Warringtonfire invests in UK testing laboratory to meet increased demand

The transformation of the facility includes refurbishment of the on-site fire resistance and smoke laboratories. This comprises new smoke leakage testing equipment, a complete re-lining of two test furnaces and the installation of a new cold abatement system to extract test fumes from the fire laboratory environment.

Alongside the additional fire resistance testing equipment, Warringtonfire’s acoustics laboratory has also been revamped, with new acoustic measuring equipment installed to enhance and improve testing capabilities.

Lee Wade, general manager at Warringtonfire, stated: “We have seen a surge in demand for the smoke testing of products. This is being driven by regulatory changes as well as an increasing appreciation from our customers of the value that testing and certification adds to their products.”

Wade continued: “That’s why, despite the uncertainty COVID has generated within the industry throughout the past two years, we have committed to significant capital investment to ensure that our laboratory is the benchmark for fire testing, inspection and certification here in the UK. In turn, this will help our clients ensure they can continue to market their products in line with the very latest regulations in a timely and efficient way.”

Sustainability credentials

Further investment has also been made to improve the facility’s sustainability credentials, with the installation of a new cold abatement system to extract fumes and odours from the test area, as well as the fitting of energy efficient LED lighting throughout the laboratory.

Alongside this, the company has added more floor space through a new purpose-built building to ease congestion and improve working conditions, allowing members of staff to build test specimens away from the furnace.

New digital viewing technology has been introduced. The package enables customers to watch live product testing remotely at higher quality and has the capability to share live test data from Warringtonfire’s control system.

“Given the ways in which ourselves and our clients have had to adapt, we’ve increased our focus on digital technology,” continued Wade. “This includes new video packages, better viewing angles of tests in ultra-HD and the ability to zoom-in on specific areas of the test and our furnaces.”

Further, Wade explained: “In order to maximise the potential of the investments made throughout the site, we’ve also embarked on an internal programme to train and upskill our colleagues in testing capabilities, technical qualifications and project management. This will help our clients to stay ahead of any regulatory changes, as well as assisting them to continually improve their products.”