The Bottom Line: Big Untapped Market in Plastic Fencing Accessories

104 million fence posts will be needed for plastic and composite fences in the United States alone in 2014, according to Freedonia Group research on fence demand and 10 foot spacing between posts.  Introducing this better way to fasten the fence to the post is a $41 million sales opportunity at only a 5% market penetration.  This volume would produce a gross margin of $29 million after cost of goods sold (GOGS), manufacturer's representative commission and royalties.  This product works as a line extension for a plastic-fence or steel T-post manufacturer, fencing supplier or as a stand-along company.

Faster & Better Way to Hang Plastic Fencing on Steel T-Posts

We see the ubiquitous bright safety-orange plastic-fencing protecting people from danger in our communities almost on a daily basis.  More and more barrior fencing is being used on construction sites, after natural disasters and at places where lots of people gather for special events.  Setting up the miles of this temporary fencing has become a business and there are enough such businesses that they have their own trade association.

Unless you are in the temporary fencing business, you have have not given much thought to how much time it takes to install and take-down the rolls and rolls of fencing.  These processes can be hard on the fencing and the workers hands.  So a clever inventor has found a better way to hang a fence on a fence poll that is easier to take down and does not damage the fencing in the process.   It's recent patent dryly calls it a "Fence Mounting Device".    Actually it revolutionizes the barrier fence industry by slashing labor costs and extending the number of times a roll of fencing can be reused.  This is green on a couple of levels.

The barrier sleeves fence hanger tubes can be left on the T-posts, ready for the next project.  They may be stored outdoors.  They may be shipped to users vertically in Gaylord boxes on pallets.  This makes logistics and storage easier.

 Plastic fence hung on steel T-posts with patented barrier sleeves

The Problem

The erection of a temporary fence, like one used at a construction site or carnival, can be an expensive and difficult task. It is frequently accomplished by installation of posts or some other mountable material, such as rebar, followed by the labor intensive task of manually attaching flexible barrier fencing to the posts via cables or ties, usually requiring special tools or equipment. When the temporary fence is no longer needed, the user normally dismantles it by tearing away the fencing material from the posts, creating tears in the fence where it was attached to the post. This process presents multiple efficiency problems. One problem is the fact that this method of installation requires a significant amount of manpower and time to erect the temporary fence, due to the requirement that the cable or ties must be individually installed. Additionally, this inefficient method requires destruction of the flexible barrier fencing in order to break down the temporary fence.

The present invention advances the art by providing a convenient means to install and dismantle a temporary flexible barrier fencing system. The invention allows ease of installation of the system which reduces the manpower required to erect such a fence. In addition, the invention is an improvement over the prior art due to the fact that no specialized tools are required for installation. Finally, the temporary fencing system of the disclosed invention can be efficiently dismantled while preserving the assembly for re-use at a later date.

The Solution

In its most general configuration, the present invention advances the state of the art with a variety of new capabilities and overcomes many of the shortcomings of prior methods in new and novel ways. In its most general sense, the present invention overcomes the shortcomings and limitations of the prior art in any of a number of generally effective configurations.

The fence mounting device of the present invention, called the fence-post sleeve, is designed to serve the purpose of allowing the user to quickly and easily erect a temporary fencing structure without the use of installation tools. The fence-post sleeve is designed to cooperate with a fence post. The fence-post sleeve may be either slid over and down a post from the top or, because the sleeve has a lengthwise longitudinal slit, the sleeve may be wrapped around the post.

The fence post sleeve has at least two barrier fence clips designed to grip and hold a section of flexible barrier fencing against the fence-post sleeve, and thus the fence post, but can be released later. The barrier fence clips can be oriented horizontally, vertically, or any other orientation.  The clips are tabs that fit into slots (created by the opening created by the tab).

In order to construct the fencing system, at least two fence posts are anchored in the ground or otherwise secured. Next, a fence-post sleeve is slid over or around each fence post. Finally, the flexible barrier fencing is temporarily connected to the fence-post sleeves by using the barrier fence clips, to create the temporary fencing system.

Business Opportunity

Contract manufacture and market this innovation to the thousands of temporary-fence contractors, utilities, excavation contractors, event managers, bike parks, ski resorts, and other markets.  Purchase the intellectual property for this product or lease it through payment of royalties on a sales or per unit basis.  A fresh patent, trademark, copyrights for marketing materials and punch dies to manufacture them.  The inventors will also share their supply chain relationships and product know-how with the innovative firm that grabs this opportunity. 

United States Patent  7,673,852  issued March 9, 2010.

Right, plastic fence holding sleeve on post.  Left, bare steel T-post.