Installation ArtInstallation InspirationInstallation GoogleLight InstallationsColorful InstallationInstallation CreatedCape TownUx/Ui DesignerDesigner PierreForwardThe rainbow room installation by pierre le riche-----Colorful love it woooooooooooow! this will be a COLORS officeThe loading dock and material handling industry has evolved significantly during the last fifty years and Blue Giant has been a part of that movement since 1963. By effectively identifying market trends and recognizing product development opportunities, Blue Giant has made strategic decisions that keep the company at the forefront of innovation. Today Blue Giant is a global leader in the development, manufacture and distribution of loading dock systems and material handling equipment, including dock levelers, ground-level lifts, vehicle restraints, touch controls, dock and door guards, door seals and shelters, and HVLS fans. Below are major milestones in our Blue Giant history, which outline the company’s ability to identify industry trends and needs and successfully accommodate them.

Blue Giant was founded on May 30, 1963 by Kurt Larsen, and quickly became a leading manufacturer of dock levelers and hand pallet trucks. Blue Giant customer base expanded so rapidly that new product offerings (electric pallet trucks and stackers, dock lifts, and scissor lifts) were introduced to supply the growing demand. chambray blackout curtainsLicensee partnerships in Australia and South Africa resulted in Blue Giant dominating the market in both countries.blue dotty blackout curtains Blue Giant primary manufacturing location in Brampton, Ontario, was expanded from 35,000 to 100,000 square feet to handle the large influx of orders. avocado green grommet curtains

In 1985 the company signaled its future focus on product innovation by introducing the TL85, the first non-impact vehicle restraint, to the North American market. Blue Giant global presence expanded with licensee partnerships in Mexico and Southeast Asia. lloyd ryan curtains athertonDemand for Blue Giant product resulted in high-volume sales, such as the order placed by the Singapore Port Authority for 309 mechanical dock levelers. curtain fabric shop matlockOn the material handling front, the company redesigned its industrial truck line to include ergonomic handles and a sleeker, more maneuverable body. ready made curtains algarveThe new trucks were easier to use and more compatible with tight spaces, making them a standard feature in busy warehouses and logistics centres.chris hutchings curtains

The new millennium has witnessed tremendous growth in new product development. In 2001 Blue Giant introduced the XDS Extra Dock Safety Series, the only 2-in-1 interlocked dock system that lowered the risk of forklift run-off and overhead door damage. More innovations rapidly followed: the micro-processor-based Blue Genius™ Touch Control Panel, which revolutionized ‘smart’ control technology; the StrongArm™ SVR303 vehicle restraint, whose patented technology and trusted performance made it a winner in Plant Engineering’s Product of the Year competition in 2009 and the U-Series dock leveler platform, which reduces deck fatigue by enabling a better distributed load. Blue Giant continues to expand its product line and global presence. Stocking locations have been opened all over North America, providing customers with quick and cost-effective access to parts and equipment. In 2011, the company entered into a strategic partnership with Big Lift LLC to exclusively distribute the Big Joe brand of AC-powered industrial trucks in Canada.

In 2012, Blue Giant launched the StrongArm™ HVR303 electric vehicle restraint and the Air Cylinder Series, the industry’s first air cylinder dock equipment system. Both products are environmentally sustainable, indicating the company’s ongoing support for green building practices and initiatives. In January Blue Giant launched its U.S. operation, Blue Giant LLC, and opened a new manufacturing facility in Greensboro, North Carolina. This new location focuses on the manufacturing and distribution of the company’s growing line of innovative dock seals and shelters, which includes fixed and inflatable seals, stationary and retractable truck shelters, full access seals, and rain shrouds. In September Blue Giant launched a premium-level Blue Genius™ that incorporates all of the powerful features of the Gold Series, but offers expanded equipment functionality. The momentum has continued throughout 2014. The company Industrial Truck and Aftermarket portfolios have grown thanks to the addition of several exciting new offerings, and in November Blue Giant launched the VL Vertical Storing Dock Leveler, a next-generation model with unique features that add greater levels of safety and versatility to dock operations.

“Our fifty-year track record as the premier dock equipment solutions provider has earned us a worldwide customer base and a solid place at the forefront of the industry,” says Jeff Miller, Vice President of Sales and Marketing. “By ensuring that our dock equipment technology continues to evolve, we as a company will always be able to offer loading dock solutions that match all applications and site requirements.” Blue Giant products are designed, manufactured and tested to stringent quality assurance standards. Blue Giant has memberships in several associations and directories, listed below are some industry links to organizations that deal with construction and material handling needs. DIODE PID with MINOR DIODE S with MINOR LABOR S with connection box LABOR S with MINOR UNIROOF E 40 mm TRIAC DRIVE AT with guiding helpCOBA International, the parent company of COBA Europe Ltd, is delighted to announce further expansion in South Africa, following the acquisition of Matco, a long-established and very successful matting and flooring business based in Johannesburg.  

It perfectly complements our growing COBA Plastics (Pty) Ltd matting business in Cape Town and represents some exciting potential for both companies.Matco is a business that has been owned by two generations of the Bertz family for nearly 40 years.Today it is a leading manufacturer and supplier of entrance matting, workplace safety matting and other commercial flooring and floor safety products.  Matco has a comprehensive offering that bears a great similarity to COBA’s matting range, as well as an expertise in the customised logo matting market and some specialist floor product solutions.As such, there is an ideal synergy between COBA Plastics (Pty) Ltd and Matco. The two businesses will operate alongside one another, yet trade independently, from their respective locations in Cape Town and Johannesburg.Strategically, this acquisition enables COBA to extend its geographic reach as well as enhancing our product offering to matting and flooring customers throughout South Africa.  We can now efficiently supply customers from the North West of the region via Johannesburg, right through to the Western Cape from our established COBA matting business in Cape Town.Matco will continue to trade under its current name as part of the COBA International group, without any changes to its management or its employees, with a “business as usual” approach.

Nicole Herron, daughter of the company founder, Hans Joachim Bertz, retains her position as Managing Director of Matco.“We totally embrace this acquisition and we are confident that we share the same core values.  We are immensely proud of Matco’s history, its success and its innovation in the matting market place. We now feel the time is right for Matco to have even greater opportunities and as part of COBA International, we have access to exceptional resources which will only enhance our product offering and the service we provide our customers.  Under COBA ownership, Matco is in very safe, experienced hands,” says Nicole Herron, Managing Director –MatcoMark Cooke, CEO of COBA International comments, “We are delighted to welcome Matco to the COBA International group. We have been impressed by Matco, its people, and its products.  It is the perfect fit alongside our COBA matting business in Cape Town.  This is yet another significant strategic acquisition for COBA International which maps out an exciting new phase for our matting business in South Africa, and the COBA group as a whole.”