Greetings everyone, and welcome to Mighty Line Minute. This is Dave. On-board we've got Damian White of Clarity over in the UK. Damian, how are you doing today? 

Good morning, Dave. Yes, very well, thank you, and really appreciate the opportunity join you on this Mighty Line podcast. We're doing well we're doing well here in the UK. Looking forward to looking forward to summer.

We all are - it's been pretty bad. I got rid of my snowblower last year. Oh, well!

Okay. We don't have that type of extremity here in the UK! We've had a fairly long winter, but certainly not much snow, fortunately.

Well, good to have you aboard and, you know you're, you're one of my favorite guys to bring onto this show. Whether it's sustainability, productivity, lifecycle cost. All of those things are critical. Everything that you do online seems to be always on-point. That really strikes me personally because you seem to be folks that know what you're doing. And in terms of distributing Mighty Line products, we feel that we're in very good hands with you folks. 

Appreciate that Dave, and for that feedback. We position ourselves not only as safety experts, but also understanding operational excellence. And when we're providing products and services to the industry, like the Mighty Line product, the key thing for us is to make sure that we are advising, recommending the product in the right applications. And you're right, you and I are very aligned on our vision for safety. And ultimately, what a safe environment brings about is an efficient environment. 

Well, as, you know, I'm sure, there's a lot of guidance that's needed out there, and that's one of the things that Clarity really brings to bear. Your videos are awesome. I enjoy watching every one of them. And they're real-world situations, you know. So, it's always comforting to know that someone knows what they're doing when they bring you folks aboard.

Excellent. No, I appreciate that. We're continuing to bring them this year as we go through 2026, so keep tuned. We've got lots of great videography that's happening right now because our clients are always asking us to show them what's new, and real-life real environments. 

Yeah, seeing the visual side of this is really critical. And, one of the things that I notice is that you do a wonderful job with color. possibly, too because I've got a daughter who's into interior design. But to have the keen eye for what to do with color in a facility, what to do with design. The visual clarity that you see with safety is really critical and it speaks a lot to management caring. And, you seem to have the right viewpoint in terms of what people should do in a facility. 

Really like the point that you've picked out there, Dave, is to color coding because it's one of the first questions we often ask clients when we engage them is: what is the recognized color priorities on this site? Sometimes we'll go there and we'll see walkways in two or three different colors. We'll see crosswalks, zebra crossings in different colors. We'll see demarcation for product, or for layout, unless there's a standardization across the site, it becomes confusing. It creates questions. Every time a question's asked, it reduces efficiency to creating a clear, color-coded scheme, from the front gate to the back gate, right through the facility. It's critical, and it really helps that whole standardization of safety procedures. 

I love hearing the word standardization. Risk assessments are a big deal because before you decide what to do in terms of hazards, you've got to assess the hazard. Here in the US we call it hazard assessment from a regulatory perspective. Likely, you're calling it risk assessment. But, color does play into that. And I think that, you know, when you're going through that risk assessment process, I've gotta believe that that's got a big part of what you need to think about as well. 

Hundred percent Dave, and couldn't agree more. You're right. Risk assessments are really critical because, in the event of an accident or a serious injury, worst-case scenario, death on a site, Health and Safety aren't just looking for what was in place. They're looking also to understand what has been recognized and is currently being worked on. 

We are carrying out people and vehicle segregation audits at the moment for clients on-site. And, we went to a site recently where, respectfully, they introduced a lot of handrails. What they've done, was they've painted the rails red, recognizing that red can be a warning. However, what they hadn't considered, and and the client accepts this and we've talked it through, is that having made them red on this site actually meant they blended in with the atmosphere, and in a way almost camouflaged the barriers. 

So, there's two aspects to a barrier: one is, provide the segregation; the other is actually to show drivers, show pedestrians, clearly, where the barriers are. And I appreciate, this is just a small section of one behind me here, but you can see that, see the yellow. And it stands out. And color coding on the site needs to be considered. And you're absolutely right. In these safety audits now that we're doing for clients are really just highlighting some of the small areas where there's got to be improvement to create that safer site. 

You know, that demarcation is essential. So, whether it's to separate pedestrians from lift trucks or whether it's to demarcate where certain storage is, color is really critical in that regard. We've got some awesome products out there. The 50-mil thickness, the patented beveled edge, the three-year limited warranty. And, we're finding a lot of data centers now installing our product nationwide, and well beyond. Are you finding that larger facilities are more eager to put in Mighty Line tape, or is it equally of interest to smaller facilities as well? 

Great question you'ved raised there Dave, as to which type of clients. And what we find, is the question actually comes back to is: what is the client prepared to recognize, but where is return on investment? There's so many tapes in the marketplace, and having been a distributor of tapes now for 10+ years, we've used and supplied multiple products. When we first engaged with Mighty Line, and understood the product and did our own testing, we were just blown away. Loved it. 

And we've now got clients from some of the largest brand names in the world, using it in their data centers just you've recognized there. Down to some of the smaller family businesses, manufacturing, where they've got such a pride in their site. They want a product that's going to last. And, typically what we are finding is that cheap tape will last maybe up to six months, if you're lucky. Sometimes less, it has to be replaced. Whereas the product that we are putting in with Mighty Line - in the majority of applications - we are getting more than 12 months of lifetime out it. So, yes there's obviously the increased upfront cost. But the the cost of replacement, and the cost of downtime whilst it's being replaced in labor to replace more frequently cheaper tapes - it does its own math for you. 

Yeah. It's interesting. We were just at a few trade shows at some very large convention halls. And we find that in the dock areas of those convention halls, they all use Mighty Line tape. So, when they come up to our booth and they're wondering: well, how does it perform? Well, walk through those doors and you'll see exactly how it's performing because it's been down there for several years, and they see more forklift traffic than many warehouses that we even deal with. 

How do you develop a scheme that considers the pedestrian and the forklift when you've got a pedestrian walkway that crosses over an area that's principally a lift truck travel route? The types of crosswalks that are used with the typical Abbey Road-style crosswalk that's been around since you folks invented it many decades ago, I guess at this point. And I noticed in my own town that they're using the zebra crosswalks as they're, otherwise known. But I'm even getting picky now and looking at, well, where would the yield markings or give-way markings, otherwise known as "shark's teeth"... I find it so not standardized here on roadways - but it strikes me that this is an opportunity - in warehousing - where we could do a better job of clarifying: what truly is a crosswalk, what is an advanced warning to that lift truck operator? What are those visuals that help that? Are you finding an increasing use of zebra-style crosswalks in warehousing? 

Love the point you raised out there, Dave, because we're all trained from a younger stage, especially in this country, to look for a zebra crossing to make a safe crossing. Whether it's your 4-year-old child, or whether it's a 60, 70-year-old grandparent that's actually, you know, been using that same street. We all still all look out for out for zebra crossing. And it's one of the most common risks we are highlighting in factories and distribution centers at the minute, is the lack of them. It's either a lack of them actually ever being introduced, or it's an oversight that a zebra crossing that was there three years ago is worn away, and only the first white slab either side of the zebra crossing is still remaining. And, it's a key area that we are highlighting with a lot clients at the moment is: yes, well, you know, Damian's worked there for 20 years, so he knows it's one way of looking at it. 

The other way is, we've always always got a staff turn. We've always got new starters. It needs to be clear. So, zebra crossings and walkways in factories is a critical point. And, again, the lack of standardization. So, there's multiple ways of achieving it. And the historic way a lot of clients have been doing it is with paint. 

And I'm gonna give a quick shout-out to one of our great brands here, a client partners, which is Schneider Electric. Their new factory fits out projects up here in Scarborough in Yorkshire. They've used the Mighty Line products right through, from front of the warehouse to the back of the warehouse through production. And there's crosswalks. We look to the different options. There's paint, there's projected, but the most cost-effective, yet the best return on investment on their site, was tape, because of the application. So, their crosswalks are all done in white Mighty Line tape, and they look fantastic. They're strong, and they're withstanding the constant daily rumble of trucks and vehicles across them. 

Oh, that's beautiful. We've got, of course, a 10-inch-wide white tape, with beveled edges. We've got 6-inch-wide tape, if it were needed, to create a ladder- style of the zebra crosswalk. And, we can also create the shark's teeth. And I noticed that the standards differ a little bit in terms of the width and length of that. So I'd be very interested in seeing some photos from the facility.

But you've also piqued my interest because I've been to Scarborough and taken the train, from York to Scarborough, and had my family with me. The only thing I didn't think about was, that stairwell that takes you all the way up to the top of the cliff. And it was quite a little walk, walking up there. 

That catches you out, and there's a bit of dispute happening there at the moment because talking taking that cliff train out. [Oh]

Decommissioning it, so it's a historic point there. But, Dave, next time you're over here in the UK we'll have to meet in Scarborough and enjoy.

Oh, I would love that. Yes. Yes, I would love that. And, I hesitated to ride it back then, and that was quite a few years ago, so.

We'll come and take you. 

Yeah, no, that would be great.

 Back on this of zebra crossings, I would say it's probably that, one of the top priority of opportunities for all clients to consider is, "Are there zebra crossings, are there crosswalks in their distribution centers and their factories, clear?" If they're not, they need to get back to the drawing board and consider, "Where are the clear opportunities for making it safe?" 

And [yeah] what we talk about here is, actually, we talk about operational effectiveness. So, if you were to do a layout drawing from a CAD drawing and look at where it may look practically, most logical to put crosswalks, sometimes that's not the case. There's blind spots, there's risks. So, it takes the gambit, it takes the walk on the factory floor and through the warehouse to actually understand, and work with the operators to agree: what is a new structure, or the right layout, for zebra crossings and crossways? 

I know that in the work that you do, you help your customers decide how they can do that, or at least provide them ideas for that. And I think we could do a little more work in that area as well. That's also one of the reasons I enjoy talking with you because I'd like to do some further education with folks as to how to use our products to improve safety in their operation. 

Excellent, Dave. No, listen, we'd be very happy to, and we'd love to, and, one of the points that is so quick to consider; and, when they think about the Mighty Line tape for zebra crossings, is the reduced downtime. If we use paint, we have the downtime whilst we're grinding about the floor, we have the downtime whilst the paint's curing. Yes, there's some quicker cure rates on some paints, but often they give off a smell that's not acceptable within a level from a pollution point of view. 

But the speed of response that we can have, and obviously being a stockist, now, of Mighty Line here in UK, serving UK and Europe. Since we've held it in stock and we're distributing it to clients on next-day delivery, there's no excuse not to to have a safer site.

Yeah. And of course we've got a line of signs as well. I find myself, trying to think, gee, would I rather see a stop sign, or would I rather see a shark's tooth as I'm approaching the crosswalk? Sometimes both work. But you look at the opportunity in a warehouse, there's no excuse not to be able to put one down. And, you know, if you've got an issue, you can replace a part of it. But, for the most part, they've got durability, they're long-lasting. So, from a sustainability standpoint, I think they really hit the mark.

They certainly do. And the scale of size that you guys offer as well. What Mighty Line offers is fantastic. You know, some of those larger stop signs or warning signs, they make such an impact, and they're so clear and visible over against some of the smaller kind of 30-centimetre-diameter standard stickers we see often which don't have an anti- scuff laminate and they just wear off literally within days, if not weeks. Whereas the Mighty Line product, the signs that we've supplied, our clients have still got them there as clear as the day they went down, six months later.

That's a great point. We've done some durability testing on those signs, compared with others, and they always stand out on top for a lot of reasons, whether it's slip resistance, or whether it's durability, peel adhesion. All of those issues, I've been totally impressed with. Well, I'm going to let you have the last word here Damian. I appreciate you taking the time here on our Mighty Line Minute. 

Certainly looking forward to paying a visit back to Mighty Line headquarters there in America soon. But, great Dave, really enjoyed joining you today and looking forward to more episodes on this. 

Well thank you. And Damian, you have a great day. Look forward to seeing you on both sides of the pond, so you take care. 

You too, Dave. Thank you, and goodbye!

Cheers!