Warringtonfire upgrades fire resistant testing laboratory following surge in UKCA certification demand

Warringtonfire, the world leader in fire testing, inspection and certification services, has significantly invested in its High Wycombe testing facility to meet the growth in demand for acoustics, smoke leakage and fire resistance testing.

The transformation of the facility includes refurbishment of its onsite fire-resistance and smoke testing laboratories. This comprises new smoke leakage testing equipment, a complete re-lining of two test furnaces as well as 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 to enhance and improve testing capabilities.

Lee Wade, General Manager at Warringtonfire High Wycombe, said: ‘We have seen a surge in demand for the smoke testing of products. This is being driven by both regulatory changes as well as an increasing appreciation from our customers of the value that testing and certification adds to their products.

‘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 our laboratory is the benchmark for acoustic, smoke and fire testing, 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.’

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 fitting 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 staff to build test specimens away from the main fire testing area.

New digital viewing technology has also been introduced at Warringtonfire High Wycombe. 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 we and our clients have had to adapt, we’ve increased our focus on digital technology. This includes new video packages, better viewing angles of tests in ultra-high definition, and the ability to zoom in on specific areas of the test and our furnaces,’ said Wade.

‘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 comply with any regulatory changes, and also help them continually improve their products.’

For more about Warringtonfire, please visit www.warringtonfire.com