With roots reaching back to the late 1980s, CLM Fireproofing has moved with the times to meet the ever-changing requirements of the marketplace. This forward-thinking approach has not only ensured enduring commercial success but has also helped attract ongoing industry recognition, with the company having been nominated in no less than FOUR separate categories at the CN Specialists Awards 2025.
“Awards weren’t originally something we ever really focused on, but as we’ve grown and the size of the team has expanded, it’s become increasingly important that the input of our staff is recognised,” explains Clive Miles, Founder and CEO. “We now have 60 office-based employees and over 200 site operatives. That we’re in the running for four awards is testament to all the hard work of each and every one of them.”
It is clear that CLM’s people have played been a key part in the company’s journey, which began with its formation in 1989. The fact that it is still going strong 36 years later is indicative of the reputation it has built and its ability to adapt.
“The sector has changed beyond all recognition over the past three decades, with the rate of development in the eight years since the Grenfell tragedy being particularly marked,” adds Clive. “We’ve always stuck to our core specialism: structural fire protection in steel frame buildings and fire stopping of penetrations through compartmentation walls. At the same time, we’ve invested continually to ensure we’re using the latest technology and to keep the quality high.”
The standards that CLM adheres to, combined with its vast experience, has seen it work with many of the UK’s leading Tier 1 contractors, including Mace, Skanska, Laing O’Rourke, SRM and Wilmot Dixon. This has allowed CLM to work on some of London’s most prestigious buildings, such as the Royal Opera House the Shard, Battersea Power Station and, more recently, One Crown Place, 40 Leadenhall, 1 Exchange Square and The Ritz.
In terms of current projects, CLM is involved on a number of flagship schemes. These include working with Multiplex on the St John’s Wood development; a number of large projects for Mace, such as 50 Berkeley Square and Salisbury Square, as well as 2 Finsbury Avenue for Sir Robert McAlpine and 105 Victoria Street for Skanska.
CLM is also involved in a substantial amount of remediation work, operating on behalf of several of the larger social housing companies, such as Hyde Housing, Home Group and the Riverside Group.
“Our aim is to build lasting partnerships that lead to repeat contracts, rather than just working on a single job and moving on.” states Mark Taylor, Executive Director.
The close working relationships that CLM has developed with its clients is mirrored in its approach to its supply chain, as Clive highlights: “We treat our suppliers as we want to be treated by our clients. It’s all about creating partnerships. We haven’t got a massive supply chain because we want to work with a select number of high-quality suppliers. This an ethos that has worked well for us over the years, as everyone supports each other.”
This drive to develop close working relationships with both its suppliers and customers alike, is evident from CLM’s desire to keep improving all aspects of its operation, as Mark, outlines: “We’re constantly striving to push the boundaries on innovation and quality. This is particularly prevalent in our focus on technology, as the wider industry makes further progress with the implementation of the Building Safety Act, Gateway System and the Golden Thread.
“Construction has probably evolved more in the last three to four years than it has in the previous 20 years cumulatively, with the likes of AI, VR, 3D models and drones all having seen huge uptake in adoption. We’re keen to keep this process going throughout the entire industry, as it’s vital that everyone involved is fully versed in what the Building Safety Act and the Golden Thread require, not just ourselves. Everyone needs to be operating at the same level so that we can all get the full benefit and help improve safety generally. It’s challenging but collectively we’re getting there.”
Unsurprisingly given its commitment to adopting the latest technology, CLM is one of the few firestoppers that is fully compliant with the Golden Thread. It is capable of working with all the relevant parties, such as architects, developers, and designers. It has invested heavily over the last five years in particular, in everything from Revit plugins and artificial intelligence through to workflow automation. This has allowed it to keep pace with the wider industry and to continue giving its clients the solutions they require.
This quest for ongoing digital improvement is reflected in two of the categories that CLM has been nominated for in the CN Specialists Awards, namely ‘Innovation of the Year (Contractor)’ for its BIM Plugin, and ‘Digital Construction Excellence’ for its Firestopping Information Management (FiM).
In addition to the inroads it has made on digital, social values is another area where CLM has earned plaudits, thanks to its growing community influence. This explains why the third of its four CN Specialist Awards nominations is within the ‘Excellence in Social Value’ category.
“This originates from the social housing and local authority work we do, as our clients that operate in this sphere are very heavily involved in in social value,” adds Clive. “We’ve been keen to build the culture to support them as much as we can, as well as training our own staff appropriately.
“It’s a very personal thing when our employees carry out work in someone’s house or flat, so we’re committed to ensuring that we make it a nice environment for people to live in. We’ve also strived to expand the social value element into some of our larger projects by employing local labour and using local companies and distribution centres.”
Given the investment that CLM has made throughout its operation, it’s little surprise that the fourth and final category it is in the running for at the CN Specialist Awards is Specialist Contractor of the Year (turnover over £25m). At a time when the fireproofing market is so fragmented, CLM’s size, in terms of its turnover and staffing level, puts it firmly in the upper echelon of the sector.
As well as attracting award attention, CLM’s size and status is allowing it to excel commercially too, especially as it is well placed to make the most of the opportunities currently available. “The new regulations can be testing for smaller companies that simply don’t have the time or resources to focus on these areas,” says Mark. “In contrast, we have been operating for over 30 years, to the point that we’ve got to a size where we can spend more time investing in staff training and development, which in turns allows us to keep moving forward in-line with the changing regulatory landscape.
“We’re fortunate in that we can provide a well-rounded service with a dedicated design function. It is therefore second nature for us to work with architects, developers, and designers, as well as the Tier 1 contractors, and get involved much earlier in the process.
“There are even growing instances where we’re getting involved in projects before the Tier 1 contractor is even appointed. This is a far cry from the days when we’d get an order for a contract on a Thursday that was due to start on the Monday. We’re certainly moving away from that now, and we’re even involved in some projects for a couple of years before we get onsite. This enables us to plan much better and resource accordingly. Knowing what’s coming is a huge advantage.”
As a shining beacon of all that’s possible, CLM has also benefitted from Clive’s involvement in the Association for Specialist Fire Protection (ASFP), which he was Chair of for two years, the maximum tenure that’s allowed.
“I have been involved with the ASFP for several years, and it was a great honour to be Chair. They’re really helping to drive change in the industry at a particularly important time.”
Despite its high standing within the marketplace and its well-stocked armoury of expertise and technology, CLM’s aspirations remain ambitious yet realistic, as Clive concludes: “The objective is to maintain the growth rate we’re seeing but ensure that it remains controlled. We’ve got to keep delivering the same quality that we do now, and our focus is always on delivering for our clients. Ultimately, we’re here to protect them, their brand and their legacy.”
This focus on doing the right thing for its clients has proven to be an excellent formula for CLM from a commercial perspective, as it continues to grow thanks to its unrelenting drive to improve its infrastructure in order to provide its customers with exactly what they need. While commercial success is always the main objective for any business, it is also fitting that the spotlight has fallen on CLM itself, and it has a very real chance of celebrating a Quadruple at the CN Specialists Awards when the winners are announced in September.