Historic Philadelphia

✧
Above: Robert Bickman, founder of Arbill
Glove & Safety Products.
ARBILL
GLOVE &
SAFETY
PRODUCTS
Below: Industrial washing machines, which
clean and recondition the work gloves. The
original facility is still doing a thriving
business in its North Philadelphia location.
Arbill Glove & Safety Products is a leading
provider of safety products and services, protecting
American workers from head to toe
against workplace hazards, and bringing them
home safely at the end of the day.
The company’s 100,000-square-foot distribution
center in Northeast Philadelphia ships
over 4,000 distinct products to about 10,000
customers nationwide.
Arbill figured significantly in the industrial
growth of Philadelphia in the post-WWII era,
and was a pioneer in industrial recycling as well.
In 1945 Robert Bickman discovered a
process that was very effective for cleaning
nearly impossible things—particularly the
work gloves of industrial workers, which were
normally thrown away or incinerated when
soiled. Years before the “reduce–reuse–recycle”
mantra gained popularity, Bickman used a
closed-loop laundry system to recondition
work clothes and gloves for re-use instead
of refuse.
Wanting one-stop shopping, his customers
then convinced Bickman to also supply them
with new gloves when needed, so Bickman
went into the glove business as well.
Today, with four locations and 160
employees, Arbill Glove and Safety has
expanded its line while retaining the
reconditioning business, and is still owned and
operated by the Bickman family. Barry Bickman,
Robert’s son, leads the company, while
granddaughter Julie Bickman Copeland is vice
president of sales and marketing, on her way to
assuming the helm.
Arbill’s family feel extends to its catalog,
where customers across the country can see
the faces of the employees who serve them.
Every employee is individually pictured in the
pages of the catalog. Customers often comment
on how nice it is to see the face of the
person on the phone.
All of Arbill, from the CEO to account
managers and customer service representatives,
deal with their customers on a one-to-one basis.
Arbill is a proud recipient of ISO 9002
certification. Eleven of its sales representatives
have earned QSSP certification, and the
company maintains an on-site technical
support staff to assist customers with OSHA
issues. Arbill has made a strategic decision to
focus its energy and expertise entirely on safety.
Looking ahead, Arbill is fashioning itself into
the prototypical safety distributor of the future,
with a heavy emphasis on customer satisfaction,
service, and the use of technology to increase
the speed, quality and accuracy of its
operations. New initiatives include developing
safety consulting and solutions expertise to
offer customers facing high injury costs.
Still, Arbill remains committed to its
Philadelphia roots, helping the local economy
of the city while committing resources, time
and talent to help community programs
involved in children’s enrichment, breast
cancer, and homes for families in need.
It’s motto, adopted in 1999, is “We bring
you home safely.” The focus is on what its
products and services can do for people.
HISTORIC PHILADELPHIA
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