At the 2025 Steel Window Association awards, the Supplier of the Year was named as Joseph Ash Galvanizing of Medway in Kent.

Dan Lyons Commercial Sales Manager and Sacha Aarons Sales Account Manager, share insights into the company and the successful relationship with Steel Window Association members.

What is the story behind Joseph Ash?

Joseph Ash founded Joseph Ash Ltd in 1857, and the company has grown significantly with nine UK galvanizing sites trusted to protect the UK’s steel against corrosion.

Joseph Ash Medway (Medway Galvanising Company Ltd) was acquired by Joseph Ash Ltd in 2013, and is home to our one stop shop facility, providing shot blasting, galvanizing, and powder coating all in one place.

How long have you been working with SWA members – which ones specifically?

As a company, we have been working with the association’s members closely for over ten years.

What products, services/processes do you supply Steel Window Association members? What benefits do your services/processes add to the SWA members finished windows and doors? 

Our main service across the Joseph Ash Group is hot dip galvanizing, a reliable and proven solution for protecting steel fabrications against corrosion. The enhanced protection against corrosion provided by galvanizing helps to extend steel’s lifespan and reduce its whole-life cost.

Galvanized steel requires little to no maintenance and can last for over 60 years, with documented cases of galvanized coatings exceeding 100 years.

At Joseph Ash Medway, we also have a specialist powder coating facility where both raw and galvanised steel is coated, and we are proud to offer up to 35 years’ warranty on powder coating.

Combining galvanizing and powder coating provides a superior ‘duplex coat’ ensuring all the benefits of fully protected galvanised steel plus the colour and texture finish required.

Joseph Ash Medway is an AkzoNobel Approved applicator for galvanized steel, one of only a handful in the Southeast. Our ability to offer all stages of the steel coating process (shot blasting, galvanizing, and powder coating) helps reduce the risk and

uncertainty that comes with using multiple service providers, ensuring customers receive a consistent high standard of quality and service.

Are there any specific projects you would like us to mention?

We regularly support SWA member, Fabco with multiple renovation and extension projects.

One project we helped powder coat was in Winchmore Hill, a 1940s semi-detached property whose refurbishment was inspired by the homeowner’s travels, creating a fusion of Miami art-deco, Santa Fe adobe pueblo, and Ibizan beach house aesthetics.

Fabco designed and manufactured the doors and were powder coated black by us, spanning the rear of the house to enhance the views of the garden. The incorporation of black steel joists complemented the steel windows in the living areas, framing the garden views to create an elegant, open plan environment.

A project we were proud to duplex coat was a residential Oxted property by Govette Windows. The project required W20 steel door screens, available with 28 mm wide true glazing bars. The system was BFRC registered ‘B’ energy rated system and was double rebated with dual weather-stripping to ensure maximised protection. Hot dip galvanizing helped provide extended corrosion protection against atmospheric attack, complemented with the powder coated finish (RAL 8022 black/brown) to synergise and form a durable duplex coat.

Are your processes applied solely to new windows and doors, or do you assist SWA members in refurbishment projects? 

Galvanizing can be used for both new and repurposed steel fabrications. Our shot blasting facility helps strip away surface contaminants and rust, ready for it to be re-galvanized and repurposed. This ability to re-coat steel contributes to the circular economy model of sustainability, as well as providing full recyclability at the end of the steel’s lifespan.

We can also offer a T Wash surface to prepare windows for painting that are unable to be galvanised, or powder coated due the levels of heat these processes can occur.

Probably a secret – but are you developing any new processes that would benefit SWA members?

We are always looking at new innovative ideas that will enhance what we do for both quality and lead times. Linishing is key for our duplex coating and we are looking at new tools for this to enable us to reach areas that can be missed with standard linish tools.

We are also looking into low bake powders and other powder processes that could assist with the new legislations for the steel window industry.

For further information on the Steel Window Association or if you’re interested in becoming a member, please visit www.steel-window-association.co.uk