultimately delivering quality products adapted to individual customer needs, local regulations and demanding climates ranging from the intense heat of the Middle East to the severe cold of Scandinavia.
“One of Gulf Traffic’s main attractions for visitors is the comprehensive range of services and products on show,” said Sarah Woodbridge, Group Director - Exhibitions, IIR Middle East - organisers of the event. ”Industry professionals depend on Gulf Traffic to bring them the latest cutting-edge developments, from tunneling, rail, road and metro systems right through to traffic control systems - we’re delighted to have LKF, one of the acknowledged world-leaders in the road marking sector, at this year’s exhibition.”
LKF manufactures and exports two world-leading road marking brands, PREMARK® and ViaTherm®. PREMARK®, a certified preformed thermoplastic road marking is supplied ready to use and easy to apply, while ViaTherm® is a certified thermoplastic road marking material for normal, special and structural marking tasks. The company has also recently developed two tactile marking systems - TacPad® and TacGuide® - which are used to aid and guide blind and partially sighted people safely in environments where traffic is present.
LKF’s extensive laboratory-based research and development department, combined with its modern, flexible manufacturing facilities gives the company the ideal base for product development - their team’s efforts in the laboratory, on the production line and through countless road tests ensure that they continually develop new, highly advanced products, all of a consistently high quality.
Road tests are a cornerstone in the development of new products and securing and enhancing high quality. LKF uses road testing to gain valuable knowledge about adhesion, durability, friction and day/night visibility (under both wet and dry conditions). LKF is also committed to develop new application techniques and equipment that can be used when applying road marking material.
PREMARK®, a preformed, ready-to-use thermoplastic road marking, can be applied to road surfaces all year round, and is a perfect solution to heighten traffic safety. Application is fast and easy, requiring just one person, a broom and a gas burner, making it a highly cost effective solution, as no major budgetary or machinery considerations are involved.
The high quality of PREMARK® ensures long-lasting durability, and as it is thermoplastic, it fuses with the asphalt when heated, ensuring a long service life that is between 6 to 8 times longer than markings painted on the road surface. This long-lasting durability, linked with its resistance to resistant to petrol, oil, snow and frost, makes it particularly well-suited for heavily trafficked areas such as intersections and city streets.
Safety is endured, both day and night, as a result of the glass beads used in PREMARK® to ensure optimum reflection. Clearly, this is a prerequisite for safety and comfort after dark - glass beads are evenly dispersed on the surface and throughout the 3-mm thick of the PREMARK® material - as a result, the reflecting effect lasts for its entire service life.
PREMARK® helps to ease traffic flow all over the world every day, guiding road users safely on their way using well-known traffic symbols - the product range includes all officially registered traffic symbols, signs, lines, arrows, figures and letters.
The quality of PREMARK® has earned it numerous international accreditations, including ATG, BASt and NF. LKF’s strategy includes obtaining authorisation in the respective markets in which it operates - the company is also certified to ISO 9001. Additionally, the product emits no environmentally harmful substances, neither during or after application or at the time of removal. The pigments used in its production are organic and do not contain lead or other heavy metals.
At the 2009 Gulf Traffic exhibition, LKF will also display its colourful and decorative thermoplastic marking - DecoMark® - which is ideal for special designs such as company logos, games, etc. The product is the ideal option when, for example, school or municipal playgrounds need refreshing with a colourful surface that, through the product’s inherent high friction minimises the risk of the slipperiness so that children can play safely. DecoMark® also comes into its own in situations where companies and organisations are looking to maximise their branding, image and service, as it offers a totally different approach to branding parking places and the entrance to company premises.
The product also creates the freedom to design public areas differently, adding the ability to brighten environments such as apartment blocks, city areas, parks and schools - it’s also a perfect solution to help guide tourists around cities.
The Gulf Traffic exhibition takes place at Dubai International Exhibition Centre from 6-8 December 2009. It offers industry visitors the opportunity to source solutions to their critical business issues, view first hand the latest technological advancements in traffic and transport industries, make new contacts and set up supply channels.
-Ends-
For further information, please contact:
Neil Tyrer,
Coalface Marketing Communications
Office #502, 5th Floor, CNN Building,
Dubai Media City,
Dubai,
United Arab Emirates
t: +971 4 3672886,
f: +971 4 3661076,
m: +971 50 6532854
e: neil@coalfaceme.com
www.gulftraffic.com
© Press Release 2009
