It’s a rare and precious thing for a product or brand to have a truly revolutionary impact on the market it operates in. Anyone familiar with how we work here at Sugatsune will know we put game-changing design at the heart of what we do. And we apply the same approach to choosing who we work with.
New Zealand-based Fastmount is certainly a brand worthy of the ‘revolutionary’ tag. The company has almost single-handedly changed the face of panel mounting, first in the marine sector, then aviation and recreational vehicles, and more recently, architectural interiors.
We’ve had the pleasure of working with Fastmount the the company’s exclusive distributor in the UK for more than a decade. In that time, we’ve watched the Fastmount range grow and evolve through a tireless dedication to innovation that matches our own.
That development has included the launch of a complete fit-to-finish heavy duty interior panel mounting solution, designed specifically for the contract fit-out sector. With its simple mounting, precision adjustment and peerless load-bearing capabilities, the award-winning Stratlock range is a genuine game-changer for floor-to-ceiling panelling in residential builds, hotels, hospitals, retail and more.
The Fastmount story
Fastmount was the brainchild of Gregg Kelly, an Auckland-based boat builder who specialised in superyacht interiors. With his own panel upholstery and installation business, Gregg was used to using traditional hook and loop panel fastenings during fit-outs. But like many in his profession, he wasn’t happy with the components he was left to work with.
Standard panel mountings at that time were tricky and time-consuming to work with, but afforded only limited amounts of control for achieving the smoothest, most precise finishes. The fittings were also less than reliable when it came to holding larger panels, with sagging a common complaint.
So Gregg did what all great entrepreneurs do. He went away and developed a better solution. Working with designer and engineer Ron Hanley, he set out to design a new type of fastening that would suit the needs of marine interiors to a tee – quick and easy to install, flexible and accurate in how they could be adjusted, and above all else, durable and reliable.
The clip-based Fastmount Panel Mounting System was born. Now the go-to choice in more than 500 boatyards around the world, the buzz about Fastmount as spread far beyond the marine sector. You’re just as likely to find its fittings in aeroplanes and campervans these days as you are in luxury yachts (or you would, if you could see them).
And thanks to the Stratlock series, there’s an increasingly high chance that it’s Fastmount clips holding up that full-length wall panel in the luxury apartment or hotel room you’re staying in, in the office you work in, or any other interior.
Rail and clip
The Stratlock solution comes in two parts – an aluminium Rail System, and the Stratlock Range of mounting clips.
As with all the best architectural components, the real beauty of Stratlock is in its simplicity. The Stratlock Rail System provides a framework that is both easy to install and supremely flexible. A modular system of rails and connectors, including mounting connectors for attaching rails to both walls and ceilings, means you can create a frame of any size and any shape, with minimum difficulty.
Mounting panels onto this frame is even easier. The extruded rails are designed to accept Stratlock Range SL-FA side mounting and SL-FB front mounting female clips, which fit in with a simple twist lock – no special installation tools required.
The same is true of mounting panels into these clips. With a two-click locking system, the initial click of a male clip gives you 4mm adjustment horizontally and vertically for fine-tuned precision, before the second click locks the mounting firmly into place.
A major benefit of Stratlock mountings compared to previous products available on the market is their load ratings. Stratlock clips can securely and safely hold wall panels up to 80kg in weight, and ceiling panels up to 50kg. That’s truly revolutionary for clip-in interior panel systems, meaning an approach popularised in the smaller confines of yacht interiors can now be applied to the much larger spaces – and bigger panels – involved in architectural design.
Finally, if installing an aluminium frame doesn’t work for your project, the Stratlock Range includes timber-mounting versions that can be screwed directly onto wood, and the FL-FC, a flush-mounted option that fits into a 40mm mortised hole.
