Johnson Tiles’ CristalGrip, an nanotechnology re-usable tile fixing system. Russel Armstrong’s Hotun, a regulation compatible all in one dry trap tundish. Dr Daniel Simmons’ LeakNet, a smart solution to water damage prevention. Mark Titley’s Pipe Cone, a safer and more efficient plastic pipe chamfer tool. Mark Singleton’s Spacelink Truss, made of fiberglass hollow sections joined without metal or adhesive yet with a bond as strong as steel but lighter and without rust. And Travis Perkins PLC employee Jonathan Bolton’s Stay Safe multi cordon bag, which makes cordoning off an area safe and quick without traffic cones.

These are the winners from more than 100 entries in the first ever Travis Perkins Innovation Awards (TPIAs). Pioneered by the builders merchant and with Marshalls, the hard landscaping company, the main sponsor, these Awards are the first of their kind in the construction industry. The winners were announced this month (October) at the premises of Northampton Saints Rugby Club (Travis Perkins being headquartered in Northampton and supporters of the Saints).

And what an excellent idea the Awards are. Some of the entries were brilliant and will now get financial support of up to £10,000 plus professional guidance from Travis Perkins to develop for commercial use. There will then be an opportunity to trial the products in selected Travis Perkins Group locations around the UK.

You can find out more about all the entries on the website Travis Perkins opened for the Awards (the URL is at the bottom of this report). The Stone Specialist favourite is the CristalGrip from Johnson Tiles. It is a new way of fixing tiles using a product that is a bit like a nantechnology version of Velcro. It does away with cementitious adhesives and wet products apart from grouts for finishing. It is due to be launched in the UK in the spring.

You stick one side of the material to a wall and one side to the back of a tile and just push them together. If it is wrong, you pull it off and push it back on again. It can support tiles or slabs of up to 400kg, although whether you would want a pull-away 400kg slab is another matter.

Traditionally applied tiles are hard to remove and often break, along with those alongside, if you try. With Cristalgrip, removing tiles is as quick and easy as fixing them. 

The product is kind to the environment for two reasons. First, because you don't need much water nor a traditional adhesive. Second, because the system enables you to re-use tiles.

Johnson Tiles says it has taken it five years to develop Cristalgrip.

There were five categories in the Awards – university-affiliated, problem-solving, inventors, registered businesses and internal colleagues – with a winner in each.

Norman Bell, Group Strategy Director at Travis Perkins PLC, said after the winners had been announced: "As a major UK employer with 21 businesses it is important to invest in innovative products and new ideas that help solve problems encountered daily by our customers and the industry as a whole. We are extremely pleased and proud that the first Travis Perkins Innovation Awards initiative has been so successful, resulting in the discovery of so many viable inventions with potential to make a positive impact on other businesses within the industry."

www.tpia.co.uk