Frameclad recently opened its doors to visitors and provided an exclusive opportunity to tour its facilities in Kingswinford to better understand offsite manufacture and one of the UK’s leading light steel frame providers.
Operating from two adjacent high-tech manufacturing factories with a combined area of 50,000sq ft of factory and office space — including a dedicated 24,000sq ft framing facility — Frameclad held an ‘open day’ to host a wide range of construction professionals. Attendees included architects, structural engineers, contractors, and local authority regeneration teams. The event showcased how Frameclad is not only delivering cutting-edge light steel solutions but also earning praise for exceptional quality and unrivalled customer service.
Substantial investment in cold roll-forming machinery – now seven machines – supported by customised Tekla software, produces both loadbearing and non-loadbearing light steel framing systems with huge interest in its Lightweight Engineered Adjustable Frame (LEAF) system.
Visitors were shown around both manufacturing facilities covering cold roll forming and the assembly factory by Operations Director, Paul Stefanovic, who outlined the steps taken to produce its infill solutions and complex loadbearing systems with the capability to go up to nine storeys. “The flexibility and type of profile – angles and ‘Zs’ – that we can produce, and supply is exceptional,” said Paul. “It means that we can deliver a much more flexible and better-quality product. In keeping with offsite manufacture generally, our ethos is to capture mistakes inside the factory rather than outside the building.”
Of huge interest was the LEAF system – something described as ‘simple but revolutionary in application’. Essentially the four-axis adjustable light steel frame infill system can be extended and aligned in all directions to overcome the challenges associated with mainframe dimensional discrepancies. The surrounding structure in which a frame is placed is not always aligned as intended, and it is important for frames to be as adaptable as possible to ‘fill’ the void.
LEAF is the result of the total Frameclad team – designers, engineers, manufacturers and technical experts – coming together to create a system that overcomes an issue that is frequently experienced once a light steel frame infill system arrives on-site. “What sets LEAF infill panels apart is that the system can be adjusted on-site in all directions with total ease,” said Nik Teagle, Joint Managing Director for Frameclad. “From ‘top to bottom and side to side’ without the use of any specialist tools, cutting or welding equipment. When the aperture is totally ‘infilled’ from ceiling to floor and wall to wall, the innovated light steel mechanism is just locked into place. Safeguarding our ‘fit first time’ ethos, LEAF offers installers the flexibility to compensate for dimensional issues. Ensuring that the aperture is totally infilled, improves airtightness within the building envelope to enhance thermal performance and help achieve net zero goals.”
LEAF is expected to have huge benefits for the retrofit sector where existing structures can be reconfigured, and an adjustable frame system will help reduce costs, waste and the time taken on changing walls or room layouts. With zero waste in the manufacturing process and no cutting or welding on-site, the LEAF system has a predicted design life of 250 years in a warm frame environment.
With a 14 strong in-house design and engineering team that can provide cost estimates within 10 days and detailed designs within one week, customer service has been central to Frameclad’s on-going success. “We offer a significant level of site support as a manufacturer,” says Dale Joy, Frameclad’s Regional Specification Manager for the North. “We don’t just send our products to site and leave. For Frameclad, engagement begins well before the first tool is lifted. Our team often visit our client’s offices and sites prior to project kick-off, delivering tailored presentations to ensure site teams are fully familiar with every aspect of our system. This early engagement has a clear goal – to equip contractors and installers with the confidence and knowledge to build accurately and efficiently. From toolbox talks and drawing reviews to on-site collaboration and technical reports, Frameclad’s involvement is comprehensive.”
This hands-on, consultative approach is gaining traction — and attention. According to Dale, more main contractors and developers are turning to Frameclad earlier in the design and planning stages. It’s a trend he attributes to the company’s proactive nature and its client-first mentality.
Backed by BOPAS accreditation, NHBC, Steel Construction Institute, Infill and CE certification, Frameclad has also invested in a growing suite of fire test and performance data to offer assurances that the system is robust and adheres to the new pressures created by the Future Homes Standard and Building Safety Act, with its golden thread of information and Gateway stages to ensure long-term reliability and structural integrity.
“We were delighted to invite the many industry professionals and local authority teams to see how our light steel frames are transforming the construction landscape,” added Nik Teagle. “Our systems are not only fast to install but also meet the highest safety and environmental standards, offering a durable and high-quality solution for modern building needs.”
For more information on how Frameclad can transform your project, you can visit the upgraded and freshly relaunched website: www.frameclad.com
