Ed Miliband impressed by Sentry Fire Safety Group’s Doncaster facility

Sentry Fire Safety Group (Sentry), the fire safety and security doorset manufacturer, was delighted to welcome Ed Miliband, Shadow Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, to its Doncaster manufacturing facility.

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 ft² 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. 

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.

As Shadow Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, Mr Miliband was particularly keen to find out more about Sentry’s sustainable approach to manufacturing, which guides everything that the firm does from product design to selecting their supply chain.

Sentry leads the way in sustainable doorset production, through a variety of initiatives. For example, sawdust created during the production of Sentry’s timber fire doorsets is recycled by a local mill and the warehouse is heated using a return air duct from their extraction system. Sentry’s Birmingham factory is proud to hold IS0 14001 certification and FSC Certification, and the company is a strong supporter of green initiatives including Trees for Cities.

Ty Aziz, Sentry’s CEO who spent time with Mr Miliband during his first visit, commented: “We were delighted to welcome Mr Miliband to our facility once again, we thoroughly enjoyed his company and welcomed the opportunity to demonstrate the transformation in our business and the growth that we’ve achieved since he was last here. It was also great to discuss our various ESG initiatives with him and be able to introduce Mr Miliband to some of the people that make Sentry the fantastic, forward-thinking business it is today.” 

Following his visit to the Sentry Doors facility, Mr Miliband commented: “I’m delighted to visit Sentry again and witness the growth in the business that has occurred since I was last here. Sentry provides jobs for local people and is a great example of how quality companies can thrive with committed partners. I look forward to Sentry continuing to support local people’s livelihoods for many years to come.”