Sentry Doors celebrates combined 130-year heritage post-Knowles acquisition

As part of Sentry Doors’ ambitious growth plans, and as reported by Fire Safety Matters at the time, the company acquired E. & S. W. Knowles in August last year. Bringing the company under the Sentry Doors banner and launching the Knowles product range has made the former “the UK’s leader” in fire safety and security door sets.

Following the acquisition, Knowles – itself a renowned specialist door manufacturer – went on to celebrate its 100^th Anniversary earlier this year. To mark this milestone event, Sentry Doors (which is part of the Cairngorm Capital portfolio) hosted a special event for employees at its Birmingham site earlier this month.

The celebration day featured a pub quiz, while all attendees were treated to catering from a host of local street food vans. The previous owners of Knowles were invited to take part and share their memories of the firm throughout the years. The event was also attended by members of the Sentry Doors executive team and chair Jon Gatfield.

History timeline

Established in Birmingham back in 1923 by former miner William (Bill) Knowles, the company emerged from humble beginnings. Having observed piles of sawdust at his father’s workplace, Bill invested £4 in a cart to haul the sawdust around local engineering companies.

Following Bill’s death in 1942, the business was taken over by his stepson Horace Wright, who began to convert timber offcuts into skittle boxes, pram handles, mirror backs and fire surrounds. The company thrived and eventually began producing custom-made doors in the 1980s.

Knowles grew into a highly successful company before being acquired by Sentry Doors last year. To this day, Sentry Doors continues to build on the latter’s 100-year heritage and honour its family roots and manufacturing excellence.

The extensive Knowles product range now sits within the Sentry Doors catalogue of products, duly affording customers access to a complete range of fully certified and bespoke timber fire and security door sets designed for the social housing, public sector, commercial and residential markets.

Production of the Knowles range still takes place at its 60,000 sq ft facility in Birmingham, where the focus is on manufacturing specialist timber internal door sets with fire rated, acoustic and PAS 24 security certification. The 100-strong team in Birmingham offers bespoke, sector-specific solutions that meet the exacting requirements of its customers.

Sentry Doors continues to be headquartered in Doncaster, where it has an additional 40,000 sq ft facility. This takes the company’s total footprint to 100,000 sq ft across the Birmingham and Doncaster branches, both of which are fully equipped with the latest manufacturing equipment.

Significant investment

Since the Knowles acquisition, Sentry Doors has invested £1.2 million to support the expansion of production capabilities in Birmingham. This enables Sentry Doors to offer a complete, end-to-end service, consistent lead and delivery times and a first-class customer experience.

Ty Aziz, CEO at Sentry Doors, commented: “We’re delighted to be marking this incredibly special occasion with our Knowles colleagues. A trusted pair of hands for 100 years, Knowles has a rich history and a well-earned reputation for manufacturing the highest quality fire doors. This milestone gives Sentry Doors a remarkable combined heritage of 130 years. Together, we look forward to many more successful years at the forefront of UK industry.”

Steve Horner, managing director at Knowles and Sentry Security Board member, responded: “This was a wonderful event and a fitting tribute to the amazing staff, both past and present, who’ve helped to make Knowles so successful for 100 years. As part of Sentry Doors, we’re now looking forward to the next chapter. With strong backing and investment, we’re confident that we will continue to grow and build on our many years of success.”