A BURY company has moved into the fast lane after clinching a USA contract worth one million dollars for its revolutionary road safety barrier system.

And bosses at Melba Products are confident they can command an even greater foothold in the lucrative American market for its innovative traffic management barricades.

The major order comes nine months after the Bury and Rochdale Old Road-based company manufactured the prototype of its new traffic management equipment.

Sales director, Mr Arnold Ashworth said: "It took us two years to develop this system and it has a huge potential."

The barriers are manufactured from recycled PVC as opposed to the traditional timber.

And the use of this material ensures greater safety when the barriers are erected at road work sites.

"The barricades do provide a vital visual deterrent at road works," stressed Mr Ashworth.

"These barriers break on impact. But if this happens, it doesn't damage the car windscreen or injure the driver or passengers. Overall, they do provide greater protection.

"Timber doesn't break. And if a car smashes into it, it will come through the windscreen and it's a good chance it will kill you."

Melba are manufacturing the traffic control system particularly for the American market.

Already, the business has shipped out five full containers of the product. "These have been transported in kit form to be assembled in the States," he added.

"If we'd built it whole, then the equipment wouldn't travel well. We send over each component and they will assemble it in whatever way they want.

"The equipment comes in various sizes and permutations, although the barriers themselves will be 5ft high."

Commenting on how the contract was achieved, Mr Ashworth explained: "We have an agent in the USA who found us a distributor.

"He saw the product and its potential for America. We lined up with the distributor, met up with everyone and discussed things before we started to make the prototype."

Because of regulations surrounding size and dimensions of such equipment, Melba's new system cannot be marketed in the UK.

"It's not acceptable in this country," continued Mr Ashworth. "The legislation here is different from the USA.

"In Britain, a barrier can't be over a metre high. So, our new equipment is really unique to the USA."

Despite the UK restrictions, and the possible implications of closed markets, Melba bosses don't see this as a drawback to realising the system's full sales potential.

"One American state alone spends something like 10 times the whole UK budget for road repairs.

"So, if we look at the size of the place, it will keep us busy for quite some time."

And Mr Ashworth disclosed: "With several outstanding orders on the books, and more on the way, this new design which was developed in Bury has a huge potential.

"With pre-tax profits of approximately £220,000 for last year, and exports now accounting for more than 20 per cent of all business, the future looks rosy."

The company, which also has a factory in Rochdale, is part of the London-based PVC Group.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.