Timeless Tube Wins Industry Award for Innovation in Stainless Steel

Timeless Tube have been recognised by the British Stainless Steel Association (BSSA) for our contribution to innovation in stainless steel manufacturing at the Association’s inaugural awards ceremony, staged at the annual BSSA Conference. (11 June 2026). 

The Innovation Award recognised Timeless Tube's commitment to helping engineers, fabricators, OEMs and designers access bespoke stainless steel tube profiles without the traditional commercial barriers associated with non-circular tube sections.

Removing Barriers to Custom Tube Profiles

For a decade, Timeless Tube have focussed on making non-circular tube profiles commercially viable for a wider range of customers. By cold-forming standard circular tube into custom geometries, we enable customers to prototype new products, improve existing designs and explore alternative solutions — without committing to the large minimum order quantities often associated with bespoke mill-produced sections.

The judges noted the range of sectors that use our shaped profiles, including architecture, transport, marine, industrial equipment, automotive and general engineering, with customers benefiting from improvements in ergonomics, aesthetics, structural performance and assembly efficiency.

Industry Praise for our Technical Depth and Manufacturing Knowledge

Underpinned by a decade of development under MD and engineer Tom McMillan, the team have built a detailed manufacturing archive enabling an accurate prediction of material behaviour during forming. This accumulated technical knowledge reduces risk and gives clients the confidence to adopt custom geometries for the first time.

Engineers have developed an extensive range of flat-sided oval, elliptical, D-shaped, radiused square, hexagonal and fully bespoke profiles, alongside specialist bending, fabrication, end-forming and joining techniques designed to make non-circular tube easier to specify, manufacture and install.

Recent innovations include twisted hexagonal and cruciform profiles with adjustable pitch and twist direction, custom-slotted non-circular tubes, and bespoke profiles reformed with circular ends for compatibility with standard fittings and brackets.

Supporting the UK Metal Trade

Many Timeless Tube profiles are produced from standard tube sizes already held within merchant stock programmes. This enables stainless steel tube merchants to offer their customers access to a wider range of tubular solutions without committing to specialist inventory, for applications including ergonomic handrails, production-line machinery components and efficient heat transfer systems.

Comment from Managing Director Tom McMillan

“Over the last ten years, we have focussed on removing barriers to innovation. Many customers can benefit from non-circular tube profiles...whether a customer requires a single prototype, a low-volume production run or an ongoing OEM component.

We are delighted to receive this recognition from the BSSA. It reflects the hard work of the entire team and the willingness of our customers to explore new possibilities in stainless steel design and engineering.”

The recognition reflects Timeless Tube’s ongoing commitment to expanding the possibilities of stainless steel tube and helping customers bring innovative ideas to market more quickly, economically and with less risk.

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