We learn how Mega Fortris UK is bringing innovation to the logistics sector.

Mega Fortris opened for business in the UK in 2002 as a division of the Mega Fortis Group, a Malaysian company that is one of the largest manufacturers of security seals supplying the logistics,  food and beverage, chemical, pharmaceutical and retail industries, amongst others. In 2008, Mega Fortris launched a sister company, Fortris Load Secure, to sell load-securing equipment such as lashing systems while synergising with Mega Fortris’s own security seals products, particularly in the Mega Fortris-dominated drinks industry. This year both companies came together under one banner, creating a full-service solutions provider for the logistics sectors.

For example, if you’re shipping pallets in a container, we can supply the strapping for strapping down the pallets, dunnage bags or lashing to secure products in the container and a sensor which will monitor location, light, temperature, moisture and shock. We can then also offer a range of security seals to secure the outside of the container,” explains Keith Edgar, Managing Director of Mega Fortris UK. “We’re a full-service solutions provider offering a full range of products which is especially important where blue-chip companies are trying to reduce the number of vendors.”

“We’re supplying a full package for any logistic supply chain from start to finish,” adds Debbie Hardy, Mega Fortris UK’s National Sales Manager.

Mega Fortris UK boasts some big names among its customers, includes companies like Nestlé and DPD. The customers are drawn to Mega Fortris due to a number of factors, including the second-to-none level of customer service and a suite of advanced equipment that allows them to customise their products to individual customers’ needs, such as the bespoke security seals they can offer with their laser marking machines.

“As a group, we’re innovative, forward-thinking and invest in a lot of R&D at a group level.  This then enables us to offer  new products, new solutions and new systems,” Edgar explains. “our customers appreciate that we’re not standing still and we’re trying to develop the market on our own, not simply following trends.”

Indeed, Mega Fortris’s products are crafted to the highest standards, with innovative new ideas that are leading the way for others in the industry.

A Biodegradable Seal

To see how Mega Fortris works it’s worth taking a look at one of their more recent innovations, a biodegradable security seal. While the idea might sound counter-intuitive at first, the truth is it’s a product direly needed across a wide number of industries.

“Everyone’s a lot more conscious about plastic waste and the damage it’s doing globally, and a lot of companies are recognising that and coming under pressure to adopt a more sustainable approach,” Hardy tells us. “As they’re more environmentally conscious of the impact single-use plastic has, that comes into our area of responsibility because security seals are single-use plastic seals. So we’ve been finding a way to address that requirement. A lot of research and development has gone into developing an environmentally friendly solution.”

For Mega Fortris it was important not just to develop a biodegradable seal, but a range of biodegradable seals that would suit the needs of a wide range of clients and industries.

“That hadn’t been done before,” Hardy recalls. “We needed a range that didn’t compromise on shelf-life or quality. That took a lot of development and we came up with a range that didn’t compromise on those elements. The compostable plastic security seals can be biologically broken down into their base compound when in contact with naturally occurring microbes.”

Open to New Ideas

Of course, developing a product like this requires a team with a great deal of talent and expertise. Finding and nurturing talent is a cornerstone of Mega Fortis’s strategy, not just in research and development, but in every aspect of the business.

“We work with several recruiting agencies to identify talent and what we look for is someone who can grow with the company, not someone who finds a role and stays there,” Edgar says. “We invest in coaching, identifying talent within the company, often on a one to one basis, to nurture the talent we have and get the best out of people we can. We’re happy to reinvest money in expanding what people can do.”

To get the most out of its people it is absolutely essential that people feel their ideas will be listened to and considered, and this is an important aspect of Mega Fortris UK’s culture.

Hardy tells us, “We’re always open to new ideas and different ways of looking at things. People aren’t brought on board and made to stick within the current system.”

“We have an open approach where anyone can come to us and say anything,” says Debbie Wheaver, a Director at the company. “We don’t dictate how people work. If they have got better ideas, we’ll listen to them and take them on board if they’re feasible.”

Over the last year and a half, Mega Fortris UK has invested a six-figure sum in its UK production facility, installing new laser machines, better workstations, and improving working conditions. They’ve also invested in their staff, providing coaching and upgraded IT and CRM systems, as well as a new cloud-based phone system.

These new systems couldn’t have arrived at a better time, as nothing forces a business to consider “different ways of looking at things” like a global pandemic.

“We invested in a cloud-based phone system at just the right time,” Edgar admits. “Staff can go home, plug a phone into the router and it’s an extension of the office. So we could operate safely during COVID-19 without disrupting the customer experience, helping us get through the whole pandemic. The phone system made everything a lot easier. We have a lot of staff working from home now. We separated the production and office staff to create two bubbles. We’ve been extremely busy and a lot of our customers deal in healthcare and food and logistics, so we’re not letting customers down.”

Even in the midst of the pandemic, Mega Fortris UK has been showing healthy levels of organic growth this year. Edgar is in no doubt why this is the case.

“That is down to the employees, who continue to be our biggest asset,” Edgar tells us. “We’re only going to get bigger, in the future possibly through acquisitions. We’re not resting on our laurels.”