Cottam Brush’s SPLITGRIP™ Shortlisted for Innovation of the Year
The UK industrial brush manufacturer has been recognised at the Made in Britain Impact Awards 2026 for a modular roller-brush system designed to simplify maintenance and reduce equipment downtime.
Industrial brush replacement can involve more than changing a worn component. In some installations, accessing a roller brush may require surrounding equipment to be dismantled, adding maintenance time and potentially interrupting production.
Cottam Brush is seeking to address this challenge with SPLITGRIP™, its patent-pending modular roller-brush system, which has been shortlisted in the Innovation of the Year category at the Made in Britain Impact Awards 2026.
The recognition puts the spotlight on a practical area of industrial brush engineering: making routine maintenance quicker, less disruptive and more resource-efficient.
A Modular Approach to Roller-Brush Replacement
SPLITGRIP™ uses a split-body design that allows individual brush sections to be fitted directly onto an existing shaft, without removing surrounding equipment. According to Cottam Brush, a section can be installed in approximately 60 seconds.
Rather than replacing an entire roller-brush assembly when only part of the brush has worn, the modular arrangement allows the affected sections to be replaced individually. The approach is intended to simplify servicing while reducing the amount of material that needs to be replaced.
For industrial users, the potential benefit extends beyond the brush component itself. Maintenance time, engineering labour and the interruption of production can all contribute to the overall cost of servicing equipment.
Cottam Brush developed SPLITGRIP™ through its engineering team in the North East of England. The company says the system is designed to work with existing shaft arrangements, making retrofit compatibility a central part of the product’s approach.
Applications Across Industrial Operations
The system is intended for applications including conveyor systems, bulk handling, recycling, quarrying and processing equipment, as well as original equipment manufacturer (OEM) applications.
These environments can place considerable demands on brush assemblies, with wear rates and replacement requirements varying according to the material being handled, operating conditions and the function of the brush.
A modular design could be particularly useful where access is difficult or where a maintenance intervention can affect wider operations. However, suitability and the potential savings will depend on the specific equipment, installation and operating conditions.
For brush manufacturers and industrial buyers, the development highlights how design improvements can focus not only on cleaning or material-handling performance, but also on serviceability over the working life of an assembly.
Recognition for British Brush Engineering
Founded in 1858, Cottam Brush has a long manufacturing history in the UK industrial brush sector. The company was named Heritage Manufacturer of the Year at the 2024 Made in Britain Impact Awards and is now shortlisted for Innovation of the Year in 2026.
The winners of the 2026 awards are scheduled to be announced on 4 November. The shortlist recognises businesses across British manufacturing for developments and achievements in their respective fields.
For Cottam Brush, the nomination brings attention to a product-development effort focused on a familiar industrial challenge: how to maintain equipment efficiently without replacing more components or disrupting more of the installation than necessary.
What It Means for the Brush Industry
SPLITGRIP™ illustrates a wider consideration for industrial brush design. As manufacturers and end users look to manage maintenance costs and keep equipment operational, features such as modular construction, retrofit compatibility and easier replacement can become important alongside brush performance and service life.
The practical value of such systems will ultimately depend on application requirements and results in service. Nevertheless, designing for maintenance from the outset is an area worth watching across industrial brush manufacturing.
The Innovation of the Year shortlist gives Cottam Brush an opportunity to showcase this approach alongside other UK manufacturing innovations. The award result is due on 4 November 2026.
Source: Cottam Brush. Further product information is available from the company’s official SPLITGRIP™ product page.
