Ed Miliband pays second visit to Sentry Doors’ Doncaster manufacturing facility

Having last visited the business back in 2011, this time around Miliband toured Sentry Doors’ newly expanded facility, chatted to members of staff, learned about the company’s transformation and impressive growth trajectory and witnessed first-hand how the company is leading the way when it comes to sustainable manufacturing processes.

Sentry Doors manufactures compliant and fully certified timber fire safety door sets for use in social housing, education, healthcare, care and commercial environments. Operating from the 35,000 sq ft factory in Adwick le Street, the company works closely with social housing and other sector providers to replace unsafe fire doors and advance the aims of the Fire Safety Act 2021, which itself has become an important focus following the Grenfell tragedy.

Investment in new facilities

Following on from its partnership forged with strategic advisor Cairngorm Capital in 2019, Sentry Doors has benefited from a £2 million investment in new facilities and state-of-the-art machinery and equipment, in addition to investment in a new ERP system designed to streamline procurement and automate the ordering process, while contributing to ongoing staff training.

The company has gained a second facility in Birmingham following the acquisition of Knowles in August 2022, a move which saw Sentry Doors become a UK leader the in fire safety and security door sets market.

Employee numbers have increased from 28 in 2019 to 200 in 2024 across the Doncaster and Birmingham factories, duly supported by a significant investment in staff training.

Overall, the investment referenced has resulted in an impressive 100% increase in turnover and profits.

Sustainable approach

Given his role as Shadow Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, on this visit Miliband was particularly keen to find out more about Sentry Doors’ sustainable approach to manufacturing, which guides everything that the firm does right from product design through to selection of the supply chain.

Sentry Doors “leads the way” in sustainable door set production through a variety of initiatives. For example, sawdust created during the production of timber fire door sets is recycled by a local mill, while the warehouse is heated using a return air duct from the extraction system.

The company’s Birmingham factory is proud to hold ISO 14001 certification and FSC certification. The business as a whole is a strong supporter of green initiatives (including Trees for Cities).

Transformation and growth

Ty Aziz (pictured above, left, with Ed Miliband), Sentry Doors’ CEO who spent time with Miliband during his first site visit, commented: “We were delighted to welcome Ed Miliband to our facility once again. We thoroughly enjoyed his company and welcomed the opportunity to demonstrate the transformation in our business and the growth that we’ve achieved since he was last here.”

Aziz continued: “It was also great to discuss our various ESG initiatives and be able to introduce Ed to some of the people that make Sentry Doors the forward-thinking business it is today.”

Following his visit to the facility, Miliband observed: “I’m delighted to have visited Sentry Doors once again and to have witnessed the growth in the business that has occurred since I was last here. Sentry Doors provides jobs for local people and is a great example of how quality companies can thrive with committed partners. I look forward to the business continuing to support local people’s livelihoods for many years to come.”

Sentry Doors’ commitment to regulatory compliance and the highest manufacturing standards has resulted in independent third party accreditations from Certifire and BM Trada Q-Mark.

*Further information is available online at www.sentrydoors.co.uk