FUHR takes PLUS X AWARD Best Brand of the Year 2026 after SmartTouch nomination

Lock manufacturer FUHR has been named Best Brand of the Year 2026 by the PLUS X AWARD jury after its SmartTouch KeylessGo access solution was nominated, the Council for Aluminium in Building (CAB) said on 29 October.

According to CAB, the recognition went beyond the single nominated product, with FUHR's continued product development, innovative strength and market presence all highlighted as part of the award.

FUHR itself announced the title on 28 September. In its own release, the company said the jury's deciding factors were the brand's innovative strength and the continuous development of its product portfolio, and that the Best Brand title honours only brands that play a distinctive role within their sectors.

Paul Balfe, business development manager at FUHR UK, said: "For the jury to look beyond the nominated product and recognise FUHR as a whole makes this particularly significant. It reflects the continued development taking place across the range, as well as the work of the people and partners behind the brand."

The award

CAB described the PLUS X AWARD as an international innovation award whose independent specialist juries assess products on innovation, quality, design, functionality, ease of use, ergonomics and ecology, with Best Brand of the Year one of its annual special distinctions.

The PLUS X AWARD's own page sets out how the title is won: a brand and its products take the highest number of seals of approval in their product group in one year. It said very few companies receive the recognition, which is awarded only once a year, and that the title can be used worldwide, for an unlimited period and for any product under the brand.

SmartTouch

CAB said the KeylessGo access solution lets an authorised user unlock the door with a deliberate touch of the handle or integrated sensor, with the opening signal sent to the FUHR motorised multipoint locking system.

FUHR's product pages add that all of its motorised multipoint locks can be retrofitted with SmartTouch. The company's SmartAccess Module (SAM) plugs into the motor of a FUHR lock to turn it into a smart lock.

Balfe said: "SmartTouch highlights how FUHR approaches access technology with the whole supply chain in mind. It has to be straightforward to specify and integrate, work naturally as part of the door and be simple for the end user."

The company

CAB said FUHR has more than 165 years of experience in door locking systems and develops mechanical, automatic and motorised multipoint locking solutions alongside smart access technologies for aluminium, timber, steel and PVC-U doors.

According to FUHR's own account of its history, Carl Fuhr founded the business in Heiligenhaus, Germany, in 1859 at the age of 23, and the company has been based in the town since. FUHR describes itself as an owner-operated family company in its fifth generation of family ownership, with 300 employees in Germany and abroad, and says it is the market leader in multipoint locking systems in Germany.

FUHR credited the commitment of its staff and the trust of its customers and partners for the award. The PLUS X AWARD confers the Best Brand title once a year.