R&D and innovation

We have always been at the forefront of innovation, especially in the passive fire protection sector. In 1991, we developed a unique vertically oriented stone wool Lamella insulation technology. This makes a more robust and easier-to-install core for our fire stop and cavity barrier ranges than traditional horizontally oriented mineral wool.

These products have been proven through decades of third-party testing to provide market leading performance and have played a significant role in revolutionising how we protect high rise buildings — from the UK’s first skyscrapers in Canary Wharf to the mega tall structures defining some of the world’s most celebrated skylines.

At the heart of our innovation strategy is our £1m Innovation Centre. Its 1.5m³ specialist fire test furnace allows us to test products to any published fire test curve. In addition to enabling us to conduct more intensive quality control with further investment in R&D equipment, the Centre also allows us to start asking bigger questions about fire safety.

It allows us to look beyond current standards and practices, pushing the performance of our products further than ever before. We hope that this will support the drive for more advanced building fire safety solutions across the world, ensuring the safest future possible for our built environment.

It is also key to expanding our bespoke solution offering, allowing us to develop passive fire protection systems for even the most unusual and challenging projects.

The Centre also carries UKAS accreditation to ISO 17025 - Testing and Calibration Laboratories. This verifies that it operates with technical competency and generates valid results. Our vision is that this will make fire safety performance testing more accessible across the industry.