Encon Insulation Ltd - Experts & Thought Leaders

The winners of the Association for Specialist Fire Protection (ASFP) 2022 Passive Fire Protection Awards were announced at the Association’s Awards Dinner at the Park Regis Hotel in Birmingham on 25 November. Members gathered at this sell-out event to recognize and celebrate the sector’s achievements and hear all the latest news from the ASFP. Chosen by an independent panel of judges, the winners were presented with their awards by special guest speaker Mandy Hickson, a former Royal Air Force pilot. Mandy later regaled guests with tales from her time as a fast jet pilot in Iraq, sharing insights into successful leadership and highlighting the importance of encouraging diversity in all industry sectors. 2022 Award winners The 2022 Award winners included: ASFP Installation: Coopers Fire, Battersea Power Station. An installation of 86 fire and smoke curtains. This involved re-design and bespoke engineering of seven FireMaster Concertina curtains of 25 m width and 12 m height in straight sections to meet the project requirements.  Passive Fire Protection Innovation: Fire Protection Ltd, FPLHV. This fire-resisting high-voltage cable enclosure offers unparalleled insulation performance at high temperatures. Prefabricated in a modular section to ease installation, the cables are fitted to the lid section and connected via internal channels, before the closing underside is fitted to fully enclose the cables.  Marketing Campaign: Minster. The ‘Spread the Word’ campaign focused on heightening awareness of the Minster’s passive fire protection (PFP) range. The drive successfully stimulated interest and delivered unprecedented levels of sales of Minster PFP products.  Best Customer Service: Quelfire for its commitment to raising awareness of PFP through technical support, social media outreach, and training initiatives, including the development of the Quelfire Knowledge Hub.  Training and Development of the Year: Alec Purdie, Quelfire. Having joined Quelfire in early 2020 with no prior fire industry knowledge, Alec quickly completed the IFE level 3 training, passing the IFE exam in 2022. He was accepted into membership of the IFE at the Technician level and continues to maintain his CPD learning. He also conducts training for Quelfire customers. Highest Engagement of the Year: Siderise for its steadfast support and participation in many of the ASFP activities such as events, marketing campaigns, and training. Individual Rising Star: Molly Callaway, TBL Fire Protection. Molly’s professionalism, eagerness to learn, and enthusiasm for the industry were quickly apparent resulting in TBL identifying her for their Management Training Programme. Lifetime Contribution: Carl Atkinson. Carl was the founder of FSi and served a six-year term as Vice Chair, Chair, and Past Chair of the ASFP. The award recognizes his commitment to the ASFP and his lifelong dedication to developing the passive fire sector, raising standards, and improving the quality of PFP products and systems.  Advocate of the Year: Will Pitt of Laing O'Rourke for his dedication to the industry and commitment to the improvement of standards through work such as the Passive Fire Knowledge Group of which he is one of the founding members. Academic Accomplishment Awards for achieving the highest marks in the 2022 IFE PFP exams went to Rhea Akiens of Saint Gobain for Level 2 and Malcolm Williams of Quelfire for Level 3.  Author's quote ASFP CEO Steven Davies congratulated all the award winners: "We were delighted to welcome so many members at this year’s prestigious ASFP Awards Dinner. The event has grown significantly since its launch in 2017 and, in 2022, we recognized a hugely diverse range of company and individual accomplishments." "All the nominations were of the very highest standard and I would like to congratulate all the deserving winners and everyone who took the time to enter. The entries clearly demonstrated the excellent work, expertise, professionalism, and commitment of our members. We were truly impressed by the growing role of ASFP members in inspiring innovation, improving fire safety standards, and raising awareness. We also thank our many sponsors including FireFly, Etex, Siderise, Consort, and Encon. Without their continued support an event of this scale would not be possible."

Encon Construction Products, part of The Encon Group, continues to invest in growth with the appointment of Richard Wade as the new Sales Director for the specialist division. The division supplies a wide range of masonry components, concrete and reinforcement, waterproofing, construction chemicals, geotechnical, and groundworking products to the UK’s major building and infrastructure sectors. This includes tailored solutions from brands such as Ancon, Birtley/Expamet, GCP, RIW, Sika, TecTies, Visqueen, and Weber. Focus on continual development Encon Construction Products' specialist team has grown significantly over the last two years, underpinned by the strong demand in the sector and the company’s expert knowledge, widespread experience, and national distribution. This latest appointment opens new opportunities for the division and supports the team’s focus on continual development and expansion. This latest appointment opens new opportunities for the division and supports the team’s focus Vaughan Taylor, Strategy Director – Encon Construction Products, comments: “Richard brings a wealth of experience in our key markets, having previously worked for leading brands such as Keyline, Tarmac and Burdens. He has a solid understanding of the products and the required value proposition. Richard’s knowledge enhances our exceptional technical expertise and I look forward to working closely with him as we enter an exciting new phase for the division.” Outstanding customer service Richard adds: “I'm extremely pleased to be joining Encon and excited to be returning to the distribution sector, working with Encon Construction Products. Due to the expertise within the team, coupled with a first-class supply chain and outstanding customer service, the business has gone from strength to strength in recent years. I'm really looking forward to meeting my colleagues, customers, and suppliers and being a part of a growing and respected business." The Encon Group’s specialist divisions include Encon Insulation, Nevill Long Interior Systems, Encon Technical Solutions, and Encon Construction Products. The divisions also benefit from dedicated teams in fire protection and infrastructure.

Earlier in the year, the Fareham branch welcomed four new apprentices to their team. Dan Thompson, Josh Street, and James Osborne joined our ‘Warehouse to Wheels’ program, which focuses on training and upskilling Warehouse Operatives to fully licensed HGV Drivers, and Rebecca Afonso embarked on the Sales Office Apprenticeship. Both apprenticeship programs offer widespread learning and experience and a platform for ongoing training and career development. Each apprentice gains practical skills and insights into all aspects of the role, as well as a detailed understanding of our business. Dan Thompson Dan completed his apprenticeship and subsequently, Fareham Branch Director Jason Eastland has offered him a full-time, permanent position. Dan passed his HGV and Moffett training very early into his apprenticeship due to his ambition and hardworking nature. Since passing his test, Dan is now actively covering HGV duties at the branch and has been developing his skills by driving with the Operations Manager and other Drivers from the branch. Dan on joining Encon Dan suggests Encon’s Warehouse to Wheels program to everyone who is keen to get licenses quickly Dan comments, “After being made redundant from my previous company during the pandemic, it gave me time to decide what I wanted to do.” “I wanted a career which offered job security and becoming an HGV Driver offers that. Having found Encon and the apprenticeship scheme they offer, I quickly got to grips with the work and was keen to get my license quickly.” “I would recommend an HGV apprenticeship to anyone, especially Encon’s Warehouse to Wheels program because of the success I’ve had with it. I look forward to further progression within the company.” Josh Street Josh joined the team as an HGV Apprentice. After a stint driving Fareham’s smaller fleet of delivery vans, Josh is now back in the branch learning about the warehouse procedures and the loading and strapping of HGV vehicles. James Osborne Joining the team as the latest HGV Apprentice, James is currently driving the delivery vans for the Fareham branch. With his Fork-Lift test coming up, James will be integrated into the Warehouse team as a Warehouse Operative before completing the tests to become a qualified HGV Driver. Rebecca Afonso Rebecca has gained a great understanding of the business and of the products with the apprenticeship program Rebecca has switched from Warehouse Operative to a Sales Office Apprenticeship. After undertaking a month of training in the Warehouse, and with the support of her colleagues, Rebecca has gained a great understanding of the business and of the products we stock and supply, while continuing to learn about the day-to-day operations at the branch. Rebecca on understanding the sales business Rebecca comments: “I chose to do an apprenticeship in sales because I get to understand how the sales business works, specifically in distribution.” “From ordering stock in, to closing the sale with clients; I enjoy working with customers to improve their business and building good rapport with them too.” A successful initiative The ‘Warehouse to Wheels’ program has consistently been a successful initiative for existing team members Jason adds: “The ‘Warehouse to Wheels’ program has consistently been a successful initiative for existing team members and for new apprentices.” “It provides a rounded understanding of distribution and the opportunity to upskill and develop your role. The training also ensures a more progressive and knowledgeable Operations Team at the branch.” “It’s a great way of building and encouraging a trained workforce at a time where the industry is challenged by a growing skills shortage.” Level 2 qualification in Customer Service “The Sales Office Apprenticeship offers a Level 2 qualification in Customer Service,” continues Jason. “Apprentices learn about best practice in customer relations, they gain skills in communications and how to influence sales, and they build knowledge of the business, the products we supply, and the services we offer.” “We are currently recruiting for another Sales Office Apprentice to join our team at Fareham, please get in touch if you are interested in learning more about a career in distribution.” Commitment to provide apprenticeship Encon provides development opportunities through apprenticeships and dedicated training programs As an Employer of Choice, Encon provides development opportunities to new and existing employees through apprenticeships and dedicated training programs, encouraging long-term careers with the organization. Encon is committed to providing more apprenticeships as part of our strong focus on training and development and building a future proofed workforce. Authority comment Deborah Gore, HR HSEQ Director for The Encon Group comments: “Encon is proud to have a talented, loyal workforce. We care about our people and continue to strive to be the Employer of Choice.” “This includes offering opportunities to younger people entering the world of distribution and continuing to build on our diverse workforce.” “The benefit of being part of an independent company is that we can be agile to support people at all stages of their career and life,” continues Deborah. “Our strategic focus as ‘The Distributor of Choice’ in specialist markets channels our energies into investing in our people, helping them to build their knowledge, skills and fulfil their full potential.”