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Trident Solutions, Inc. (“Trident”) of Sherman, TX, would like to announce the acquisition of LEM Products Inc. (“LEM”). The acquisition closed on December 17th, 2021. River Associates and Trident worked diligently to complete the transaction in just under two months. Terms of the transaction are not being disclosed.

LEM is a Pennsylvania-based manufacturer of industrial identification products, including labels, tags, markers, decals, and signage. Founded in 1969, LEM’s products are used in a wide variety of end markets, including Electric, Power and Renewable Energy, OEM, Security, and Government. LEM will retain its current name and will continue operations, and support services at the manufacturing facility in Montgomeryville, PA.

“Trident is pleased to announce its recent acquisition of LEM Products,” said Lisa McGregor, CEO of Presco. “The addition of LEM is entirely aligned with Trident’s vision to become a leading source for safety marking, identification, and damage prevention solutions in the infrastructure, construction, and OEM markets. With its vertical integration, LEM brings a broad line of innovative products and manufacturing capabilities. The addition of LEM will provide Trident’s customers with a broader range of safety marking and identification solutions while expanding Trident’s geographical presence . The family of Trident of companies is looking forward to serving existing and new customers with the expanded products and manufacturing capabilities.”

“The team at LEM Products Inc. is thrilled at the opportunity to join the Trident family,” commented Maureen O’Connor, CEO, and President of LEM. “I am confident that this merger of two entities will continue to support our mission to provide our customers with unique industrial identification solutions and safeguard the level of excellence our customers have been accustomed to. This is not a step we take lightly, and we are eager for the next chapter of innovation and excellence with Trident.”

Together with its platform company, Presco Polymers Opco, and previous acquisition of Pro-Line Safety Products (Pro-Line), William Frick (Frick), and Rhino Protection & Marking Systems (Rhino), Trident is a manufacturing based solutions provider of safety and requirements markings, identification and damage prevention products to infrastructure, construction, and OEM markets. The addition of LEM to the Trident family further supports a leading safety marking and identification products platform with superior scale and capabilities, improving Trident’s ability to serve as a “one-stop-shop” for these products with its customer base.

Formed in 1943, the platform company of Trident, Presco Polymers, manufactures safety marking products along with extruded engineered films and laminated products in a manufacturing facility in Sherman, TX. Pro-Line manufactures tracer wire and safety marking products, including detectable and non-detectable tapes for underground marking and locating. William Frick is a manufacturer and value-add reseller of specialty labeling and marking products. Rhino manufactures marker posts and other related damage prevention products, including surface markers, decals, and signage to a wide variety of end markets.

Trident’s management team continues to seek complementary strategic acquisition partners. Trident Solutions is a portfolio company of River Associates Investments, a longstanding lower middle-market private equity firm based in Chattanooga, TN.

Presco Polymers Opco, Inc. (“Presco”) announced the formation of “Trident Solutions” to better represent its expanded portfolio of companies. The recent acquisition of Pro-line Safety Products, William Frick & Co., and Rhino Marking & Protection Systems, combined with the Presco Marking Products and Presco Engineered Films businesses, collectively form Trident Solutions.

Trident Solutions is a total solutions provider for safety identification and damage prevention products. Currently, Trident Solutions comprises four strong positioned industry leaders who are well respected in their marketplace(s). The creation of Trident Solutions will not impact the use of the current individual company names or functions. Branding efforts of the four companies will continue in conjunction with Trident Solutions.

“The companies that make-up Trident Solutions each have a powerful name in the industry, and we don’t want to do anything to take away from the brands,” said Clayton Chancy, Director of Marketing at Presco. “We created the name Trident Solutions as an umbrella brand that will be used to reference all companies in the expanded portfolio. We will continue to grow each company brand in addition to the Trident Solutions trademark.”

“Trident Solutions was created as an overarching parent brand to represent the combined products and services from existing, well-positioned and respected brand offerings inherent at each of the portfolio companies,” said Lisa McGregor, CEO of Trident Solutions. “The intention is to promote the growth of the combined entities through a synergistic cross-selling, product and market expansion approach while maintaining a solid connection and unified direction within the expanded team members.”

Formed in 1943, Presco manufactures safety marking products and extruded engineered films and laminated products in two dedicated manufacturing facilities in Sherman, Texas. These facilities house custom compounding and extrusion lines and over twenty custom stake flag and tape converting lines for Safety Marking Products. Pro-Line, a late 2019 Presco acquisition, manufactures tracer wire and safety marking products, including detectable and non-detectable tapes for underground marking and locating. William Frick, a late 2020 acquisition, is a manufacturer and value-added reseller of specialty labeling and marking products for the utility, OEM, aerospace, logistics, and asset management industries. Rhino, an early 2021 acquisition, is a Minnesota-based manufacturer of marker posts and related damage prevention products, including surface markers, decals, and signage.

For more details on Trident Solutions, you can visit, www.TridentProducts.com

Presco’s management team continues to seek complementary strategic acquisition partners for the company. Presco is a portfolio company of River Associates Investments, a longstanding lower middle-market private equity firm based in Chattanooga, Tenn.

William Frick & Company is one of the Nation’s most trusted suppliers for customized safety signs and labels within the utility and telecom, healthcare, OEM, and warehouse industries. By adequately labeling potential hazards in and around the workplace, you are not only saving lives, but you are significantly reducing the number of lawsuits, workman’s compensation claims, and ultimately the impact on your bottom line. Of course, as the adage goes, “not all products are created equal,” so let’s take a peek at what sets William Frick’s Weathertuff ™ weatherproof labels apart from the competition.

What are Weathertuff ™ Weatherproof labels?

Have you ever been taking a casual stroll through your neighborhood and noticed that the transformer box at the end of the road had been outfitted with a large label indicating the potential safety hazards associated with tampering with that big green box? This is just one way that Weathertuff ™ labels can be used to eliminate potential mishandling in everyday life. Like this particular instance, labels like these are used to outline hazards associated with heavy machinery, nuclear power facilities, chemical processing plants, and manufacturing industries.

Why should I choose Weathertuff ™ weatherproof labels for my business needs?

William Frick’s weatherproof labels stand out in all areas of quality, performance, and endurance. These labels go through extensive real-time climate and laboratory evaluations to test for abrasion resistance, UV exposure, waterproofing, hazardous climate shifts, and chemical resilience. As a result, waterproof labels are great for products and projects that require durability and moisture protection. Equipped with high-performance, permanent adhesive backing, these labels can hold up to a wide range of outdoor climates and weather conditions.

OSHA has updated the requirements for labeling hazardous chemicals under its Hazard Communication Standard (HCS). All labels are required to have pictograms, a signal word, hazard and precautionary statements, the product identifier, and supplier identification. (source: www.osha.gov)

Can I customize my Weathertuff ™ weatherproof labels?

Absolutely! Our water-resistant labels are available in a variety of colors, shapes, and sizes. Additionally, each outdoor label can be enhanced with fixed or variable data such as barcodes, QR codes, serialization, and RFID. Want to put your company’s logo and phone number on your weatherproof label? Not a problem, reach out to customers by utilizing William Frick’s customization options.

Outdoor Labels and signage are some of the simplest solutions to many potential safety pitfalls in industrial applications. However, don’t place your bets on a label that hasn’t been tested to withstand the elements. As a trusted supplier to OEM’s, logistics, and telecommunications industries, William Frick knows that proper safety identification saves lives and promotes a safety-oriented mindset among your employees. Visit us online to request a free sample booklet, or to try out our Weathertuff ™ Selection tool, to find out what type of weatherproof label would best suit your next project.

April is National 811 Month while August, 11th is National 811 Day. Help spread awareness by always marking your utilities to help save money on repairs and prevent disrupted utility services and/or serious injury or death to anyone who may accidentally dig into your utility line.

Mark underground utilities with APWA color coded markers printed with the 811 Call Before You Dig logo and your company contact information. This informs anyone digging in the area that your utility line is located below and they should call 811 one call before working on the project.

The following products are great for marking your utilities. Each marker has multiple unique benefits and use cases. All markers are APWA color coded (see chart below) and customizable with your name, logo, contact information and 811 logo.

• DomedPost® Utility Markers
• FlexPost® Utility Markers
• TestPost® Utility Markers
• Flush Mount Soil Markers
• Curb Markers
• Marking Flags

It’s important to continually promote 811 one call all year long help to save money from unplanned repairs and prevent disrupted utility services. Get your free hard hat label to promote 811 every day, and remember, always call 811 one call a few days before you dig.

APWA Uniform Color Codes:

Color	Underground Utility Mains
Orange	Telecommunications Utility: alarm or signal lines, fiber optic cables, or conduit
Red	Electric Utility: electrical power lines, cables or conduit, and lighting cables
Yellow	Oil & Natural Gas Utilities: oil, steam, petroleum, or other gaseous or flammable material
Blue	Water Utility: potable water
Green	Wastewater Utility: sewage and drain lines
Pink	Temporary Surveys
White	Proposed excavation limits or route

The 811 Logo is a registered trademark of the Common Ground Alliance.

Asset Tags

Quickly identify, locate, manage, inventory and prevent theft of assets with asset tags. Asset tags are used to mark anything from tiny tools to large pieces of equipment in industries spanning from education to manufacturing and everywhere in between. They contain various types of information including branding, text, barcodes and serial data. Custom asset tags are available in a variety of colors, finishes, shapes and sizes.

Metal Asset Tags

Metal asset tags are great for when asset labels and plastic tags won’t do the job. They are more durable than labels and perfect for harsh environments including extreme temperatures, heavy abrasion, and UV and chemical exposure. Metal asset tags are typically printed, embossed or etched on the surface of the tag.

Stainless Steel Asset Tags

Stainless Steel Asset Tags are the most common metal asset tag. They are corrosion resistant and great for ultimate harsh environment durability. Their embossed or etched graphics stay legible for 20+ years. These tags are weather, chemical and abrasion resistant. Stainless steel asset tags are typically heavier than aluminum asset tags, giving them extra strength and durability. They are great for applications with frequent cleanings of strong chemicals such as food processing, healthcare and labs.

Aluminum Asset Tags

Aluminum asset tags do not rust or corrode. They are most often used in manufacturing and utility industries. These tags can be anodized to seal in the graphics to provide long lasting features that stand up to abrasion, UV, chemicals and outdoor exposure.

Photo Anodized Aluminum Asset Tags

Photo anodized aluminum asset tags are the most durable aluminum asset tag option, standing up to even the toughest conditions. The photo anodized process seals the print below the surface, providing ultimate protection from corrosion, abrasion, UV, extreme temperatures and chemicals. The black print is crisp, fade and wear resistant and lasts 20+ years in harsh environments. These tags are great for variable and serialized information.

Zinc Asset Tags

Zinc asset tags offer super deep etching for high definition and detailed graphics. These decorative asset tags are offered in a variety of finishes and great for logos and branding products.

Asset Tag Labels

Asset tag labels, like metal asset tags, offer a large variety of options. There is an assortment of permanent and removable adhesives to choose from including high and low surface energy options to ensure the labels will stick to any asset. Using reflective material adds night time visibility and increases the read range of barcodes. Asset tag labels are great for indoor and general use applications.

Tamper Proof Asset Tags

When employees know their workplace keeps close track of certain assets, they are less likely to steal them. Tamper proof asset tags are nearly impossible to remove, breaking apart when removal is attempted. They can also leave VOID messages on the asset to easily identify if assets have been tampered with. Tamper proof asset labels are great for high value assets such as laptops, monitors, computers, printers and other electronic devices.

Asset Tag Ties

Not every application will be suitable for metal asset tags or labels; however, that doesn’t mean those assets shouldn’t be tagged and tracked. Asset tag ties are great for applications where other options will not work. These tags easily attach and hang from the asset using a zip tie, string, twist tie, etc., making them easy to identify, track and reuse if an asset is updated.

RFID Asset Tags

RFID asset tags work much like barcode asset tags. RFID chips can be easily scanned with a mobile device or RFID reader depending on the type of chip used. RFID asset tags provide many benefits over barcode asset tags including reading multiple asset tags at once, saving time on inventory and locating assets; increasing read ranges, allowing tags to be read from up to 100+ feet; and additional security with data encryption and the inability to reproduce or copy the label or tag.

Asset Tracking System

Asset tags can be easily read by the human eye or tracked using an asset tracking system. An asset tracking system can track and manage all assets’ data in one location. This helps save time taking inventory and locating assets. Asset tracking systems also help monitor and manage equipment usage, as well as their maintenance and repair schedules and records. To easily implement an asset tracking system, it is important to incorporate QR codes, barcodes or RFID chips in the asset tag. These technologies allow for quick scanning of assets to upload the data into the system instead of manual entry.

Conclusion

Asset tags have many benefits including quick and easy identification, locating, inventory management and theft prevention. Every application, like every asset tag is unique in its own way. No matter the asset tag, metal or label, the attachment method, size, shape, color, image, text, barcodes and serial numbers can all be tailored to create your own custom asset tag.

As schools have been slowly coming back to in-person learning others are still staying virtual. On February 12, 2021, the CDC released their proposed phased mitigation plan to reopen K-12 schools.

Schools are such an important part of our community. They provide a safe and supportive learning environment for students, jobs for teachers, support staff, and other essential roles to run a school, as well as allow parents and guardians to work to support their families.

The CDC states: “It Is critical for schools to open as safely and as soon as possible, and remain open to achieve the benefits of in-person learning and key support services.”

Operational Strategy Guidelines

The operational strategy presents a guideline to safely reopen schools through mitigation strategies to help protect students and staff. These strategies include:

• Universal and correct use of masks
• Social distancing
• Handwashing and hygiene etiquette
• Cleaning and maintaining a healthy facility
• Contact tracing and quarantining   

The CDC recommends prioritizing the strategies of both the universal and correct use of masks and social distancing of at least 6 feet, although consistently and correctly following these strategies has shown a decrease in risk and slowing the spread of COVID-19 in schools.

Let’s dive in to a few of these strategies:

Social Distancing

The CDC recommends promoting and keeping a distance of at least 6 feet between all students, staff and visitors. This can help not only provide protection, but also minimize risk of exposure and limit the number of close contacts.

Using guides and reminders like floor labels and arrows help promote social distancing and reduce crowding. If the area is often mopped and cleaned, using anti-slip material might help with other safety concerns. Be sure to find labels that adhere to various floorings like tile and carpet to ensure the labels can be used throughout your common areas, reception desk, front office, hallways, gyms and classrooms.

Handwashing Etiquette

It is important to not only teach, but reinforce proper handwashing etiquette. Adding handwashing signs in bathrooms, lounges and kitchen areas to remind students and staff to wash their hands as well as how to properly do so can help reduce the spread of germs in your school.

Cleaning and Maintaining a Healthy Facility

It is imperative to routinely and consistently clean high-touch surfaces such as doorknobs, hand rails and light switches within a school and on school buses as much as possible.

Using antimicrobial film that contains an antimicrobial agent to protect it against bacteria, old, mildew and fungi is great for high contact surfaces.  

Pairing the film with a system that constantly reminds you when, what and where to clean as well as provides proper procedures to clean each area can help reduce the spread of germs and keep your staff on a routine cleaning schedule.

Conclusion

All-in-all, more and more schools will be reopening to students and staff. Keep your school and community safe by doing your part to slow the risk of spreading COVID-19.

As more research is conducted and new finding are brought to fruition on COVID-19, education, guidance and recommendations will be updated by the CDC.