Blackwoods tells Safe To Work how its head-to-toe safety offer continues to deliver value to its customers.
As Australia’s largest supplier of fit-for-function quality personal protective equipment and safety products, Blackwoods provides a complete single source safety solution to many industries – “Blackwoods Knows Safety”.
From the supply of safety product to eliminating operator and workplace risks, a culture of continuous improvement ensures Blackwoods remains at the forefront of meeting and exceeding customer needs whilst still delivering the highest level of protection.
Leveraging Blackwoods’ single source safety offer, customers are able to consolidate their personal protective equipment and safety product needs through a single source to simplify processes and drive efficiencies across their entire procurement to pay process.
Longstanding collaboration with world leading manufacturers, coupled with the Blackwoods global sourcing program, provides customers with early access to industry insights and innovation.
A proven safety specialist operating across a broad range of industries including mining, manufacturing, government, defence and automotive, Blackwoods meets each industry’s challenges and needs through its expertise, core range of products and customised and tailored solutions.
“We support our customers with a comprehensive product range, a group of well-trained account managers that call on them at a regular interval, and a group of national safety technical experts that they can draw on,” Sandra Alcock, national sales manager strategic mining, says.
Keeping people safe though collaboration
Notwithstanding the strength and breadth of the Blackwoods safety offer, collaborating with world leading manufacturers and customers is essential to the delivery of successful outcomes and ensuring a safe working environment.
Customer engagement, collaboration and listening to a customer’s needs are critical to determining and jointly implementing the right solution.
“Regular customer engagement,” “direct involvement in a customer’s business,” “understanding their challenges,” and “most importantly customer feedback”, are all key inputs in the national category management team determining the Blackwoods safety offer, Darren Gallagher, national category manager, says.
This proven approach “ensures you get the best outcome,” says Bob O’Hearn, national sales manager manufacturing.
Keeping people safe through innovation
With innovation at the forefront of safety product development, Blackwoods ensure its customers remain abreast of market and product developments.
In addition to developments by world leading manufacturers, the Blackwoods global sourcing program provides the flexibility to fulfil any gaps through Blackwoods’ own well-established and proven private label brands such as Workhorse, Prosafe and Tredlite.
As a rule, “Product improvements in quality and comfort through the ongoing advancement of technologies and materials used in safety products increases compliance in people. When people are prepared to use safety products, safety is improved,” Gallagher says.
Blackwoods’ safety culture
The Blackwoods safety offer and its commitment to support customers in delivering the safest work environment for their people is an extension of Blackwoods’ own safety culture.
Whether through a “safety share” before a customer meeting or during “interactions with our customers, we take time to share a safety moment or learning to ensure that it is always top of mind,” Alcock says.
“When you’re focused on safety, you’ll always have your operator as the number one priority and primary focus,” says O’Hearn.
“Safety is at the company’s core,” concludes Alcock.
This article also appears in the Oct–Dec edition of Safe to Work.