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

Ian Walker, managing director of Sherwin-Williams Protective and Marine for the EMEAI region, 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’s Lady Mayoress Councillor Linda Thomas.

The Queen’s Award, which was announced back in April, recognises the “exceptional passive fire protection” offered by Sherwin-Williams’ FIRETEX FX6002 solution. 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 many architects, engineers and applicators alike.

This is the second time that 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.

Commenting on this latest achievement for the business, Ian Walker told Fire Safety Matters: “To win this award twice in a short period of time is testament to our team’s dedication to asset protection excellence. In FIRETEX FX6002, we have created a unique protective coating that’s welcomed by our partners, customers and the wider industry.”

Walker added: “Key stakeholders can take advantage of a wide range of benefits that this product delivers throughout a given project’s lifecycle, including time and cost savings, enhanced durability and aesthetically pleasing finishes.”

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

BREEAM rating

Marios Antoniades, associate director and structures lead for main contractor Mace, who used FIRETEX FX6002 on the 33 Charterhouse Street project in central London, explained: “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, but also reduces the amount of paint being used on site, thereby allowing faster progression of handovers to follow-on trades.”

Antoniades concluded: “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, stated: “In addition to the programme and man-hour benefits, the low volatile organic compound emissions of FIRETEX FX6002 rendered this system an obvious choice in an exposed ceiling solution where air quality is such a priority for prospective tenants.”

Unlike some 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 then means less downtime, fewer ‘bottlenecks’ and faster project completion.

Sherwin-Williams is one of 205 organisations nationally to be recognised with a Queen’s Award. The innovation category showcases companies whose use of industry expertise and technology innovation helps to foster unique growth opportunities in their respective industries.