Member Article

Tutum acquisition saves specialist safety product

Tutum Group, a Newcastle-based investor in product development companies, has acquired engineering business Preforma and its Formarail brand, a precision engineered patented guardrail system.

Breathing new life into the Formarail brand, Tutum has relaunched the industrial railing system’s distribution, previously based in Byker, to a newly-invested centre in Walker, Newcastle.

Established in early 2016, Tutum is now in the process of appointing new distribution channel champions to help realise the specialist product’s global potential.

Director Fenwick Smith explains: “Our passion lies in putting our energy into products which bring real value to marketplaces and people. Formarail falls directly into this category of having significant, worldwide use.

Fenwick continues: “Formarail is a safety system which would have become wasted if we hadn’t stepped in. It was an opportunity we just couldn’t pass up.

Formarail focuses on distributing its fixed rail and roof edge protection safety systems, with its “efficiency being its key selling point” as Fenwick describes. 2017 worldwide licenses are available to its patented flexible joint, handrail and roof edge protection system.

The aluminium frameworks, fixed with flexible component parts, can be used on anything from walkways, site and roof safety, to crowd control and as an acoustics reduction system. Moreover, Formarail has opened rental opportunities with temporary installations of systems too.

Based on the principle of easing the assembly process and reducing the install times, the business “isn’t like any other in its market” says Fenwick, who has 20 years experience in owning and managing companies in the engineering and manufacturing industry.

“Each component is precision engineered, meaning there are fewer parts to assemble and store prior to installation.”

The business has already invested in its distribution centre and is working with Building Futures East, a Newcastle-based training provider, to help get the city’s unemployed back into work.

Fenwick added: “Founded on simplicity, innovation and a commitment to customer satisfaction, we believe that Formarail products can transform the guardrail market.

“We’re already proud to have stopped something so innovative from being wasted and we’re now excited to reach the business’ potential, which has already wetted the appetite of both national and international customers.

“Being a North East firm with strong social responsibility, ethical values and commitment to skills and job generation gives us a chance to really put the region on the specialist safety world stage.”