Saint-Gobain Interior Solutions named as a finalist for Building Awards Manufacturer of the Year

Both British Gypsum and Isover sit under the umbrella of Saint-Gobain Interior Solutions and design, manufacture and distribute materials and services for the construction and industrial markets.

The Building Awards 2024 is the 30th anniversary of the event, with the winners due to be announced on November 5 at Grosvenor House Hotel, London.

In our award entry, we highlighted how we deliver value-adding solutions and services to the construction sector by listening to and anticipating the future needs of the industry – which is achieved through a combination of net zero carbon initiatives, industry collaboration and digital solutions to help customers save time and cost.

We focused on the digital tools that have been introduced to support our customers and maintain data integrity. This includes our new Enquiry Management System (EMS) which embeds all technical enquiries into a single database, delivering accurate responses from our technical support teams. Our Showpad Shared Spaces platform was also featured as it offers a unique experience for our main contractor and housing developer customers by creating a personalised microsite to support specific projects.

The data is maintained through our product information management (PIM) and data governance processes which helped us become the first manufacturer within the drylining industry to attain the Code for Construction Product Information (CCPI) verification, recognising our product information as clear and accurate while remaining accessible, up-to-date and unambiguous. In October 2023, we also reintroduced our systems to NBS Source.

Our industry-first plugin, BIMlocker, functions as a security seal around our data and helps to reduce specification errors. Launching in February 2024, we have seen a number of key organisations download and adopt this plugin into their working practices, indicating a behavioural change across the construction industry as we all focus on building safety.

Over the last 12 months, we have also created our sustainability roadmap to ensure everyone at Saint-Gobain Interior Solutions is working towards the same initiative of reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

Our partnership with The Pallet LOOP, a circular pallet reuse scheme, meant we were the first building materials manufacturer in the UK to adopt the third-party pallet collection service, as we aim to radically cut unnecessary waste and deliver a sustainable solution to pallet waste. Seventy per cent of our products will be distributed through The Pallet LOOP system from July this year.

Saint-Gobain Interior Solutions has also explored alternative solutions to fossil fuels, and installed HVO refilling stations at most of our loading sites, and our vehicles are powered by more than 80% recycled hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO), with over 60% of our deliveries now made with HVO-powered trucks. Additionally, we have introduced five electric artic lorries into the fleet. 

Plus, as part of our ongoing mission to support individuals and businesses in addressing the skills shortage, we train over 2300 people annually.

All our efforts across the last 12 months have been implemented to support our customers in making the world a better home and we will continue to invest, improve, and innovate in providing the necessary tools and services to help our industry build better. 

Saint-Gobain Interior Solutions is one of seven companies to make it through to the final for Manufacturer of the Year, competing against Keyfix, Lignacite, Senior Architectural Systems, Siderise Insulation and Zentia. The event is being sponsored by AET Flexible Space, Clement Windows Group, DGP and Fenwick Elliott, and in partnership with The Housing Forum.

We are proud to make the shortlist and hope that our efforts to help the construction industry build better are recognised on November 5th at the 30th annual Building Awards.