Vanguard Group and commercial and industrial safety specialist Tru-Bilt have announced a strategic partnership to help joint clients better safeguard areas and spaces shared by people and vehicles.

The partnership establishes Vanguard as the exclusive supplier of Dunedin-based Tru-Bilt’s Tru-Gard barrier system, bollard, and safety handrails to the New Zealand market.

Vanguard will take sole responsibility for sales, installation, and support of Tru-Gard products.

Vanguard Group director Brendan McLean said Tru-Gard’s world-leading certified steel barrier systems featured prominently in Vanguard’s product portfolio. However, both companies believed the time was right to formalise a partnership to better serve clients.

“We’ve teamed up to focus on our respective strengths for the benefit of our clients, combining Tru-Bilt’s design-lead manufacturing and safety product development prowess with Vanguard’s national end-to-end capabilities across advisory, project management and implementation,” McLean said.

The development sees Gary Whiteman and Bevan Taylor, most recently Tru-Gard area sales managers, join Vanguard to continue their excellent work providing expert advice and support for the Tru-Gard product range.

McLean said Tru-Gard was the top-performing steel safety barrier system in market – and the only barrier system of its kind certified to AS/NZ structural standards.

“Down the track, you can expect to see new Tru-Gard innovations and products as Tru-Bilt continues its R&D programme, working with Vanguard – and our clients – to ensure nothing is left to chance in the places and spaces people and vehicles interact,” McLean said.

Designed and manufactured in New Zealand, Tru-Gard products are backed by an industry-leading 10-year warranty.

Both Vanguard and Tru-Bilt are Kiwi-owned and have a long and successful history dating back to the early ‘90s.

Family-owned Vanguard built on early success supplying line marking paint to schools and factories to establish a business today recognised as the industry-leading nationwide supplier of end-to-end commercial safety solutions and advice.

Similarly, Dunedin-based Tru-Bilt Industries grew from manufacturing industrial doors and dock-way protection for warehouses, later broadening its business to design and manufacture the Tru-Gard range of steel safety barriers, bollards, and handrails – today one of the leading brands of commercial and industrial safety equipment used around the globe.