Yu Cheol, chief executive of Caris, received the 2018 IRF Global R2T Conference & Expo Innovative Award in Las Vegas.
The award was for the South Korean company’s CG10 PVC-composite Guardrail. It has a honeycomb structure for increased strength and the elasticity needed to withstand high-speed vehicle impacts. The fluorescent material enables the guardrail to be seen in the dark and under low-light conditions.
The material – which contains no glass wool - does not change colour or fade after prolonged exposure to the sun.
One unit of the polyvinyl chloride-based guardrail weighs 28.2kg and can be installed at post intervals of 1.5-2m.
Caris Guardrail also produces the CG40 PVC Guardrail, a roller barrier system that is applied to a rapidly curved section of road. Similar to the CG10 PVC Guardrail, there is a fluorescent option for better vision at night.
The company has signed export deals with firms in Mongolia, Malaysia, Indonesia, China and the Philippines. It also has an exclusive deal worth about US$266 million with Egypt’s ministry of military production .
Caris later received the Innovation-promotion Award from South Korea’s ministry of trade, industry and energy. This was followed by the country’s top science award, the Jang Young-sil Award, from the Korea Industrial Technology Association, according to Korean media.
Caris Guardrail became the first firm to receive the Innovative Award in the guardrail segment from the 8781 Washington-based IRF Global last November.