LONG gone are the days when children's playgrounds were associated with sand, grass and rough-and-tumble activities. Now, the emphasis is on safety and health. Just ask Retromax, which provides playground equipment, rubber flooring and other park amenities.

The company gets its supplies from American manufacturer Landscape Structures, which came up with a "new concept" for playgrounds - named "Evos" - early last year, said Retromax managing director Allan Ang. Evos has a three-dimensional spherical design that combines different playing structures, including a parallel bar, a climber, chinning bars and ladders. Its free-style form also allows kids to enter, move through and leave the playsystem in any way they wish to.

"Landscape Structures were aware that they needed something new in the playground that would encourage children to come out and exercise more. Not just imaginative play, but something more physical to combat the problem of obesity," said Mr Ang. "Before coming up with this system, they consulted physiotherapists, those who work specially with children, to come up with a design that would benefit (the children)."

Mr Ang added that the creators took into account such aspects as motor coordination, balance and muscle development.

Unlike typical playground equipment, which is usually made of plastic, Evos is manufactured from metal, which helps to prevent fire incidents, Mr Ang said. The playsystem's see-through design also reduces hiding places within the structure. "Any adult supervising the child can see where he or she is clearly and easily; there's nothing to block - no tunnel or fully enclosed slides," he explained.

Retromax will start installing the Evos playsystem at the Bishan Adventure Park next month. The company clinched the $400,000 deal in December last year. It will also supply fitness equipment and build a skate park. Evos has also been set up in Boon Lay, Sengkang and Toa Payoh.

Mr Ang noted that fires in playgrounds are a "huge issue" for the business, citing a 2005 playground fire at a void deck in Tampines as an example. "I think the public is only aware of that fire, but every year, there'll be one or two such cases."

Another challenge is for the company to educate housing developers to use safe equipment for their playgrounds. "On the government sector side it's not too bad, but on the private and residential side, you can have very high-end condominiums, yet very little budget is allocated to the playground."

The safety issue will be one of the topics for a seminar which Retromax will organise in March. The half-day seminar will be attended by Town Council members and private architects, among others, said Mr Ang, who added that "educational, non-commercial topics" such as research on playground trends, changes in safety guidelines and sustainability issues will also be discussed.

Retromax, set up a decade ago, has been working with public housing authorities and private developers to carry out some 1,000 projects in Singapore, including the construction of the National Youth Council skate park in Somerset two years ago. The firm brought in some $4 million to $6 million last year, and Mr Ang hopes the figure will reach "at least $8 million to $10 million over the next three years".

Retromax will also introduce "HealthBeat" exercise machines meant for the older set. The system allows adjustable resistance - for example, the cardio stepper, squat press and chest/back press have a hydraulic cylinder to increase or decrease resistance. "It's a concept of bringing indoor equipment outdoors," said Mr Ang, who believes HealthBeat will "generate a lot of sales" for the company.

Building a US$300,000 playground in Iran may seem like an interesting, if paradoxical, project for a local SME to undertake, but Retromax hopes to be able to secure the deal. The company is at the "proposal stage" with Iranian officials, said Mr Ang. "We advertised on a trade directory in the Middle East and received an e-mail inquiry about this," he explained, adding that the company "followed up closely" to ensure the request was genuine.

The firm will also install a playground in Cambodia under a project by Shane's Inspiration, an American welfare organisation supported by Hollywood stars Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. Also in the pipeline are works in Vietnam, especially Ho Chi Minh City which Mr Ang believes is seeing a slew of "high-end luxury condominiums right now", he said. "So we're hoping to supply our products to these high-end residential projects."

However, China - often earmarked as a key growth area by local companies - does not figure on Retromax's plans, at least for now. "It's something I'm looking at, but am not too keen on at the moment. It's not easy, especially when you bring products in. They'll start copying (and) there's nothing we can do (about it)," said Mr Ang, who nevertheless still believes "there's some business opportunity there".

"I've made quite a few trips to China, especially to the southern areas such as Xiamen, and I noticed they're getting a lot more affluent," he said, adding that he has also "talked to some developers" and found that they "don't mind buying high-end equipment because there are a lot of high-end residential condominiums there now".

"So we're looking into that, but will not rush headlong into it," he said.