Sherwin-Williams presented Queen’s Award for fire protection technology

Sherwin-Williams was officially presented with The Queen’s Award for Enterprise: Innovation 2021 in recognition of its business excellence and innovation.

Ian Walker, Managing Director of Sherwin-Williams Protective & Marine EMEAI, received the award from Senior Deputy Lieutenant Mrs Diane Hawkins, the current High Sheriff of Greater Manchester at Bolton Town Hall. Also attending the presentation were Bolton North East MP Mark Logan and Bolton Lady Mayoress Councillor Linda Thomas.

The Queen’s Award, which was announced in April 2021, recognises the ‘exceptional passive fire protection’ offered by Sherwin-Williams FIRETEX® FX6002. Since its initial launch in 2018, the ultra-fast drying intumescent coating has demonstrated unprecedented speed of curing and dry handling times, gaining endorsements from architects, engineers and applicators.

This is the second time Sherwin-Williams has won The Queen’s Award for Enterprise in the last five years. This year’s recognition follows the award in the same category for the company’s Dura-PlateTM 301W in 2016.

Ian Walker said: "To win this award twice in a short period of time is a testament to our team’s dedication to asset protection excellence. In FIRETEX FX6002, we have created a unique protective coating that is welcomed by our partners, customers and the wider industry.

"Key stakeholders can take advantage of a wide range of benefits this product delivers throughout the project lifecycle, including time and cost savings, enhanced durability, and aesthetically pleasing finishes,” added Walker.

"FIRETEX FX6002 further demonstrates our long-standing commitment to innovation, which dates back to 1866. Our highly skilled and experienced team continue to push the boundaries, embrace the latest technologies and anticipate future trends to develop products that benefit our global industrial and commercial customers.”

Marios Antoniades, Associate Director – Structures Lead for main contractor Mace, who used FIRETEX FX6002 on 33 Charterhouse Street in London, said: "The project was the first in the UK to achieve an ‘Outstanding’ rating for the design stage under BREEAM, the world’s longest established and leading scheme for assessing, rating and certifying the sustainability of buildings.

"For us, having a product that turns up on site as close to how it left the factory was a massive part of the choice. Not only does this save man hours on site repairs, it reduced the amount of paint being used on site – thus allowing faster progression of handovers to follow-on trades.

"In addition, the final product required a lot less repair, which contributes to a more aesthetic look for even a ‘basic’ finish. With more projects having exposed soffits to reduce carbon footprint, the higher-quality finish is something that convinced Mace to push for FX6002.”

Pavlos Clifton, Senior Development Executive at asset owner Helical, said: "In addition to the programme and man hour benefits, the low volatile organic compound emissions of FIRETEX FX6002 made it an obvious choice in an exposed ceiling solution where air quality is such a priority for prospective tenants.”

Unlike alternative protective coatings, FIRETEX FX6002 can be applied off-site, enabling paint applicators to transport steelwork in a matter of hours rather than days – which means less downtime, fewer bottlenecks and faster project completion.

Sherwin-Williams is one of 205 organisations nationally to be recognised with this prestigious honour. The Queen’s Awards celebrate excellence and are designed to help drive economic growth. In particular, the innovation category showcases companies whose use of industry expertise and technology innovation helps foster unique growth opportunities in their respective industries.