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bollard is a short post that prevents traffic from entering a certain area of land. These simple barriers have a variety of important applications. With the global bollard market thriving, several major players compete to dominate this market in 2017 and beyond.
Let’s take a look at the important role that bollards play in society and assess the market trends affecting the manufacture and supply of bollards.
Definition of a Bollard
At its most basic, a bollard is simply a post that blocks or guides traffic flow. However, many bollards have more advanced features that allow them to perform more than just this basic function. For example, decorative bollards change the appearance of an area. They may give information or display marketing materials to pedestrians in the area. Flexible bollards provide a visual guide for traffic to show drivers where to go but can bend in the event of a collision to prevent damage to vehicles or to the bollard itself. Meanwhile, removable bollards give site managers flexibility in how they use the space available to them.
Another important bollard type is retractable bollards, which are used to restrict areas or car parks to some drivers only. Automatic devices in the cars cause these bollards to go down to allow them to enter. Once all authorized vehicles are in, retractable bollards go back up to restrict access to the area.
Bollard Applications
Bollards perform an important role in security, as they can protect a sensitive area against intrusion by vehicles without disrupting the flow of pedestrians. Military bases and hospitals are two examples of sites that rely on bollards to keep traffic out of particular areas. Public transport hubs also use bollards to separate different types of traffic, such as vehicles and pedestrians. In Access Control applications, one advantage bollards have over other types of barriers is that they don’t obstruct passenger movement. By selecting the right bollards and spacing them in the right way, designers can ensure passengers with suitcases or trolleys can move freely.
Bollard Market Trends
The demand for bollards remains high in 2017. Reports show that the major players in the removable bollards market include Dawn Enterprises, Encore Commercial Products, Munico Corp, Reliance Foundry, Vestil and A Plus Warehouse. These important manufacturers will need to compete to retain their stakes in an important global market.
For more details about Motion Control Solutions in Access Control, read Increasing Safety and Security in Access Control Applications