Award winners setting new standards

As a company that prides itself on the innovation of its Non-combustible Cavity Trays, Keyfix was delighted to win the Associate Supplier of the Year award at The Association of Brickwork Contractors Awards 2024. However, the drive to innovate and inspire means the company won’t stop there.

In fact, Keyfix is continually researching and investing in the latest technologies to deliver innovative and effective solutions that help clients across the built environment meet stringent buildability, sustainability, and quality standards.

It was this desire to develop a solution for use across the entire sector that prompted the design and manufacture of Keyfix’s market-leading Non-combustible Cavity Tray System (NCCT). The easy to install and simple to understand system was the deciding factor in Keyfix winning the Associate Supplier of the Year award, with members choosing them due to the huge number of brickwork contractors that rely on the NCCTs on their construction projects across the UK.

Indeed, this is the only award given by organisers, the Association of Brickwork Contractors, that is voted for by brickwork contractors and those working in and around the industry, making receiving this award an even bigger privilege.

Keyfix’s NCCT is an A1 fire rated product, fully BBA-certified and approved by both Premier Guarantee and LABC Warranty. As cavity trays are the only component that passes through vertical fire barriers, it is essential that in the event of a fire, the products used don’t contribute to fire loading. Keyfix’s NCCT is manufactured from A1 fire rated, non-combustible, Grade 304 austenitic stainless steel, ensuring that it will not contribute to fire loading.

Featuring a unique design that enables the stainless steel tray to be self-supporting across the cavity, this commercially-viable and rapid-build system requires no support from the internal structure.

Provided with split pins, Keyfix’s NCCT is designed to pin overlapping trays together to ensure efficient and simple installation, saving valuable time on-site as it removes the needs for tapes, sealants and mastics. In addition, as the NCCT has no connection with the inner skin, this highly trusted and innovative product system is thermally efficient and is not affected by issues associated with differential movement.

John Duffin, Managing Director at Keyfix, praised the dedication and expertise the company had shown to driving innovation and quality. He said: “Winning the award and being chosen by ABC members and brickwork contractors was an absolute honour. It is testimony to the hard work and dedication that everyone at Keyfix has put in over the years and the drive to design and manufacture truly innovative systems and products that genuinely help the industry.

“But we’ve not rested on our laurels, we’ve continued to invest and research in innovation to continue improving the quality and safety of buildings across the UK through Keyfix’s dynamic range of products.”

Eve Livett, Chief Executive Officer at the Association of Brickwork Contractors, said the award highlighted the absolute commitment and service provided to brickwork contractors and the sector as a whole.

She said: “Keyfix saw off 11 other entries, including the other three shortlisted finalists, to win the Associate Supplier of the Year award.

“Members chose Keyfix as their choice based on their award-winning Non-combustible Cavity Tray System, which brickwork contractors use on the majority of their projects up and down the country. The NCCT system, which is ‘the best on the market’, comes with a great service and a team of dedicated trainers who work tirelessly in colleges and on sites across the UK, demonstrating installation and its importance within the construction process.

“It’s an extremely high accolade to receive this award. It shows that the company who has won has demonstrated absolute commitment and great service to the brickwork contractor and to the sector as a whole.”