HEADLINE SPONSOR


A PARTNERSHIP BUILT ON COMMITMENT


Headline sponsor Siniat talks about how the solus supply deal with NBG is working out for both parties.


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or Adam Taylor, Commercial Director at plasterboard Supplier Siniat, the NBG deal that sees the buying group place all of its plasterboard purchasing through the company is both a recognition of loyalty and a platform for growth.


“First and foremost, this is about recognising the strength of our partnership with NBG,” he explains. “We genuinely see it as an organisation that wants to work collaboratively with us for the long term. We, in turn, want to match that level of commitment.”


The solus agreement, Taylor believes, is a statement of intent, one that gives Siniat the confidence to invest, innovate and deepen its engagement with NBG Partners.


Purple Reign platform


Siniat’s ‘Purple Reign’ campaign, launched to reassert its identity and market presence, has provided a fresh and distinctive voice in an often a functional, product-led category. Taylor says: “From an Etex (Siniat’s parent company) perspective, it’s a great platform to build on, and continue re-establishing the Siniat brand. It gives us a visible, credible channel through which to tell our story.”


The commitment from NBG Partners to the solus deal has, he says, been overwhelmingly positive, as has their response to the Purple Reign campaign. Research conducted by Siniat revealed many still remembered the company as Lafarge, or were uncertain about the exact relationship between Siniat and Etex. “The clarity has been really well received,” Taylor says. “Merchants now recognise that this is Siniat speaking. They can see what we stand for and that we’re serious about building the brand.”


The campaign has also enabled everyone, from the Siniat teams to the branch staff, to have some creative fun, Taylor says. “We’ve done some merchant campaigns where they can make up their own thrones; some have been quite impressive, so they’ve obviously had fun with that. And then we ran a competition where branches could win free pizza on a Friday, which has been well received again.”


The serious, long-term objective is to build sustained recognition and loyalty. “It’s a good


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first step,” Taylor says. “We’ve got a strong team behind it, and 2026 will be about deepening the brand, adding more stories, more substance and showing that the campaign isn’t just fun, but a reflection of the strength behind Siniat.”


Deepening knowledge A key part of that next phase will involve working closely with Partners to build category knowledge. “Plasterboard isn’t something you have front and centre of the trade counter. It tends to live at the back of the warehouse. It’s a simple product, yet it has so many variations. Builders typically need a mix of standard boards, moisture boards, fire boards and performance products depending on the job.”


Helping merchants identify and articulate those needs is, he believes, a major opportunity. “If we can help merchants tell the story, explain when a customer needs the purple board, the pink board, the blue board, the green board, we can help them educate and upsell at the same time. It’s not just about selling more but also about boosting confidence, ensuring they’re giving the right advice and helping their customers achieve better results.”


Training, merchandising and in-branch activation will all play a role. So will clearer categorisation and improved communication tools.


“Ultimately, we want to work with Partners to help them maximise their customer’s basket,” Taylor says. “There’s huge untapped potential in just helping the trade understand the full scope of what’s available.”


Manufacturing boost


The opening of Siniat’s new plasterboard line at its Bristol facility has further strengthened the company’s position in the UK market. According to Taylor, the investment has provided not only additional capacity but also crucial reassurance around supply reliability.


“It’s given us that true local manufacturing perspective,” he says. “We’re much more in control of our own destiny compared with when more of our product was coming from European plants. Today, around 99% of what we sell in the UK is made in the UK.”


That shift, he explains, boosts customer confidence because it means Siniat can stand behind its commitments. “We’re in charge of the processes and production. We have the capacity to ramp up when needed, and the team is rightly proud of what we’ve achieved at the new facility.”


For employees, the completion of the Bristol plant transformed years of discussion into tangible progress. “When I joined, the new factory had been talked about for a long time,” Taylor says. “Seeing it come to fruition gave real confidence to the team internally, as well as to the marketplace and, importantly, to our NBG Partners. It was a clear statement from Etex: we’re committed.”


Looking ahead, Siniat is investing not only in infrastructure but also in people. The company is expanding its team on the ground to ensure greater visibility and face-to-face interaction with customers – something Taylor believes is crucial in a market that is still all about relationships. “You might think you know what merchants need, but unless you’ve got people on the ground, you can’t be sure,” he says. “Every customer is different, and that’s part of the joy of this sector.”


The plasterboard category, he adds, is full of possibility: simple in appearance, but full of technical detail and opportunities to add value. That’s where Siniat’s specification commitment becomes a real differentiator. “We’re not just telling a story,” says Taylor. “We have a strong technical team and technical offering. We’re confident saying: this is the product we’ve designed, this is how it performs, and we stand by it. That’s a huge statement.”


Partnerships for the future Ultimately, the solus agreement with NBG gives the company the confidence to invest in its merchant network and reinforces its commitment to transparency, reliability and technical excellence.


“NBG has committed to us,” Taylor says, “and that allows us to commit fully back to them. The Partners genuinely want to work with us to improve business for all of us and that’s exactly the kind of partnership we want.”


January 2026


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