News

Our customer (M&E Contractor), was part of the project team involved with the £63,000,000 regeneration of an existing University of Plymouth building. The goal was to create a state-of-the-art New Engineering & Design Facility (NEDF) which would encompass more than 10,000 square metres of research and teaching space to inspire and educate the next generation of engineers and designers.

At Kernow we understand the time and budget pressures involved as well as the practical requirements of school holiday projects. Efficiency is key and Kernow can help you deliver.

Bespoke, off-site solutions are becoming increasingly popular on many of our customers' installs, with this recent London based project being no different!

Chemical anchors are a great solution for anchoring heavy loads to concrete, stone walls and brickwork, especially if the surface of the substrate is uneven, or if the fixing is close to an edge where an expansion anchor could risk causing cracking or splitting of the substrate.

Please see below for our updated trade counter opening hours:

Anchors play a vital role in the support of many M&E installations, but they are often overlooked which has led to some catastrophic failures in recent times. A large percentage of these failures have happened simply because the wrong anchor had been selected for the job.

Happy New Year! We hope you had a relaxing and well deserved break.

Here are the full details of our Christmas 2023 closure dates, last orders and delivery dates.

Pull testing is an important requirement for most concrete anchor installations, however it’s an area that can often cause confusion and misunderstanding, particularly in relation to which type of pull test is required (there are 2 main types). So with this in mind, here’s a quick overview of the basics:

HSE will be carrying out site inspections across the country throughout June until 14th July 2023 to check that standards relating to respiratory health are being met. This is all part of their initiative to raise awareness of respiratory risks to construction workers from exposure to dust and how to help protect the long term health of those working in construction. The campaign will also provide guidance to employers on how to adequately control the risks from construction dust.

Our M&E client was tasked with installing the building services to a new section of the Royal Cornwall Hospital and asked Kernow to assist with a support frame for the services. The client was also busy with multiple projects across the hospital site, so it was vital to meet the strict deadlines, help maintain the momentum and keep the overall project on track. A fast solution was required.

Here are the full details of our Christmas 2022 closure dates, last orders and delivery dates.

With many technical and innovative products now available to contractors, it can be easy to overlook the basic products such as the humble nut & bolt. Ordering these incorrectly, such as selecting the incorrect finish for your application can result in problems or failures further down the line. So with this in mind, here’s a quick recap of some of the common fixing finishes available.

LED lighting is great way to enable you to continue working through darker autumn / winter days, whilst reducing the risk of slips and trips on-site. But did you know, it can also help to improve peoples' productivity and mood?

With the darker evenings and winter weather creeping up, now is the time to ensure your site is fully equipped for the winter period ahead. From additional power and lighting to enable works to continue safely, to site security and storage to ensure your tools remain where you left them, our 2022/23 Winter Site Essentials Brochure contains the items you need to keep your project on track.   

Kernow are now using what3words to enable very accurate order deliveries - to within 3 metres! So if you need your order to be delivered to a precise location, just add the what3words address to your delivery details. 

The immense Hinkley Point C Power Station development is currently one of the largest and most complex projects in Europe and Kernow are very proud to be a part of the supply chain. 

Using threaded rod to support various services such as containment, pipe and ducting has been the norm for many years and is still a popular, safe way to support these services. However a Wire Rope system can offer many unique benefits making it a far better method of installation compared with using rod.

It's that time of year again so here are those all important order, delivery and holiday closure dates...

In case you haven't heard, the brand new, highly anticipated Kernow Fixings Product Guides have arrived!

In January 2019, the 18^th Edition of the IET Wiring Regulations came into force to ensure fire resistant cable support. This was prompted by the Grenfell Tower tragedy and previous high rise building fires where firefighters lost their lives after becoming entangled in fallen cables. The new regulation relates directly to the performance of cable management systems to prevent premature collapse in the event of a fire and avert further tragedies.

Our customer was given a 4 year phased ward refurbishment task for this large South Wales Hospital. A substantial amount of work was involved including new plant rooms which had to be positioned across the roof of the hospital. All the existing mechanical & electrical services had to be removed from below the hospital and re-installed on the rooftop in order for the hospital to continue to operate smoothly. Further to this, all services then had to be adjusted to suit the refurbishment and subsequently re-installed back under the hospital.

Happy New Year! Hopefully you’ve had a relaxing break and are ready to face the challenges ahead. Perhaps not the start to the year we'd all hoped for.

Further to the recent Government announcement of a one month national lockdown to regain control of the Coronavirus, we can confirm that Kernow Fixings will remain open for business and are dedicated to supporting you and your projects as usual.

This project involved the complete transformation of an old Homebase building into NHS Nightingale Exeter, a new hospital for The Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust.

Following on from the recent Government announcement (22 Sept 2020), the rules on who must wear a face mask or covering are set to change. Further groups of people, including those who work in retail will now be required by law to wear a face mask or covering whilst at work.

Kernow were proud to be involved in supplying this prestigious 43-storey tower situated right in the heart of London. With a floor space of 580,000 sq. ft, this is London’s first Pan Pacific Hotel and provides 5-star wellness, meeting & events spaces and a 380-seat double height ballroom/conference facility. 1 – 3 bedroom private residences also occupy the upper levels of the main tower building.

Our customer was recently involved with the development of this luxurious new residential development in Holborn, London. Drawing on years of experience, Kernow were able to support the contractor with the design and fabrication of bespoke fixings and bracketry to ensure this project adhered to the time frames specified.

Never before have we heard so much about face masks and face coverings and there are so many available options. But do we really know which type of face mask we should be wearing? Well that really depends on the intended use and environment. They really fall into 3 main categories:

Our customer helped to refurbish a number of floors in this prestigious London office block for new client, Facebook. Kernow were very pleased to supply the M&E contractors and work with them on this project, overcoming many challenges.

With traditional structural pipe supports there are often many challenges you have to face, schedules often overrun and budgets are exceeded. But have you ever considered the alternative to overcome these issues?

As many contractors head back to site and find ways to implement strict social distancing and hygiene measures, Armorgard have been busy developing and providing solutions to help protect workers and prevent the spread of covid-19.

We are aware that many of you are still working hard on vital projects and supporting critical infrastructure which must remain operational during this difficult time. We want to reassure you that we are open for business and as always we're doing all we can to support you and your projects. We continue to provide a huge range of products and services and are always on-hand to support you. You can still expect:

Our customer was tasked with the refurbishment of their client’s prestigious new offices in Reading, including complete fit-out, M&E and air conditioning. The equipment was all booked to lift the heavy rooftop application into position, but what about the frame to support the 9 tonne plantroom on the roof? 

Regulations and product approvals are becoming more and more stringent across the industry and anchor fixings, often used in safety critical applications are certainly no exception. Guidelines state that safety critical applications are those in which a failure could result in a collapse or partial collapse of a structure, cause risk to human life, or lead to significant economic loss. Not something anyone wishes to be involved in! However, an understanding of the relevant guidelines and what ETA approvals are can go an awful long way in ensuring this doesn’t happen to you.

The 18th Edition of the IET Wiring Regulations 2019 (BS7671) came into force on the 1st January 2019 and contains significant changes that relate directly to fire safety and the performance of installations should a fire occur.

May 2019 marked 30 years since Kernow Fixings started trading, a significant milestone that the Kernow team felt worthy of celebrating.

We’re very pleased to announce the acquisition of MCP UK, an M&E Support, Fastener and Fixing supplier based in Scotland. This is an extremely good fit with Kernow Fixings, enhancing existing business which will provide benefits to all customers. We’d like to wish all MCP customers a very warm welcome to Kernow Fixings.

Tools are regarded as high value products with a high potential re-sell value too, resulting in an epidemic of tool thefts up and down the country.

We are pleased to announce that we will shortly be stocking the latest of TimCo’s products – the NEW Solo Coach Screws.

Royd is yet again bringing us new innovative products, ever striving to make your job a more hassle free experience.

Whilst often beautiful, marine environments come with their challenges, being highly corrosive with high concentration of sodium chloride in both direct and atmospheric contact.

Kernow Fixings are privileged to be shortlisted for the Supplier Of The Year in the London construction Awards this year – our first application of its kind and one we were humbled to be part of all the way to the finals.

If you require a COSHH compliant storage unit to safely store various hazardous substances, then DrumCage is the perfect solution.

This month we are offering a great deal on the Makita 18v 2-Piece Brushless Kit. The deal includes:

All you have to do is spend £600 or more and we will send a FREE match size, Kernow branded football with your order! Please add this as a line to your order using code KER/FOOTBALL.

It makes sense to keep all important on-site safety documentation and equipment in one place on-site, so everyone knows where to find it and access it in an emergency. Well the smart new InstructaHut IH4 from Armorgard does just that and more!

CT1 is a unique sealant and construction bond which has been developed to have many uses, as demanded by the industry. A multi-functional sealant and adhesive, all in one tube! Through research and development, CT1 has been created to be more than just a sealant that can be applied to a multitude of surfaces. Although CT1 can be applied to many different surfaces, it’s also a sealant that:

Take advantage of our great spring OFFERS running throughout April! 

XtractaBench is the latest new innovative product being launched into the Armorgard range.

Why not take advantage of our great March offer? Place an order with us for over £1,000 net and you will receive a FREE SDS DRILL!! (Orders for power tools are excluded from this offer).

Armorgard have launched another new innovative product in response to industry and contractors’ needs. With tools and equipment theft on the rise and not always a secure building or unit nearby to house expensive gear, Armorgard have designed and created Forma-Stor as a neat and safe solution.

The SS7 is a new improved version of the highly popular CuttingStation by Armorgard. Its innovative design comes with several enhancements and is generally safer and even more user friendly than the original design.

SMART Tool have released The Beast! A brand new 400W SMART Tool, the TR60 Tradesman­­ which we can now supply!

February brings the start of the 2018 Six Nations Championships where the competing nations of England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales battle it out to claim the Six Nations title.

DID YOU KERNOW, YOU CAN REDUCE INSTALLATION TIMES BY UP TO 70%? . . .