Over half a century ago Nevill Long took delivery of its first shipment from America of mineral tiles from the Armstrong Cork Company (now Armstrong Ceiling Solutions). They were transported on barges from docks on the Thames to the interior systems specialist's warehouse in Southall.

To mark their long-standing relationship Nevill Long invited ceiling contractors to a 55th anniversary celebration on a boat on the Thames, not far from North Hyde Wharf (then Nevill Long's Southall branch) where those first ceiling tiles were offloaded.

Nevill Long managing director Dave Bonner particularly remembers Armstrong's launch of the MicroLook concept to the UK in 1984. He said:"Everyone thought the tiles would fall out," he said. "It was visually stunning at the time and transformed the appearance of a lay-in grid ceiling. It has also stood the test of time."

Armstrong sales director Graham Taylor sees many similarities between the two companies. He commented:"Respect, integrity and doing things the right way are our values too. A strong similarity is how we treat our respective employees. I can think of several instances where Nevill Long has acted in a way I would expect our company to - fairly, and with compassion when necessary."