A UK-based global supplier of high-strength, low-weight composite materials to suit a range of construction, industrial, transport, marine and leisure projects will be at the Big 5 show, armed with a new identity and an array of high-quality systems.

Earlier known as Fibreglass Grating, the company has recently changed its name to Dura Composites, to reflect its expanding product range.
Says Stuart Burns, company director at Dura Composites: “The new identity, which is supported by a new logo, is a strategic move designed to better reflect the company’s successes in providing a wide range of composite solutions to industry since 1995. The change of name will also provide a broader platform from which to launch a wider range of new products for various applications in the near future.”
The name change comes at a time when the demand for its product segments is rapidly rising.
“The market for the solutions we offer is developing at a very rapid pace. Whether for industrial flooring, construction materials, wall cladding or pontoon decking our products, the demand has been increasing,” he says.
Burns continues: “We have acquired a strong reputation in the industry as a supplier of innovative yet price-competitive solutions and have established an impressive customer base in a wide range of sectors. Changing the company name at this time is a natural progression as it will allow us to continue to expand and innovate. Moving forward, we have ambitious growth plans which will see us bring three new products to the market and also open an international sales office in the fourth quarter of 2008.”
Incorporated in 1995, the company has since supplied to a wide range of blue-chip organisations with products from its standard range as well as with bespoke project solutions.
“Our UK head office allows us to stay at the forefront of technology, whilst global strategic alliances provide us with flexible manufacturing capabilities for the larger projects,” points out Burns.
The company is well on course to cement its leadership position as a supplier of composite materials, if one goes by its sales performance in 2008. “A solid sales performance in the first half of 2008 places us well on course to record an annual sales increase of over 50 per cent by the end of 2008. This is a strong indication that clients in a wide range of business sectors including construction, industry, transport, marine and leisure are benefiting from the excellent customer experience offered by us, both in the UK and abroad.”
Dura Composites’ products are used in a wide range of applications, including flooring, gully covers, stairs, deck boards, bridges, wash bays, track crossings, screens, jetties,  ramps, walkways, platforms, work stations, pontoon decking, assembly lines, vent grills and piers.
In the construction segment, the company offers a wide range of fibreglass products to suit several construction applications. “Fibreglass itself provides several benefits including high strength, low weight, resistance to corrosion and low maintenance. Our fibreglass products are suitable for use as a fabrication material, anti-slip flooring, gully covers, equipment screening and structural floorboards,” says a spokesman for Dura Composites.
The company’s product brands under this segment are Dura Profile, Dura Slab, Dura Board, Dura Tread and Screen Clad.
Under Dura Profile, the company offers fibreglass pultruded sections. Pultruded composite sections are manufactured by combining various resins with pure fibre reinforcement. They are formed and cured in a continuous process creating a product of extraordinary strength and resilience. The resultant profile offers a combination of
benefits and mechanical properties exceeding those of metal, says the spokesman.
“Pultrusions offer a number of advantages over traditional materials such as steel, aluminium and timber and their use is increasing across a wide range of applications and industries,” he states. “The almost infinite variety of possible profiles allows a high degree of design freedom. Tailored properties such as strength, stiffness, weight and colour can be engineered by product design at the early stages of development.”
Under its Dura Slab brand, the company offers duct covers, gully covers, trench covers, and structural flooring.
“Dura Slab is ideal for new constructions and replacements for duct covers,” the spokesman says. “It is also well suited for refurbishment applications to replace old, heavy and cumbersome traditional flooring materials and covers. The characteristics of Dura Slab make it more favourable for duct covers rather than using steel, timber or concrete systems due to its lower weight, anti-slip surface, ease of installation and absence of maintenance.”
For structural flooring, the brand offers a fibreglass structural flooring system manufactured using a unique construction technique that provides an incredible strength-to-weight ratio.  “Two high-strength fibreglass solid plates are bonded to each side of a fibreglass mesh core material producing a composite structural flooring structure that is stiff, strong, lightweight, non-corrosive and with an anti-slip walking surface,” says the spokesperson.
The company can be found at 2A51 in the British pavilion.