The first – KarabloK installation process – uses computer generated images with subtitles show sequentially how a barrier is easily and quickly assembled with the individual units locked in place by 30mm bars, bungs and nuts.
Fitted bags are then added to the centre of each unit and filled with ballast material, then simply sealed with Velcro fastenings. Smaller bags fit between the units.
And the barrier can even be given a softened appearance with plants growing from the top.
The second video – KarabloK installed with security fencing – not only shows how KarabloK units fit together but also takes the process further.
It shows how baseplates are easily fitted to the top layer. Steel posts are then attached to these and security mesh fence panels are attached to the posts.
Between them, the two videos demonstrate how easy and quick the assembly process is and show the versatility of the KarabloK system.
Another terrorist truck attack, like the one that unfolded in Nice on Bastille Day, could be averted if proper road blocks, such as the KarabloK hostile vehicle mitigation system, were deployed.
Gareth Neale, Director of KarabloK, said: “If we want to live in a free and open society we can never remove all the risks but we can minimise them and the KarabloK system is really effective way of stopping lorry attacks.”
The KarabloK hostile vehicle mitigation system stops a 7.5 tonne truck travelling at 50mph in its tracks in a MIRA test
As the crowd enjoyed festivities on Nice’s Promenade des Anglais on July 14, Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel deliberately drove a truck through them, leaving 84 people dead and more than 300 injured.
“Trucks are easy to get hold of – Lahouaiej-Bouhlel had apparently hired the truck he used – and if someone is intent on attacking a crowd of people, they can be a dangerous weapon,” said Gareth.
“There’s little we can do to stop people getting hold of trucks but we can protect key locations by stopping them entering.
“In Nice the authorities were already trying to protect people by deploying temporary barriers and stationing police cars next to them. But these were only designed to direct traffic away from the pedestrianised area rather than stop a truck crashing through.
“A KarabloK barrier, however, is designed to stop lorry attacks. It’s what the security industry call a ‘hostile vehicle mitigation system’. It’s made up of large individual precast concrete blocks which are filled with ballast, such as hardcore, and pinned together with a unique coupling system.
“And its key characteristics make it the obvious choice for protecting public events, such as the Bastille Day celebrations in Nice.”
The blocks need no foundations and do not need pinning to the ground. They can be deployed quickly before an event and removed again just as quickly afterwards. And the individual blocks can be stored and reused.
KarabloK is the only precast concrete barrier system in the world that is certified for an impact load of 7.6 tonnes (17,000lb) at 50mph.
Blocks can be mounted in multiple layers and the system can be used to protect against explosions –in some parts of the world truck-bombs are all too common.
“It’s also important not to make our public places look like concrete fortresses, so KarabloKs have been designed to look good too,” said Gareth.
“They come in a range of high-quality finishes and you can even have plants growing out of the top of them.
“The truck used in Nice was 19 tonnes. The standards tests we passed didn’t use a vehicle of that size but we know that just a single layer of KarabloKs will stop a 7.5 tonne truck travelling at 50mph in its tracks. The truck actually disintegrates while the KarabloK barrier remains intact.
“To protect events, such as the Bastille Day celebrations, the blocks could have been deployed either as barriers across the whole road or perhaps as a two shorter, staggered barriers producing a chicane to stop larger vehicles while allowing smaller ones to pass slowly through. And you could even put a gateway in the barrier to allow pedestrians through.
“Obviously, it’s too late for the people of Nice but we can learn from the tragedy that unfolded there.
“It would not require many blocks to seal roads like those around the Promenade des Anglais. Using a crane, they could be deployed wherever the authorities wanted them for any particular event in a matter of hours and the system wouldn’t be expensive.
“Terrorism is not going to go away. Public events are always going to be a target and, as the tragedy in Nice all to clearly demonstrates, lorries are an obvious weapon. But if we can minimise the risks they pose, surely that’s a good thing.”
A new pan-African subsidiary – KarabloK Africa – has been set up to run the licensing system of the precast concrete security barrier and it is already looking for commercial partners.
A new American subsidiary – KarabloK USA – has been set up to run the licensing of the blast-proof, crash-proof security barrier.
The company will deal with all aspects of licensing for the manufacture, sale and installation of product in North America and is a subsidiary of KarabloK Holdings, based in the UK.
The innovative precast concrete system was launched at the World of Concrete trade show in Las Vegas in February.
It has applications in both the military and security sectors as an anti-terrorist barrier and also in industry to protect personnel and property from explosions.
KarabloK director Gareth Neale said: “We are currently in negotiations with several precast manufacturers and suppliers in different parts of America and the establishment of KarabloK USA helps create the legal structure to enable the licensing of the product to run smoothly.”
KarabloK is delighted to announce that it has joined the National Precast Concrete Association (NPCA), the premier organisation for precast concrete manufacturers and suppliers in the USA,
The NPCA has been serving the industry since 1965, providing members with all they need to run a successful precast operation, including a comprehensive plant certification program which is accredited by the American National Standards Institute.
KarabloK director Gareth Neale said: “We’re delighted to join the National Precast Concrete Association which fits the profile of KarabloK perfectly.
“This long-standing organisation adheres to the core values of integrity, collaboration, advancement, service and communication which are the pillars of our business too.
“I believe the organisation will help us enormously in establishing KarabloK’s presence in the United States and I hope we can contribute to NPCA activity too.”
Directors of the new blast-proof, crash-proof anti-terrorist barrier — KarabloK — have confirmed huge interest in their product at the World of Concrete (WOC) trade show in Las Vegas.
The innovative precast concrete system drew the attention of both delegates and the media when it was unveiled at the show.
KarabloK director Gareth Neale said: “The show was excellent for us. The response was much greater than we could have ever hoped for.
“We came here from the UK to introduce our new product to North American markets and find precast businesses that we could licence to manufacture, sell and install this product.
“We’ve come away with meetings and facility visits planned with several businesses in different parts of the United States. They spent a lot of time asking all the right questions and went away full of enthusiasm.
“Interestingly, some were more interested in the anti-terrorist applications of the product and others in the industrial applications.
“In addition to these, we also had serious enquiries from Australia and from the Middle East – both from businesses interested in becoming licensees and from others looking at their own installation requirements.
“It will take us a while to process all the enquiries but we’ll be back in the USA in the next few weeks to consolidate agreements before putting the legal aspects of our commercial activities together.
“Thanks again to everyone at WOC; the show certainly worked for us.”
A new blast-proof, crash-proof anti-terrorist barrier — KarabloK — has been globally launched at the World of Concrete trade show in Las Vegas.
The modular, precast concrete system can be quickly assembled to form a durable and effective security barrier around strategic locations, such as convention centres, airports and industrial plants.
KarabloK is also visually pleasing, making it suitable for a range of applications where appearance is important too, such as around government buildings and hotels hosting international summits.
The patented KarabloK system is made of large transportable concrete units that can be positioned either permanently or temporarily without any foundations or ground-fixing required. Typically, operators can expect to install around 100m (110 yards) per day.
Units can be removed with cranes and trucks once they are no longer needed and can be reused elsewhere.
The system is not only quicker to install than many other security barrier systems but also more cost-effective too.
KarabloK Director Gareth Neale said: “The KarabloK system can be easily manufactured and sold all over the world. It provides a highly effective anti-terrorist barrier which is quick to deploy, quick to remove and looks good too.
“Individual units have been put through standard NATO tests and shown to provide ballistic protection from multiple strikes of 30mm HE Cannon round and fragmentation protection from both medium-sized indirect fire (IDF) munitions and RPG shaped charge rounds.
“When connected together using their unique coupling system, the overall structural integrity provides effective protection against terrorist truck bomb attacks and large blasts. It has been successfully tested against the impact of 7.6 tonne truck at 50mph (80kmph). The truck disintegrated — not the KarabloK wall.”
Two specially designed jointing bars lock the two units together through the KarabloKs internal reinforcement cage. The spacing bungs provide the barrier with the flexibility to enable it to withstand large blast and impact forces.
Security fences can be mounted on top of the barrier and security gates can be fitted within it. It comes in a range of factory finishes.
KarabloK Holdings is the sole distributor and installer of the KarabloK system in the UK and Republic of Ireland but the company is looking for partners in other parts of the world.
