Pioneering mailbox manufacturer that markets globally joins Secured by Design
A market-leading British manufacturer that has designed and developed more than 180 different models of mailboxes for commercial and domestic purposes around the world, has joined Secured by Design (SBD), the official police security initiative.
The Safety Letterbox Company, which is based in Neath, South Wales, produces a wide range of mailbox and parcelbox solutions for individual household use and in multiple banked configurations for luxury apartments, student facilities, retailers and major corporate organisations, including temperature-controlled Click & Collect solutions.
The company, which is part of the RENZ Group, joined SBD in December 2020 and already has one of its products – the ‘SLB 2020 V Letterbox’ – accredited by SBD for its capability to deter and reduce crime.
This is important as it means the product has been recognised by the Police Service for having achieved Police Preferred Specification after going through a rigorous process of security testing to receive Certisecure certification for attaining the Door and Hardware Federation (DHF) Technical Standard 009 (TS009) for letterboxes where mail is retrieved from the same side as it is delivered.
The Safety Letterbox Company started in 1986 with the launch of its first mailbox product Homeguard, which fits to the rear of a front door and can be fitted with a fire extinguisher to protect the home and its residents. It remains a popular product. Throughout numerous product launches over the years, one has stood out as a firm favourite among domestic customers: the Flaplock. Launched in 2008, the Flaplock can be locked at night or closed off to address the risk of theft and arson. It has proved a success with police and fire services as well as individual households and housing associations around the UK.
A key part of the business has been research and development, and over the years the company has produced a comprehensive range of mail and parcel delivery products for internal and external use, including wall-mounted, recessed and through-the-wall solutions as well as freestanding boxes. These include fire-rated mailboxes with various locking options and other high specification products. They also offer a fully bespoke service which can incorporate the use of multiple finishes and materials.
Alison Orrells, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, joined The Safety Letterbox Company in 1999 and successfully charted a course through one of the country’s deepest recessions to further extend the product range and establish new marketplaces, including gaining international exposure.
Today, the company is in a strong trading position, supported by its loyal workforce. They form part of the RENZ Group, Europe’s leading mail and parcel box manufacturers, with manufacturing bases in France, Germany, UK and Poland. SLB continually invests in research and development, and innovation, to push the boundaries in mail and parcel delivery.
Alison said: “Over the past 35 years, we have built a strong reputation in the market as a quality British manufacturer supplying many diverse business and community sectors in the UK and worldwide. Our business is built on putting customers first with producing high quality products and we aim to offer exemplary service to every customer regardless of whether our products are for an individual household or large organisations.
“Providing products that keep people safe is of increasing importance and this is reflected in our new association with Secured by Design. Our products are specification-driven, and innovation and further investment is essential to the ethos of our business,” said Alison, who has won many growth, expansion, leadership and innovation awards and was latterly awarded Swansea Bay Business Woman of the Year 2017. The company is ISO 9001:2015 and Investor in People accredited.
Hazel Goss, Development Officer, SBD, said: “I am delighted that The Safety Letterbox Company has joined Secured by Design and is a major player in letterbox and mailbox security. I am looking forward to working with the company as their Development Officer and hopefully for many more years to come.”
SBD has a series of authoritative Design Guides to assist the design and construction industry to incorporate crime prevention measures into developments to comply with the Building Regulations in England, Scotland and Wales and meet the requirements of SBD.
These Guides are used by ‘Designing Out Crime Officers’ – police officers and police staff based in police stations around the UK – who work with architects, developers and local authority planners to build in security into new developments in many building sectors including residential, education, health, sport, leisure as well as retail, business, commercial and industrial. The Guides are updated to keep pace with changing patterns of criminal behaviour and advances in building design and new technology.
In its Design Guide, Homes 2019, SBD ‘strongly recommends’ mail delivery via a secure external letterbox or surface mounted letterbox that meets the requirements of the DHF TS009 standard to address crime-related issues with letter plate apertures, including arson, lock manipulation and ‘fishing’ for items, such as vehicle and house keys. The same standard is also referenced in SBD’s Commercial Developments 2015 Guide.
Contact: The Safety Letterbox Company
Tel: 01639 633 525
Email:
Web: www.safetyletterbox.com