There was a time when Amazon was known as an online second-hand bookstore, IKEA was a mail-order sales company and Apple made clunky prototype desktop computers before the word ‘smartphone’ had been invented.

Diversification in business is often the lifeblood of a company. Coca-Cola might make the fizzy, dark-coloured soft drink we all know and (probably) love – but there are over 500 other beverages in the company’s portfolio, some of which you will most definitely not have tasted (the Asian market’s ‘Water Salad’ drink comes in five flavours and tastes of, well, salad…).

All of which proves that even in heavy industry, you need to be light and agile when it comes to product development, ideas and diversity – unless you want to become tagged with a name that no longer fits.

"Make workplaces safer"

McCue, global leaders in industrial protection products, were once generally known as the ‘barrier company’. Their flexible, ultra-strong safety barriers are known and used the world over to separate workers from moving vehicles, to organise facilities and make workplaces safer.

Except the ‘barrier company’ has for a long time been so much more than just the barrier company. McCue make bollards, rack protection, column guards, hand rails, wall protectors and more – and there’s a whole range of specialist retail protection products such as bumpers, trolley parks, signage and floor rails.

Sales Director, Jonathan Hibbins explains: “It’s true that the ‘barrier company’ tag stuck with McCue – but it’s something we’re actually proud about. The safety barriers have become so well-known and widely-used because they are so effective. So if customers think ‘safety barriers’ and then think ‘McCue’, then that’s fine. Although it’s true that we now produce so many more products than just safety barriers.”

"Preserved and pristine"

In fact, McCue’s armoury of protection products can now fully protect a facility from the shop floor to the sales floor. Factories and warehouses can be organised and made safe with an array of highly specialised and cost-saving products, while office spaces and retail sites can be kept preserved and pristine with everything from door and wall protectors to instore bumper protection.

It’s the full package, as Jonathan explains: “Companies often want to work with us because we can do comprehensive protection coverage. Not just the warehouse, but through every single part of the working environment, right up to the customer-facing spaces. We can protect a factory with heavy duty products and maximise the efficiency with the right organisation. At the same we can look at their office spaces and retail parks and offer different solutions for long-term, aesthetically-sensitive protection there.”

Ongoing innovation and product development is the best way to avoid a business being typecast and keep it fresh – although if it’s safety barriers you’re looking for, then you know where to come. Just expect to see many more safety solutions than you might have first imagined.

See McCue's full facility protection range here