Warringtonfire Gives Customers Sneak Peak of State-of-the-Art Laboratory Ahead of Launch

Two exclusive open days have enabled customers to see Warringtonfire’s state-of-the-art fire resistance testing laboratory in person prior to its official opening.

Warringtonfire, part of Element Materials Technology (“Element”), is set to launch its new flagship fire facility in just over one month’s time.

With construction now finished and handover from its contractors complete, the $30m, 101,000 square foot facility in Birchwood Park will be in operation from 2 January 2025.

Ahead of the launch, over 100 fire safety professionals and customers of Warringtonfire were given access to the laboratory on 12 and 13 November.

Across four separate sessions over the two days, attendees were shown the magnitude of one of Europe’s largest fire testing laboratories through a guided tour, along with presentations and a networking event to meet Warringtonfire’s team of technical experts.

Customers were able to preview the cutting-edge fire testing equipment and furnaces, Warringonfire’s enhanced capabilities, and client welfare amenities that the facility offers.

Peter Barker, Technical Policy Manager at Warringtonfire, also briefed visitors on the evolution of Warringtonfire’s services to address the industry’s growing fire resistance testing needs, through a presentation titled ‘Construction Products and the Changing Regulatory Landscape’.

Delegates were able to learn how the new legislation is shaping the regulatory landscape for construction products, and subsequently influencing conformity assessment activities within the testing, inspection, and certification (TIC) industry.

Leigh Hill, Director of Element’s Built Environment Europe division, said:

“The Customer Open Days have been a fantastic success.

“It was a great opportunity for our customers to meet the team and learn more about our operations, and to really showcase the scale and efficiency of the Birchwood Park site.
 
“In true demonstration of our broad service offering and multidisciplinary expertise, our testing, technical and certification experts provided collaborative answers to customer questions.

“This is something our clients can continue to benefit from, since the three teams are now located under one roof.

“This gives us the ability to deliver a streamlined end-to-end process to a higher standard with the latest technology.
 
“Now that construction has finished, the team will be focusing on UKAS validation and accreditation for its five furnaces and operations, which should be complete by the end of November.

“While this is taking place, we are gradually transitioning our fire resistance team from the Holmesfield Road laboratory to Birchwood Park as they prepare for the launch.

“We have been able to fill 50 further jobs as part of the expansion, including maintenance engineer, technical officer, and technical assistant positions.”

Attendee feedback following the open days has been extremely positive.

Shaun Davidson, Director at SGD Fire Protection Ltd, a passive fire protection specialist, said:

“We're incredibly lucky to have such a world-class facility right here in the North West!”.

Meanwhile, Tom Owen, Technical Engineer at Etex, said:

“First impressions of the new facility overall are very positive.

“The sheer scale of the site was impressive, and the layout was very intuitive.

“I didn’t expect that three tests could run simultaneously and the possible maximum number of tests that can be done is staggering.”

Leigh added:

“The positive response from customers is very reassuring.

“We have meticulously designed the new laboratory with clients as the top priority, intentionally incorporating confidential spray booths, each with its own temperature-controlled environment, as well as custom-made steel screens that can be attached to test preparation bays to protect intellectual property.

“We have also opted for dedicated client viewing areas to ensure privacy and are in the process of trialling additional confidentiality measures to further safeguard sensitive information”.

To ensure that the laboratory acts not just as a testing site but an environment where meetings can be conducted, Warringtonfire has put in ample amenities for employees and customers.

This includes 175 parking bays and 10 EV charging stations.

The site also features accessible welfare facilities like shower and locker rooms, five meeting rooms, three conference rooms, and a lift to platform viewing areas.

For more about Warringtonfire’s Birchwood Park laboratory, please visit www.warringtonfire.com/about-warringtonfire/warrington-site-relocation-and-expansion

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