From a joinery workshop to The Manufacturer MX Awards

Sometimes a milestone makes you stop and realise just how far an idea has travelled.

We’re proud to announce that Prime Sash Windows (https://www.primesashwindows.co.uk/) powered by Joinery Core has been named a finalist in the Smart Factory category at The Manufacturer MX Awards 2026. 

For Skylon Group, this is more than an award announcement.

It is part of a much bigger story.

It started with a workshop

Our joinery operation was created to give us greater control over the bespoke elements required for our construction projects.

Over time, the workshop grew.

More projects meant more production, more information and more moving parts to manage. And with growth came a simple question:

Could we find a better way to run it?

That question eventually became Joinery Core.

Developed around the realities of a working joinery business, the system was designed to connect projects, production information and workflow in one place.

Meanwhile, continued investment in manufacturing technology and machinery allowed the workshop itself to evolve.

Prime Sash Windows brought those elements together.

Where craftsmanship meets technology

Prime Sash Windows is built around a product that has existed for hundreds of years: the timber sash window.

But the way we manufacture it doesn't have to remain in the past.

By combining joinery knowledge with CNC machinery, digital workflow management and our online 3D configuration technology, we have been working towards a manufacturing environment where traditional craftsmanship and modern technology support one another.

That approach is what makes recognition in the Smart Factory category particularly meaningful to us.

Recognition on a national stage

The 2026 Manufacturer MX Awards span 15 categories and celebrate organisations and people across UK manufacturing. Prime Sash Windows powered by Joinery Core is one of five finalists selected in Smart Factory.

For a growing business within Skylon Group, being recognised on that stage is something we're extremely proud of.

But perhaps what matters most is what the nomination represents.

An idea identified inside one of our own businesses became a piece of software.

That software became part of the way we manufacture.

And that manufacturing operation is now being recognised nationally.

Sometimes innovation doesn't begin with trying to reinvent an industry. It begins with trying to solve the problems directly in front of you.

Congratulations to everyone who has been part of the journey so far.