Demand for fire resistant Econic board soars

Glasgow-based Duncryne Ltd, is the UK’s sole supplier of Econic, a new robust fire-resistant building board, and is set to make major inroads in the construction industry with a portfolio of specified-led work, which is expected to be worth £500,000 in sales over the next year and a half.

Econic is an engineered Magnesium Oxide (MgO) board and is imported by Duncryne from China, where it has a sister company in Shanghai. Since it began trading two years ago, the Company has won a number of prestigious contracts that include the new £842 million Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow and the Technology and Innovation Centre at Strathclyde University.

Following these high profile projects, the Company have now been specified to supply material to be used in external SIPS, render carrier and internal corridor walls to 24 schools as part of the West Midlands Schools programme in Birmingham.

Duncryne has also supplied panels at the recently re-furbished Haymarket station in Edinburgh, as well as Queen Street and Central Stations in Glasgow. Econic board has been installed in student accommodation and at Braehead’s Ferry Village in Glasgow.

Econic was used as external sheathing for the construction of a high-density residential development on the South Bank of the Thames in London for FTSE-listed, Surrey-based housebuilder Berkeley Homes.

Duncryne has also supplied pre-cut, Econic board for fire protection and lining to electrical switchgear for a tunnel project at the exhibition centre in Birmingham, providing significant commercial savings to the project due to the onerous fire criteria.

According to Keith Macnair, Managing Director of Duncryne, the increase in work is due to a greater awareness among manufacturers and designers that the MgO board’s fire resistant, acoustic, structural and hygrothermal performance creates opportunities for leaner and more efficient system-led applications.

Mr Macnair said: “There is strong evidence that specifiers and contractors are starting to appreciate the Econic MgO qualities in regard to the safety and performance advantages – which traditional materials cannot offer. We anticipate that our market share will increase as a consequence.

“The board’s robust qualities complement its technical performance. It is lightweight, non-hazardous, weather-resistant, will eliminate waste and mitigate damage in transit.

“We see the development of system-led solutions with off-site manufacturers as a main focus for business growth. We are making significant inroads into the most active areas of the UK market and we can also deliver anywhere in Europe and the Middle East.”

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