A WELSHPOOL based business that designed an innovative fire door has been recognised by the UK’s woodworking and joinery manufacturing industry.

Morland, based on the Buttington Cross Enterprise Park, won the ‘Product Design in Wood’ Award at the prestigious British Woodworking Federation (BWF) Awards.

They were recognised for the design innovation and technical excellence on their ABS Edge Banded Melamine Faced FD30 Fire Doors, beating two other hopefuls shortlisted in the category.

Morland created a simple two-step process, which resulted in the melamine decorative face being applied by the mill and an ABS banding applied to all four edges of the door using a continuous reel.

This is 95 per-cent quicker than the old method.

Andrew Warren, commercial director at Morland, said: “We’re so proud of the finished product; it is testament to the team’s hard work and dedication.

“We now have the lowest cost of production in the UK for a fully finished fire door leaf.

“We’ve also seen a rise in sales for the doors – during this year we will have sold approximately 6,000, or around 16 every day and our profitability has increased by 35 per cent.”

To achieve this Morland invested £185,000 in commissioning Homag, the leading supplier of equipment for the wood-processing industry, to produce a bespoke edge-banding machine.

This new door design has also successfully passed the CWF Certifire scheme, confirming it meets safety standards.

Iain McIlwee, chief executive at the BWF, said: “We’re really pleased to be able to celebrate innovative product design and see this great industry continue to thrive.”

The BWF Awards honour the UK’s very best businesses and individuals within the woodworking and joinery manufacturing industry; an industry worth £3.8 billion to the UK economy.