A View from The Driver’s Seat: Driving innovation
When visiting Orange County, NY last week, I had the opportunity to see the PolarFlex Snow Plow in person, and it reminded me why we became the authorized distributor for this system. For starters, I had a lot of fun with the team in the Town of Monroe.
Glen Abrams, President, in the driver’s seat
I was pleasantly surprised to find that the PolarFlex provides a comfortable ride. You may recall from my previous blog that I have logged over 1 million miles driving by car, so I’ve experienced a wide range of comfort (and discomfort) levels in my travels. Comfort is not the first thing I expected when I jumped into the driver’s seat of the PolarFlex Snow Plow truck, but the PolarFlex System utilizes rubber components, which absorb vibrations, making a comfortable ride for the operator. If you are tasked with plowing the streets of a city or town in a 30 hour snow storm, the last thing you need is your bones being jostled by a bumpy ride hour after hour! In addition to improving the life of the operator, this innovation also reduces wear and tear on the equipment, which as a result requires less maintenance. The Contour Response Technology (CRT) adjusts to road surfaces in real time and can dig into ruts to deliver a deeper clean. As a result of the CRT, less sand and salt are required, which reduces both costs and environmental impact.
Glenco has always prioritized environmental concerns, and PolarFlex aligns with that mission. In addition to minimizing salt and sand requirements, the components are 100% recyclable, and the system is quieter than the competition, reducing noise pollution.
Our sign shop also utilizes the latest digital printing technology. These innovative printer systems produce high-quality signs in a fraction of the time required by screen printing, and enable us to laminate every sign to ensure a long lifespan from the reflective sheeting. All signs and inks break down with UV exposure, but our innovative processes maximize a sign’s lasting visibility. Further, our innovative process adds a grafitti-proof layer to optimize durability.
Glenco was an early adopter of solar-powered products. As the efficiency and performance of solar panels have improved while costs have declined, acceptance of this green technology has expanded widely. As a result, we have added many innovative green products to our portfolio. Glenco has the ability to convert any system to solar power, and there are many applications for this in the traffic safety arena. Solar-powered LED signs are one such application; these signs significantly improve pedestrian and roadway safety, and have been proven to prevent traffic accidents. Feature options include a flashing 24/7 light, a dusk-to-dawn sensor, a motion detector for vehicles, and passive activation. These high-intensity LED lights increase effectiveness and visibility, improve driver response times during day and night time hours, and enhance safety at crosswalks, school zones, parks, playgrounds, malls and hospitals. We were proud to be on the cutting edge of these green-energy safety innovations.
Our In-Road Warning Light (IRWL) is another innovation that we embraced to advance traffic safety. This revolutionary product enables users to press a button to turn on flashing lights on both sides of the crosswalk. The system is installed below grade, which eliminates the issue of failure if snow plowing is delayed in winter months. (Although, if you are equipped with a PolarFlex, snow plowing is rarely a problem!) IRWL targets distracted drivers, including those using hands-free devices; such drivers have been shown to withdraw attention from the road, fail to notice events, vehicles, animals, or pedestrians in their path until it is too late. In addition, the proliferation of trucks and SUVS, which have larger blind spots, have contributed to more accidents and pedestrian fatalities. The IRWL system creates a barrier of bright flashing LED light directly into the driver’s sight line and captures their attention. Because the IRWL system is solar-powered, it reduces reliance on the electrical grid and remains fully operational during power outages.
As I power through the winter months, I’ve been contemplating innovation. Glenco has always embraced new technologies in everything from snow plow blade systems to solar-powered products. We strive to improve pedestrian and vehicular safety through quality and innovation.
Glenco will continue to strive for the safest, cleanest, greenest traffic safety and municipal supply products available on the market, and we will seek to partner with innovators and thought leaders in the industry such as the team at PolarFlex. Our sign shop technicians are always trained in the latest technology to deliver the best quality signs with the highest visibility and the longest lifespans. And while I will always prioritize innovation, efficiency, and modern methods of manufacturing, I will stay true to the founding principles that my father taught me when I started in this business, our core values of service, integrity and quality.
