Sertus wins Manufacturing Impact Award at MAKE UK South Region Awards

We’re proud to share that Sertus has been recognised at the MAKE UK Manufacturing Awards – South Region, winning the Manufacturing Impact Award for our Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service Training and Development Academy project, and taking Runner-Up for Innovation of the Year with our I-Rated Smoke Control Damper.  

The MAKE UK Awards celebrate excellence in British manufacturing and engineering, recognising businesses that are driving innovation, sustainability, and positive impact across the sector.  

Judges praised Sertus for demonstrating how manufacturing excellence can deliver social and economic value – strengthening UK supply chains, supporting modern construction methods, and enhancing national emergency preparedness through its work with Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service.

 Shane White, Managing Director at Sertus, said: 

We’re incredibly proud to receive this recognition from Make UK. This award is a testament to our team’s commitment to engineering excellence and to our mission of safeguarding lives and property through innovation in smoke control. The Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service project shows what can be achieved when manufacturing expertise, collaboration, and public safety goals come together – it’s proof that UK manufacturing can make a real, lasting impact.

Recognising industry collaboration  

The award-winning Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service Training and Development Academy integrates Sertus smoke ventilation products into its state-of-the-art fire training environment – allowing firefighters to train in realistic, high-rise fire scenarios and helping bridge the gap between system design and frontline experience. 

The site also played host to the Sertus Live event series earlier in 2025 – a set of live learning days attended by more than 150 professionals from across fire safety, M&E, architecture, and building services. The second event in the series, Sertus Live 2, featured Dame Judith Hackitt DBE FREng as keynote speaker and explored how better collaboration and understanding between disciplines can enhance building safety outcomes. 

We were proud to work alongside Maclec Ltd, who supported the installation and commissioning of the smoke ventilation systems on the project. 

Fraser Ruthven, Marketing Manager at Sertus, added: 

The Academy and Sertus Live events are great examples of how collaboration drives competence. By creating spaces where design meets real-world firefighting, we can help the industry close the gap between intent and performance.

Product innovation recognised   

Sertus was also named Runner-Up for Innovation of the Year for its EIS120 I-Rated Shaft Louvre Damper (SLD) – a next-generation smoke control damper setting new standards for performance and simplicity. 

The damper’s I-Rated design delivers full fire integrity, insulation, and smoke containment, certified to EIS120, and tested to 10,000 operational cycles for proven long-term reliability. Designed to reduce energy loss and improve efficiency, it offers a universal fit across all wall types – including asymmetric walls – making installation quicker, easier, and safer. 

Since launch, the SLD has achieved over £10.3 million in orders and a 92.8% customer satisfaction rate, reinforcing its strong market reception and value to contractors and specifiers alike. 

Steve Knight, Technical Director at Sertus, said:

The SLD represents a real leap forward in damper technology. It’s been engineered from the ground up to overcome the long-standing issues customers face with traditional dampers – things like air leakage, pressure loss, and inconsistent long-term performance. The result is a damper that delivers better containment, greater efficiency, and simpler installation – all without compromise on compliance or reliability.

Next stop: MAKE UK National Awards 

We now progress to the national MAKE UK Awards Gala Dinner in January 2026, where the overall UK winners will be announced. 

Recognition like this reinforces that Sertus is not just a manufacturer – we’re helping shape safer buildings through engineering excellence and collaboration, in line with our mission to safeguard lives and property by making smoke ventilation simple,

said Shane White.  

Kerri-Anne Mruk, Regional Director for Make UK in the South of England, added: 

These awards are a testament to the dynamic companies and individuals working within engineering and manufacturing. The sector remains at the heart of creating wealth in the South of England, and as we grow our economy, there will be a bright future for companies and individuals that make the most of their talent.

About MAKE UK

MAKE UK is the national body representing and championing UK manufacturing and engineering. The annual MAKE UK Manufacturing Awards celebrate businesses and individuals who are leading innovation, productivity, and sustainable growth across the sector. 

About Sertus

Sertus is a UK-based manufacturer of smoke ventilation products, dedicated to safeguarding lives and property through unequivocally compliant, expertly engineered, and reliably manufactured solutions. Driven by our vision to be the UK’s manufacturer of choice for smoke ventilation, we’re setting the standard – leading, not following – with products that combine innovation, performance, and quality. From early-stage design through to post-install support, we partner with contractors, architects, consultants, and developers to deliver smoke control that works – every time.

At Sertus, Make It Simple isn’t just a tagline – it’s our promise. We simplify the complex world of fire safety through intelligent design, clear guidance, and comprehensive support, helping our customers achieve compliant, high-performance buildings with confidence.

Learn more at sertus.uk. For media enquiries, contact hello@sertus.uk or call 01483 269999.