THE first FeRFA Awards since 2019 was held on Friday 18 November at The Orchard Hotel, East Midlands Conference Centre, Nottingham.
It highlighted the very best projects and examples of personal endeavour that the resin flooring industry has to offer. It was extra special this year on account of the gap in 2020 and 2021 when the awards weren’t held, so they provided a great opportunity for the industry to gather in person once again, to network and renew old acquaintances and make new ones.
By common consent, it was a highly successful awards night, hosted this year by comedian and television celebrity Paul Sinha, who everyone agreed did an excellent job and went the extra mile to ensure the awards night was a success and everyone enjoyed their evening.
Tracey Glew, FeRFA’s chief executive officer says: ‘I’d once again like to add my own congratulations to all this year’s Award winners – as well as thanks to our sponsors. We’ve had some really excellent projects submitted this year which should make everyone in our industry proud, as should the presentations that we have also been able to make to our graduates this year. The graduates are the future lifeblood of our sector and I’m so pleased we were able to recognise a strong cohort of them this year.’
The FeRFA Awards was presented in four main categories as usual to recognise the workmanship, diversity, innovation and commitment to quality and training shown by members. These were Small Industrial Project of the Year, Large Industrial Project of the Year, Small Commercial Project of the Year and Large Commercial Project of the Year. Each of these categories recognised the contractor and the manufacturer of the product used.
In addition to the above, an Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Resin Flooring Industry was presented and also the Dawn Gibbins Young Achiever Award.
FeRFA says it’s very grateful to the year’s main sponsors, whose support and commitment to achievement and endeavour made the awards possible. They are: The Preparation Group, NCC (northwest), Genesis Global Systems, Resdev and SASE Bartell Group. The award sponsors were VI Distribution, Innoveo & Gebrüder Dorfner, IRL Group and Preptec Equipment Services.
Additional sponsors were The Training Quarter which sponsored the pre-dinner drinks, Aztec Screeding which sponsored the photobooth, Vebro Polymers – sponsors of the table favours and TPS360 which sponsored the bar areas.
The awards also provided fundraising platform for Children in Need, FeRFA’s nominated charity for the year, and FeRFA is very grateful to all those who have made a donation.
2022 FeRFA graduates
An important aspect of the FeRFA Awards returned this year – the recognition of the 2022 FeRFA graduates. This celebration of their achievement is part of FeRFA’s longstanding commitment to training and excellence in resin flooring. The presentations celebrate the great achievement of the graduates who have successfully completed their 18-month long training programme and are now fully qualified.
All the graduates have achieved the NVQ Level 2 In-situ Resin Flooring. They received their certificates from Jack Longden, FeRFA training officer, and Richard Jinks, FeRFA vice-chairman of Central Flooring Services, which was the graduation sponsor.
Several companies also donated graduation gifts. They were: Uzin Utz UK (Arturo), Altro, The Preparation Group and VI Distribution.
Certificates were presented to the following 2022 FeRFA graduates:
Daniel Morgan – Central Flooring Services
Cole Shaw – CJ Surfaces
Stephen Atkinson – Reprotec
Matthew Holme – Britannia Industrial Flooring
Nicholas Dinsdale – IRL Group
Shane Abrahams – FH Harvey
Cameron Powell – FH Harvey
Ieuan Harding – TPS360
Jamie Carter – TPS360
Lewis Treherne – TPS360
Timothy Williams – TPS360
Jenson Bray – TPS360
Small industrial project of the year – winner
This award focuses on resin flooring projects up to 1,000sq m in an industrial environment and each entry is jointly submitted by the contractor and the manufacturer. The judges are looking for outstanding projects where a partnership approach, during the selection and installation from the contractor and the manufacturer, has resulted in a resin floor that meets the client’s requirements and exceeds expectations.
The category was won by Abacus Flooring Solutions and Altro for the World VIP Visitor Centre.
This is the VIP stage which is used to showcase the JCB range to a world audience in a seated auditorium. The features and benefits of resin flooring were presented using the FeRFA selection guide. This allowed the customer to see it was written by the governing body and therefore trusted, as opposed to being simply a proposal from the contractor.
The Type 5 system was made using a base resin from Altro and 100% recycled white plastic as a filler in lieu of silica sands. This was the first and most environmentally friendly, resin flooring system in the world.
Small industrial project of the year – highly commended
Reprotec UK and Flowcrete Tremco CPG won the highly commended award in this category for Teesdock Border Control.
On this project the client requested options for a heavy-duty flooring system that could be laid in cold conditions, to falls, allowing for easy removal of water while maintaining its anti-slip performance. The finished surface also had to be compatible with the application of demarcation coatings to allow for various visual management areas.
The project and how it was managed demonstrated how the contractor’s knowledge, experience and skill can be used to provide an excellent one-stop-shop service for customers, while encouraging and demonstrating the benefits of the collaboration between FeRFA members who share the same goal.
Large industrial project of the year – winner
The large industrial project award is for projects greater than 1,000sq m. For this award category, the judges are looking for outstanding projects on a larger scale where contractor and manufacturer have worked together to meet the client’s expectations.
This category was won by Aztec Screeding Ltd & Sika – Boeing Gold Care Maintenance Hangar.
The Boeing Gold Care Maintenance Hangar is the largest commercial hangar in the UK and at the time wasn’t only the most prestigious but also the largest (non-car park deck) resin project to be undertaken. It was Boeing’s first hangar of its type in the UK and as such one of Boeing’s most important projects worldwide.
Aztec was awarded the project based on delivering the best and most comprehensive tender, mid-tender and post-tender information, documentation, testing and investment to the main contractor and client. This gave reassurance and confidence to all parties that the project at the time would be completed to the highest standards and on program.
Large industrial project of the year – highly commended
The highly commended award in this category was won by TPS360 and Master Building Solutions, for Viridor – Trident Park, IBA Hall floor repairs.
This project was based at the Cardiff Energy Recovery Facility (ERF) – the largest ERF in Wales, treating waste from the local authority and local business contracts. The facility, which has been operational since 2014, handles around 350,000 tonnes of residual (non-recyclable) waste, per year. TPS360 was instructed to propose a repair solution to several significantly damaged floor surfaces. The challenge on the project was to provide a hardwearing finish for a demanding environment where 50 tonne front loaders, grab cranes and other heavy plant equipment are operated. The work also had to be carried out alongside 24-hour operation of the facility.
Small commercial project of the year – winner
This category was won by Aztec Screeding and Arturo/Uzin Utz UK for the Sky Media Group, Sky Innovations Hub.
Aztec provided a complete 150mm thick floor zone design solution for the client and main contractor. The company attended multiple design meetings with all parties to ascertain construction type/total thickness, floor build-up, floor intrusion details, termination details, and maximum anticipated loadings that would be exerted through the surface from above, both during construction and once the facility was operational.
Aztec worked with the FeRFA manufacturer Arturo for this particular project, who could provide the client with not only all their performance and aesthetic criteria, but also meet their environmental and sustainability construction needs.
Small commercial project of the year – highly commended
This category was won by Abacus flooring solutions and Altro for the Wembley Stadium. A world-first was achieved on this project by processing broken seats into a powder filler. This was used in lieu of a silica-based aggregate. The seats at Wembley are usually sent to landfill, as they have no use for them.
Abacus researched and found a way to recycle the seats, saving about 700 of them from being sent to landfill. This is the first time in the world old plastic seats had been used in a resin floor. The company had been contacted by the Football Association (FA) after they saw work they’d carried out at Leicester City Football Club.
Large commercial project of the year – winner
This category was won by IRL Group and Sika for the Excel arena, Formula E Racetrack.
This project was the first time a resin had ever been used anywhere in the world for a racetrack, so the new surface represented a step into the unknown for Formula E. The circuit made its debut in 2021. After completing rigorous criteria and processes the company was awarded the contract and organised teams and preparation sub-contractors to accomplish the massive task of completing 9,000sq m in nine weeks.
The biggest factor was that this system had never been used in this environment previously. It turned out that the resin solution was cost-effective and sustainable.
Large commercial project of the year – highly commended
The Highly Commended Award in this category was won by TPS360 and Master Building Solutions UK for the Swansea Arena, Copr Bay.
The arena is the centre piece of a 1.1-acre coastal park – the first new city centre park since the Victorian era. It’s surrounded by new independent restaurants, apartments, two new multi-storey car parks and a landmark ‘gateway’ bridge connecting the city centre to Swansea Marina.
Working closely with Architects AFL and ACME, Swansea Council and Buckingham Contracting Group from the design stages of this project, with a focus on creating a new flexible hospitality space to increase revenue through a diverse events schedule and improving the sustainability credentials of the building. TPS360 was invited to assist with the resin package throughout, which included the main auditorium, kitchens, chillers, WCs, VIP area, public circulation and stair areas.
Outstanding contribution to the resin flooring industry
This award highlights the achievements of a company or individual who has helped the resin flooring industry to become what it is today. It was won by Stephen Westley of Kemtile. Unfortunately Stephen couldn’t be present at the event, so it was received on his behalf by David Cattell and Sue Souter. The award was presented by Iain Wilson of VI Distribution.
During his career, Stephen has enhanced the profile and use of resin flooring to many key market sectors. Stephen’s dedication to ensuring quality product installations showed customers what could be achieved when these products were correctly installed. Stephen was also influential in introducing and nurturing many of the people and companies who are still active and working in the current resin flooring industry.
Stephen has always been a big supporter of FeRFA and he was pleased to win the prestigious contractor of the year Award in 2009 when he was with Kemtile for the work completed at Greencore in Corby. Stephen retired from the business in 2020, but his legacy continues as the company’s turnover has risen to more than £17m.
Stephen’s many achievements made him a very worthy recipient of the outstanding achievement award.
Dawn Gibbins Young Achiever Award
The awards night also saw the inauguration of a new award this year – the Dawn Gibbins Young Achiever award. This was presented to Mathew Shufflebotham of Coatech.
Mathew commenced his career in the resin industry in 2004 when he was 17. He started as a labourer for Coatech (which had been set up by his father Alan in 1987) helping onsite during one school holiday when there was a large contract, then never looked back. This experience has given Mathew a thorough grounding in all aspects of the industry. He gradually worked his way up over time, taking on more and more responsibility and today is contracts director for the company. He will shortly take on the role of managing director.
Mathew started his work with the company making the tea, working with the site team and getting a lot of stick for being the boss’s son. But this was the start of a career he never thought he’d be getting into. Years passed by and Mathew kept acquiring skills and technical knowledge, and he moved slowly into a more office-based/managerial role. This enabled Alan to slowly ease back from the company, allowing him to retire fully a few years ago.
Over time Mathew has built strong relationships with suppliers, rekindled past relationships and put together a highly skilled retained workforce who are all very loyal. Mathew’s leadership has been instrumental in developing the company, expanding the site team, turnover and scope of work. He achieved this while staying true to Coatech’s roots as a family-business and creating a company culture where everyone’s involvement is valued.
Mathew’s award was presented by April Wild, Dawn’s daughter, who made a very stirring speech, remembering her late mother, who will have been known by many in the industry as the co-founder in 1982 of the international flooring manufacturer Flowcrete, who dedicated three decades of her life to inspiring change across the industry, before selling the business in 2008.
Dawn sadly passed away in 2022, leaving behind a legacy of infectious energy and boundless enthusiasm for which she will forever be remembered. April Wild’s tribute received a standing ovation from everyone at the awards, as the whole room toasted the memory of Dawn Gibbins.
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