Having last visited the firm in 2011, Mr Miliband toured Sentry’s newly expanded facility, chatted to staff, learnt about the company’s transformation and impressive growth trajectory, and saw first-hand how Sentry is leading the way in sustainable manufacturing.
Sentry manufactures compliant, certified timber fire safety door sets for use in social housing, education, healthcare, care, and commercial environments, from a 35,000 sq. ft factory in Adwick le Street. It works closely with social housing and other sector providers to replace unsafe fire doors and advance the aims of the Fire Safety Act, which has become an important focus following the Grenfell tragedy.
Investment in new facilities and state-of-the-art machinery
Following its partnership with strategic advisers Cairngorm Capital in 2019, Sentry has benefited from a £2m investment in new facilities and state-of-the-art machinery and equipment, and investment in a new ERP system to streamline procurement and automate the ordering process and contribute to ongoing staff training.
The company has also gained a second facility in Birmingham following its acquisition of Knowles in August 2022, a move which saw Sentry become the UK’s leader in fire safety and security doorsets market.
Employee numbers have increased from 28 in 2019, to 200 today across both the Doncaster and Birmingham factories and has been supported by investment that has been made in staff training.
Overall, this investment has resulted in an astonishing 100% increase in turnover and profits.
