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Fall Protection Systems

Fall Protection Systems Corp • 888-596-5367http://www.fallprotectionsystems.com

FULL SERVICE FALL PROTECTION SOLUTIONS PROVIDER

Reprinted from Grain Journal July/August 2013 Issue

A customer’s request for a fall protection solution led to the 1998 founding of Fall Protection Systems (FPS) as a sister company of Metro Contract Services, a metal fabrication and turnkey millwright company.

Both businesses are located in the St. Louis, MO area and are majority-owned by brothers Daniel and Thomas Morhaus who head up the companies as CEO/president – Daniel of Fall Protection Systems in Florissant, MO, and Thomas of Metro Contract Services in Madison, IL.

“In the 1990s, a proactive client asked Metro Contract Services to develop a self-supported fall protection solution for its workers, and that project was successful,” says Matthew Proctor, director of sales and marketing.

“Other clients heard about it, and the workload grew, until eventually, a separate entity was formed to focus solely on fall protection solutions. This resulted in our patented Tri-Truss Trolley rail fall protection system becoming an industry leader for these types of applications.

“We share certain back office services between the two companies, but beyond that, both operate as standalone entities. Approximately 50 to 60 employees handle all of the sales, engineering, production, and installation services for Fall Protection Systems, with offices in both Illinois and Missouri. Metro Contract has another 90 to 100 employees.

Expansion Beyond Railcars

“Loading and unloading railcars is the area in which we had initial success, and grain and rail activities continue to be the bread and butter of our business,” says Proctor. “However, we continue to expand into different industries. Any environment in which people are working more than four feet above the work surface are areas where worker fall protection safety needs to be ensured.

“Early on, rail applications made up 85-90% of our business. Today, it makes up approximately 65-70%, as we have expanded into marine applications, aviation maintenance and repair, mining, truck repair, mass transit, etc. There are a lot of people and industries that need fall protection solutions.

“More stringent governmental regulations have impacted our efforts, as businesses are required to provide a safer work environment for employees. As industries continue to adapt their safety needs, so too, Fall Protection Systems continues to provide engineered solutions toward providing a safer working environment.

Competitive Difference

“The market for fall protection systems is extremely competitive, but we distinguish ourselves as the only company that provides full-scale turnkey service,” says Proctor. “We offer turnkey systems that include everything from on-site surveying, in-house engineering, and logistical coordination, along with professional installation.

“Our in-house engineering staff custom-designs user- friendly solutions for every client application. From our free site analysis to our turnkey installation, we see each client completely through the process, whether it is for an overhead trolley rail system or a rooftop cable application.

“Another competitive advantage we have is our five-year warranty on the installations that we do, which is the best warranty available in the industry. This is important to customers in giving them peace of mind around the protection of their workers.

“Also, each of our engineered systems comes complete with an on-site training packet, which contains a ‘train the trainer’ section. This training enables each customer to become certified under unique training requirements.”

Expanding Sales and Marketing

For the past three years, Chief Operating Officer Kent Winter has directed the day-to-day operations for Fall Protection Systems.

“Kent, who came from the highly-competitive automotive industry, has crafted numerous operational initiatives that are enabling us to maximize our potential,” says Proctor, who joined the company in May 2012 after serving 10 years as a vice president of sales in the incentive industry.

“As part of this initiative, I was hired from outside of the industry to lend new and fresh sales and marketing strategies to meet our clients’ expanded demands for safety.

“In keeping with these initiatives, we have expanded our sales efforts by defining new territorial regions, each complete with local representation. As a relatively small company, we believe that this big commitment will help us meet the expanding customer needs for engineered safety solutions.

”We have also revamped our website and vastly expanded our online store. You can now link between the two sites, as well as make purchases online.

New Inspection Service

“We are expanding our annual inspection services,” says Proctor. “This nationwide inspection program will grow to include all fall protection safety components, helping us to ensure a safer working environment.

“These annual inspections involve having our factory technicians come to your site to evaluate and document the condition of your system. We also evaluate and make recommendations regarding regulatory compliance, per the latest Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), and American National Standards Institute (ANSI) fall protection requirements.

New Product Development

“Last year, we introduced a unique Portable Telescoping skid-mounted fall protection system, which we initially developed for a client in the mining industry,” says Proctor. “It provides an inexpensive, safe, and reliable solution for use in any area that requires temporary fall protection and/or has varying heights. With the assistance of a forklift, it is readily transported to a new location in just minutes.

”Depending on a client’s unique needs, we work with them to develop and build an engineered solution for their problem. If that solution can then be applied to other industries and situations, like the portable telescoping system, it may become part of our product line.”

International Growth

Part of the company’s future growth plan includes a three-step process for international expansion.

“Our three-step process is to first explore, second distribute, and third fabricate,” says Proctor. “We have already done some exploration in Canada, and a few systems have been installed, but we are launching a full sales effort there in 2013, with the plan to make installations throughout 2014.

“We attended a trade show in Brazil to better understand the marketplace potential. A recent influx of inquiries from South America has afforded us a new promising market that is in need of our products and services. We are truly excited about these opportunities.

“As we explore our international potential in countries like China and India, we are confronted with the complexities of culture, exchange rates, taxes, and tariffs, etc., but we look at it more as an opportunity than a challenge.

In Conclusion

“Overall, Fall Protection Systems is making a commitment to better serve our clients through dedicated account managers, continuous improvement of our product line, international expansion, and providing the best solution for each client’s unique needs be it our patented rigid rail trolley system, cable systems, or safety cages,” says Proctor. “We will continue to strive to be the full-service fall protection solutions provider.”


About Fall Protection Systems Corp

Florissant, MO
888-596-5367
314-551-0500
http://www.fallprotectionsystems.com

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