Spec Finish

Company news www.thefis.org 29 TOP 100 apprentice employer Leicester-based specialist interior fit-out contractor, EE Smith Contracts, has been recognised as number 28 in the the UK’s top 100 apprenticeship employers across all sectors. The Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers is the new national league table showcasing the nation’s outstanding apprenticeship employers that has been developed by the National Apprenticeship Service, in partnership with High Fliers Research. The new rankings recognise the country’s leading apprenticeship employers for their overall commitment to employing apprentices, their creation of new apprenticeships, the diversity of their new apprentices, and the progression of their apprentices onto further apprenticeships and employment. Over 400 employers from a wide range of industries and business sectors entered for the inaugural rankings earlier this year. Entries were independently assessed and the data used to compile the new national leader board of top apprenticeship employers. These new annual rankings will help potential apprentices, parents and careers advisers easily identify apprenticeship opportunities at England’s top employers. (See the full story on page 6). Second award In November, EE Smith Contracts was celebrating success again, after they were named as ‘Finishing & Fit-Out Specialist of The Year’ in the prestigious CN Specialist Awards. www.eesmith.co.uk New Encon product guide Independent distributors, Encon Insulation and Nevill Long have launched a digital product guide, helping contractors, merchants and installers to find the right insulation, drywall or ceiling systems, passive fire protection, construction and partitioning products for the right application. The fully interactive product guide comprehensively lists the extensive product range, broken down by product category, each of which is colour-coded for ease of reference. The interactivity allows users to find products quickly and simple icons are used to highlight key performance features such as moisture resistance, fire protection and robustness. www.encon.co.uk QIC guide offers a trim insight into ceiling design QIC Trims, manufacturer of aluminium trims and associated products for the fit-out sector, has released a comprehensive product guide to help architects and specifiers create an endless range of attractive and functional ceiling features. The TrimGuide provides technical information on a wide range of products designed to enable the creation of professional finishes through seamless transitions between plasterboard margins and all types of suspended and grid ceilings. It details profiles and specific products for applications including corners, reveals and edges with products available straight or curved for ultimate design flexibility. www.qic-trims.com Newoffsite drywall fabricator A new producer of offsite drywall components is helping to reduce on- site waste, increase the quality of board cuts and drive efficiencies in the installation process. Drywall Pro-Cut produces plasterboard, metalwork, full boards, studs and components all cut to size, which can be ordered through its online platform. Customers enter their required specification and quantity, which are then cut by its specialist machinery and sent direct to site ready for installation. Manufactured in a factory setting to a strict degree of accuracy, the plasterboard and drywall components will increase installation consistency, as well as taking away the risk of injury and dust inhalation for site installers. www.drywallpro-cut.co.uk JRL turnover trebles in five years JRL Group continued to grow in 2019, turning over more than three times the amount it did five years earlier. Financial results for the year ended 31 December 2019 show that its revenue stood at £622m, a 15% increase on the £539m it achieved in 2018. In 2014, the group’s revenue stood at £198m. Pre-tax profit also rose, reaching £33.5m in the period, up from £30.6m the year before. www.jrlgroup.co.uk Diversity in construction Willmott Dixon has been listed as the UK’s top performing company for the construction sector in the FT’s pan- European Diversity Leaders list. The responses of more than 100,000 people from 15,000 companies across Europe were used to identify the best performers. www.willmottdixon.co.uk The EE Smith Contracts team