Marley Plumbing & Drainage has announced that it has been presented with a 45 years of excellence award from the British Standards Institution (BSI).
Kevin Williams, Marley’s commercial director, received the award from Shaun Corkerry, construction certification team manager at BSI, at the company’s site in Lenham, near Maidstone, Kent.
Mr Williams said: “It is great news that we have received this award from the BSI. It’s a real testament to all the positive hard work that has been carried out throughout the years by all teams across the organisation.”
In the past, BSI has offered a variety of schemes for pipes, and continues to offer the Kitemark license for pipes in a wide variety of materials including plastic, copper, clay and ductile iron.
Marley and its associated sister company’s manufacturer, DHM Plastics, holds the earliest surviving Kitemark license for plastic pipes – KM 05495 – awarded in November 1971.
Plastic pipes for domestic plumbing use were first developed in the 1920s but commercial production of plastic pipes started in earnest in the mid-1950s. Marley formed an extrusions company in 1955 using extruding rigid PVC technology, which back then was relatively new.
Marley was also the first in the UK to manufacture rainwater gutters; the design emulated the material most often used for drain pipes, cast iron – hence the double ‘bump’ on the Marley rainwater pipe socket.
