National Gypsum wins annual industry innovation award

National Gypsum Company has been awarded the Association of the Wall and Ceiling Industry’s (AWCI) 2021 Excellence in Construction Innovation Award for its new MaX 12® optimized fastener pattern for UL fire-rated assemblies.

The award is presented annually to one company in the industry and recognizes a product, service, material, technology or system that improves upon the means and methods utilized in the wall and ceiling industry.

“We take great pride in bringing meaningful innovations to the industry and are grateful to AWCI for recognizing us in this way,” said Jay Watt, director, marketing. “MaX 12 is an example of our focus on developing high-quality products and cutting-edge systems. We remain committed to leading the industry with new ideas that improve quality and efficiencies that save our contractors time and money.”

In an award statement, AWCI said, “The judges unanimously agreed that the potential savings in both time and cost for contractors utilizing MaX 12 merited recognition by AWCI as an exceptional industry innovation.”

MaX 12 improves upon the industry standard fastener pattern for most UL fire-rated systems and replaces it with a simpler, more efficient method that results in savings of both installation and finishing labor, as well as material costs for the contractor. A study by RSMeans data, an industry leading construction cost consultant, determined that utilizing Gold Bond® Fire-Shield® Gypsum Board with patented GridMarX® installation guide marks and the MaX 12 optimized fastener pattern can save applicators up to $70 per thousand square feet.

Learn more about the MaX 12 optimized fastener pattern here.

National Gypsum Company is the exclusive service provider for products manufactured by Gold Bond Building Products, LLC.