Evolution is a slow but steady process – in nature, and for product manufacture and design. Changes made to products such as ceiling grids are often not seen by installers. However, the experience of installation becomes easier, the final system with installed tiles has an improved aesthetic appearance, and ease of maintenance improves over the system life-cycle.

Saint-Gobain is renowned for manufacturing excellence, and its reputation is, in part, built on a principle of world-class manufacturing (WCM). Steel profiles, specifically ceiling grids, are more complex than their utilitarian appearance may suggest. The interaction between components such as main and cross tees, the suspension from either soffit, sub-grids or purlins, give rise to loads and stresses that evolve with interior design trends across all property sectors.

This approach is also reflected in their plasterboard and glasswool products, which have received international recognition. RhinoBoard® plasterboards used for ceilings and bulkheads and Gyprex® ceiling tiles have evolved to deliver enhanced performance and heightened sustainability.  

For forty years, Gyproc’s Metals plant and technical team, collaborating with customers’ feedback, have enhanced the design of our ceiling grids. Specialising in the Gypframe® D38FR and the D37K professional systems, they supply a solution to professional teams and installers that is widely acknowledged as the go-to ceiling grid available in South Africa.

Ultimate performance is, however, not always needed and here the Gypframe® Essential exposed and concealed grids provide a fit-for-purpose possibility, with all the values and experience of the high-end professional product for less performance-oriented installations.

Profile design has evolved, optimising the suspension points and process for ceiling grid, along with enhancement of the production lines and processes employed to roll-form the profiles – delivering a superior product today.

As the Germiston Metals Gypframe® ceiling grids are all compatible with their predecessors, extensions and repairs to Gyproc ceiling grids offer no challenges. Steel recipe impacts performance characteristics; here, too, the Gypframe® profiles are continuously the subject of refinement, with a global reach to secure a value proposition that is compelling.

Environmental impact is also considered; sustainable manufacture and employee wellbeing are deemed non-negotiable. Responsible sourcing of raw materials and production consumables form an important part of the final product, ensuring that peace of mind is delivered when buying the efficient ceiling and partition backbone, Gypframe®.

Forty years of local manufacturing experience, and a portfolio of ceiling projects covering everything from utilitarian lay-in ceiling to exotic architectural design execution, gives Saint-Gobain a base to develop and expand future ceiling grids that will meet the needs of the African market.