Thursday 9 June 2016

As concerns mount about education costs, Safehinge saves UK schools £20 million


A Scottish company is making a major contribution to the problem highlighted by a recent Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) report on the amount of cash being wasted on school buildings in the UK.

While the RIBA study concluded that costs of £150 million could have been avoided if schools had been better designed, Glasgow company, Safehinge, has revealed that its products have saved an estimated *£20 million in life costs for British schools since 2009.

Safehinge ALUfast

And the company, which is the UK market leader in durable finger guards for doors, believes that savings to the public purse could be even greater as it builds on its work in the education sector and moves into new areas such as mental health, where its robust products require less maintenance and promote faster service user recovery.

Director Philip Ross, who founded Safehinge in 2007 with business partner Martin Izod, said:
"We supply 65% of the UK's local authorities with durable integral and retrofit finger guards for doors which stop children's fingers being injured and significantly reduce maintenance costs for schools – allowing money to be spent on education. 
“Compared to alternative products, like plastic finger guards, our finger guards last the lifetime of the door so never need maintained or replaced. That saves a local authority more than £500 per door over its lifetime.
"When we see RIBA reporting that the Government's Education Funding Agency's new school building programme is leading to waste and poor value, it highlights how much Safehinge products have contributed to making the most of tight school budgets."

Safehinge ALUmini

Martin Izod explained:
"We have two main finger guard products: our integral finger guard ALUmax, which is suitable for new doors, designs out the problem by eliminating the gap between the door and frame; and ALUmini, which can be retro-fitted to existing doors and has a patented finger ejection system, making it impossible to trap little fingers.”

Safehinge ALUmax

Safehinge employs 10 people and has seen turnover grow 30%in the past year. The company has made significant investments in its product development team over the past two years and has leased a workshop area to enable rapid prototyping.

For further information, contact Hamish Robertson, Head of Marketing Safehinge, Level 4, Skypark 3, 14 Elliot Place, Glasgow G3 8EP. T: +44 (0) 141 244 0085. E: info@safehinge.com W: www.safehinge.com


* The £20million saving figure is based on the fact that Safehinge has sold more than 40,000 products to schools since 2009 at an average cost of £150. These products last the lifetime of the door, which is approximately 25 years. 

Alternative products, for example plastic finger guards, are cheaper, at around £30, but they are prone to cracking and wear and tear and have to be replaced every 6-18 months. These units require maintenance and replacement, which incurs costs for labour and parts. On average, this costs in excess of £500 more over the lifetime of the door than purchasing ALUmax.

So, £500 per door multiplied by the 40,000 doors which Safehinge products are used on equates to a £20m saving.




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