2022: A Year in Review 

Two major reforms were implemented this year; one of those being the Building Safety Act which took royal ascendance in April. The Bill contains provisions intended to secure the safety of people in buildings and improve the standards of residential buildings. There are also significant changes coming into effect regarding the responsibilities of the Responsible Person within existing and new high-rise buildings, with a key focus on the inspection and maintenance of fire doors. As outlined by Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022, from the 23rd January 2023, annual checks on flat entrance doors and quarterly checks on communal doors will be required for any residential building with storeys over 11m in height.  

These two major reforms are great advancements in the fire safety industry and are a direct implementation of the requirements set out in the Grenfell Tower Inquiry. As a leading UK fire door manufacturer, supplying doorsets to the social housing sector, we are continuously making efforts to bring solutions that satisfy our customers’ project requirements and that are in line with the latest changes in regulation. As we approach the end of 2022, we look back on our journey this year.  

Commitment to our Industry Leading Lead Times  

Our production capabilities continue to grow. Most recently, we invested in areas such as new CNC machines, paint lines, and the expansion of factory floor space with the development of our second warehouse. These advancements have allowed for more product intake and increased manufacturing capability to ensure we can deliver high quality doorsets whilst remaining committed to our consistent 6–8-week lead times.  

Adding to our Extensive Library of Certification & Testing 

This year, we achieved UKCA accreditation for our entire range of both flush and glazed FD30S External Flat Entrance doorsets. This followed a bi-directional burns test of our double-glazed range, including our double glazed doorset with double glazed and panel sidelights. Having been the first fire door manufacturer to achieve UKCA accreditation to the new standard in January 2021, we were pleased to build on our leading position in fire door safety compliance. 

Compliance with the Golden Thread 

We also launched our Golden Thread solution, powered by Door Data Systems, implementing a data tag in every Sentry door during manufacture. The data tagging solution provides complete open access to fire door records to those who need it when they need it. The tag provides a unique record of that door, contributing to the requirements of establishing a digital record keeping process that is in line with the Golden Thread of information; one of the requirements highlighted within the Building Safety Bill 2022. 

As part of this, we also hosted our first ever webinar, ‘Golden Thread: The Digital Transformation of Building Fire Safety’, in collaboration with Door Data Systems during our Golden Thread campaign to promote the importance of digital record keeping, in line with new regulations.

Sentry Doors Acquires E. & S. W. Knowles, Expanding its Markets 

To further enhance our market position, in August, we acquired E. & S. W. Knowles, a manufacturer of internal door solutions and joinery, specialising in fire, acoustic, and security doors. The acquisition adds new products that complement our well-established product range across a range of market sectors including healthcare, education, residential, and commercial.  

The acquisition presents an exciting landscape for both businesses in 2023 and provides greater opportunities for growth. We look forward to sharing with you the benefits from the possibilities offered by our expanded markets and product range. 2023 is going to be an exciting year for both organisations and we are looking forward to showing our customers and the markets we operate in what we have to offer as the UK’s leader in fire safety and security fire doors.  

We would like to thank our customers for their continued support in 2022 and we look forward to connecting with you in 2023.