a day because they can be cumbersome and lock up. We designed an easy-to-wear belt that keeps them safe and comfortable,” Wallen said. LifeGuard technology brings truck drivers some of the same advanced protection found on passenger vehicles. This includes seat belt systems, bunk restraints, frontal collision protection, and rollover protection systems. The Outdoor division of IMMI designs, manufactures and supplies tie-downs, straps and safety systems. It also designs products that protect boaters, professional fishermen, pets and cargo. For instance, the PetBuckle seat belt harness is the industry’s only automotive quality pet travel product designed to provide crash-tested safety.
Operations Director Steven Wallen and The Safeguard Booster Seat
The only one of its kind, Johnson says the innovative test facility has given IMMI opportunities to stay ahead of the competition, especially in rollover impact tests. “Because crash rollovers cause more injuries and deaths than any other type of accident, IMMI focuses on testing that uses a 90-degree dynamic rollover impact machine that accommodates large vehicles,” said Johnson. “Our competitors don’t have access to such advanced testing capabilities.”
Into the future, IMMI will continue to focus on sophisticated technology for heavy truck protection as well as child safety seats. Its main focus will remain injury prevention for drivers and finding the most qualified people to engineer new product development. “Safety and quality come first. That requires hiring the best people for the job,” Wallen added. “Our Christian mission includes treating everyone with respect, including employees and customers. This makes it easy to recruit the top people in our field.” v
All of the testing is performed with high-speed digital imagers, sophisticated test dummies and specialized data acquisition systems. Test events are recorded by still cameras so multiple views of crash tests can be observed. Customers have the opportunity to see firsthand how a product performs, and they can report the data results to their own companies immediately.
Heavy truck protection
LifeGuard, another vital IMMI division, protects nine out of ten truck drivers on the road by manufacturing hundreds of thousands of seat belt systems for heavy trucks yearly. The company began making seat belts for heavy trucks in the 1970s. Although drivers are not required to wear shoulder belts, IMMI designed a three-point lap and shoulder belt to keep them safe. “People who make their living driving trucks don’t like to wear shoulder and lap belts for 8- to 12-hours
18
December 08 • January 09/Hamilton County Business Magazine
The PetBuckle