What Howe Green does

Howe Green Ltd is a UK-based manufacturer of fabricated metal floor access covers, founded in 1983 to serve the supermarket sector's terrazzo flooring access needs and now operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tyman Plc within the Access 360 Division. The product portfolio spans multiple load-rated series — 7500 Series (medium-duty, up to 5 tonne pneumatic wheel load, stainless steel or aluminium), 1050 Series (heavy-duty, up to 6.5 tonne), 5000 Series (light-duty pedestrian), 2500 Series (wood/timber floors), 1000 Series (commercial landscaping), HSE 75 Series (gas-assisted hinged covers for regular access), and 5 Bar Tread Plate — alongside the Visedge® flexible sheet flooring range, HG200 linear slot drainage, tree pit covers and grilles, and a bespoke architectural metalwork service. All products can be precision-manufactured to exact specifications with no cost or time premium, and many carry BS 476: Part 20/22 fire certification up to three hours.

The commercial model is specification-led enterprise field sales: products are written into architects' and specifiers' project briefs at the design stage, supported by listing on NBS Source, RIBA Product Selector, National BIM Library and NBS Chorus, plus a RIBA-accredited CPD seminar programme that engaged 4,000+ architects and specifiers in 2023. Distribution is primarily direct to UK architects, contractors and facilities managers, with a Swedish channel partner (Elkington AB, in place since 1999) handling Scandinavian project flow and presence at Big 5 Dubai extending reach into the Middle East. Revenue is generated from one-time hardware sales of standard and bespoke covers, with no recurring service or subscription component.

Howe Green serves infrastructure, healthcare, aviation, education, retail and heritage end-markets, anchored by a marquee project portfolio that includes over 1,500 access covers across seven Crossrail/Elizabeth Line stations, 250+ bespoke panels at Stansted Airport, multi-hundred-cover NHS hospital schemes (Queen's Hospital Romford, Southmead Bristol, Chase Farm Enfield, Karolinska Solna Sweden), Heathrow T5 tree grilles, the Westgate Oxford retail development, and bespoke heritage installations at the Roman Baths Bath and Nationalmuseum Stockholm. The company employs around 110 staff across the combined Bilco UK, Howe Green and Profab Access group, with manufacturing retained at Ware, Hertfordshire and the trading headquarters at Innovation Drive, Wolverhampton.

Name

Howe Green

Legal name

Howe Green Ltd

Website

https://howegreen.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

UK manufacturer of fabricated stainless steel and aluminium floor access covers, founded 1983 and now part of Tyman Plc's Access 360 Division, serving architects and specifiers on infrastructure, healthcare, aviation and heritage projects across the UK, Sweden and the Middle East.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Metalwork & Access Covers

NAICS

Ornamental and Architectural Metal Products Manufacturing (33232), Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing (332322)

SIC

Miscellaneous Fabricated Metal Products (3490)

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural & Miscellaneous Metals (Stairs, Railings, Ladders) (IMADACAE)

Keywords

• Floor access covers
• Architectural metalwork
• Stainless steel fabrication
• Construction access solutions
• Building specification products

Headquarters

HQ city

Ware

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Floor Access Cover Sales: One-time sale of fabricated metal floor access covers, including standard and bespoke configurations. Products sold to contractors, specifiers, and facilities managers for installation in construction and renovation projects.
2. Bespoke/ Custom Manufacturing: Custom-manufactured access solutions designed to specific project requirements. No extra time or cost premium for bespoke specifications, with quick turnaround often within days.
3. NBS Specifications and BIM Content: Technical documentation and BIM objects provided as part of product offering to support specification process for architects and specifiers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Howe Green manufactures and supplies fabricated metal floor access covers in stainless steel and aluminium for commercial construction projects. The company produces a portfolio of cover series for solid, flexible, wood, heavy-duty and commercial landscaping floors, plus hinged access hatches, linear slot drainage, tree pit grilles and bespoke architectural metalwork, sold via specification to architects, contractors and facilities managers across the UK and select international markets.

Product overview

Howe Green is a manufacturer of fabricated metal floor access covers and horizontal access solutions. The product portfolio includes multiple series of floor access covers (7500, 5000, 1050, 2500, 1000, HSE 75, 5 Bar Tread Plate) for different loading requirements and floor finishes, Visedge flexible floor access covers for sheet flooring, linear drainage systems (HG200 Slot Drain), tree pit covers and grilles, and bespoke architectural metalwork. The company also offers a range of safety accessories including cover skates, lifting keys, and ladders. Products are available in stainless steel and aluminium, with various configurations including single covers, duct covers, and multipart units. Many products offer optional fire ratings to BS 476 standards and bespoke manufacturing capabilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Visedge®: Flexible floor access cover range for use with flexible sheet flooring systems, featuring double-sealed construction and crimped corners for a flat, unobtrusive finish.
• 7500 Series
• 5000 Series
• 1050 Series
• 1000 Series
• 2500 Series
• HSE 75 Series
• HG200 Linear Slot Drain

Products and services

• 7500 Series Medium-Duty Floor Access Covers Medium-duty stainless steel or aluminium floor access covers suitable for up to 5 tonne pneumatic tyre wheel load, with tamper-resistant barrel cover lifting points and optional fire rating up to 3 hours per BS 476: Part 20. Sold to contractors and specifiers for airports, railway stations, shopping centres and other high-traffic infrastructure.
• 5000 Series Light-Duty Floor Access Covers Light-duty floor access covers for pedestrian areas, suitable for infill with ceramic tiles, marble, terrazzo, concrete, resin, wood or parquet flooring. Designed for offices, schools and other low-load commercial spaces.
• 1050 Series Heavy-Duty Floor Access Covers Heavy-duty stainless steel floor access covers rated up to 6.5 tonne loading, designed for natural stone and concrete flooring in demanding environments such as London Underground stations and airport aprons.
• 2500 Series Wood Floor Access Covers Floor access covers purpose-built for pedestrian areas with wood and timber flooring finishes, used in galleries, museums, education and commercial interiors.

Quantifiable outcome

• Fire resistance for up to 2 hours certified to BS 476: Part 22 on 7500 Series stainless steel covers
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers17 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and notable.

• Tyman Plc / Access 360 DivisionflagshipOthers · 1 January 2017Howe Green is part of the Access 360 Division of Tyman UK & Ireland. Bilco UK, Howe Green, and Profab Access operate as separate brands under Tyman Plc with James Fisher as Managing Director across all three companies. 110 people employed across all sites.
• Carillion and Galliford TrycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Carillion and Galliford Try selected Howe Green's Floor Access Covers as part of the multi-million pound transformation of London Stansted Airport. Over 250 bespoke panels and frames supplied for Satellite One and Departure Hall refurbishment in two phases.
• Scena ProjectsnotableStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Scena Projects managed the Roman Baths redevelopment in Bath where Howe Green produced special purpose access solution with bespoke see-through glass floor for viewing the Roman Drain.
• DMC ContractsflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Strategic partnership with DMC Contracts, one of the UK's leading fit-out contractors specialising in floor finishes. DMC has installed over 1,500 Howe Green access covers across Crossrail's seven stations over a 15+ year relationship. Conor McCann, Business Development Director at DMC, stated no other manufacturer could match Howe Green's expertise and product excellence.
• Elkington ABcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 1999Elkington AB based in Stockholm has been distributing Howe Green Access Covers for projects across Sweden since 1999. Distributed products for Karolinska Solna University Hospital and Nationalmuseum of Art Stockholm projects. Otto von Platen, Managing Director, has worked with Howe Green for 18 years recommending their products for prestigious Swedish projects.
• Johnathan Bailey AssociatescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerArchitectural firm that specified over 200 Visedge Series Flexible Floor Access Covers throughout Queen's Hospital Romford.

Scale indicators16 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Bilco UK: Sister brand under Tyman Plc's Access 360 Division, manufacturing roof access hatches, ladders and floor access solutions. Directly comparable in target customer (architects/specifiers), product category (access solutions) and distribution model (specification-led), and shares the same UK-based MD (James Fisher).
• ACO UK: UK arm of ACO Group, manufacturing linear drainage channels and access covers in stainless steel and aluminium for commercial and infrastructure projects. Directly comparable in materials, application environment and specification-led GTM, with overlap at the drainage/access interface.
• Profab Access: Sister brand under Tyman Plc's Access 360 Division, manufacturing riser doors, vertical access panels and steel doors. Directly comparable as a UK access-solution manufacturer serving the same architect/specifier/contractor channels within the 'Safe Access All Areas' proposition.
• Wade Drainage: UK drainage and access cover brand (historically part of ACO Group) producing stainless steel and aluminium access and drainage solutions for commercial construction. Closely comparable to Howe Green in material, target vertical (infrastructure, healthcare, commercial) and product form factor.

Regional players

• Babcock-Davis: US-based manufacturer of access hatches, roof hatches, floor doors and ventilation products for commercial construction. Comparable product range (architectural metal access solutions) and specification-led model, but US-market focused.
• Acudor: US/Canada-based manufacturer of access doors and panels for walls, ceilings and floors in commercial construction. Comparable in product form factor (architectural metal access panels) and specification channels, with North American geographic focus.
• Cendrex: Canada-based manufacturer of access doors and panels for walls, ceilings and floors, serving commercial and institutional construction. Comparable product category (architectural metal access panels) and specifier-led sales motion, but primarily serves the Canadian/North American market.
• Nystrom: US-based manufacturer of floor access covers, roof hatches, smoke vents and fall protection, serving commercial construction specifiers. Comparable product portfolio to Howe Green but primarily serves the North American market and does not directly compete in Howe Green's UK stronghold.
• Jay R. Smith Mfg. Co. US-based manufacturer of plumbing drainage, access covers and specification-grade drainage products for commercial and institutional buildings. Comparable in target customer (architects/specifiers) and access-cover product category, with US-focused geographic footprint.

Broad incumbents

• Bilco: US parent company of Bilco UK and broader access-solutions brand under Tyman Plc. Manufactures a wider portfolio including roof hatches, floor access, smoke vents and ladders across commercial and industrial segments, providing a broader incumbent comparable to a narrower Howe Green.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/HoweGreenUK
• Instagraminstagram.com/access_360_uk
• Xx.com/howegreen
• Facebookfacebook.com/HoweGreen
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/howe-green-ltd

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Howe Green