Warringtonfire To Open UK’s Largest Testing Facility -

WARRINGTONFIRE, a Fire Testing, Inspection and Certification (TIC) business, has announced plans to open a new facility in Warrington, UK.

Expected to open in 2025, the new facility will be the largest in the UK and provide fire testing, technical and certification services.

Customer demand for Warringtonfire’s product testing is set to grow due to increasing regulatory requirements, more standards, the rising importance of third-party certification and product assurance as well as the need for shorter testing lead times. The new facility will meet this increased demand and will be 80% bigger than the existing facility, tripling Warringtonfire’s testing capacity.

UK’s Largest Testing Facility

The new testing house, which is being built at Birchwood Park near Warrington, will add eight state-of-the-art fire resistance testing furnaces, comprising three horizontal and three vertical furnaces (designed to evaluate the fire performance of different products or assemblies built either horizontally or vertically), and two indicative furnaces (which provide a very focused testing method to quantify the ability of a material or assembly to withstand exposure to high temperatures). Larger preparation areas will improve workflow and there will be more accessible customer reception and viewing areas.

Sustainability will be achieved through built-in recycling systems, energy-efficient fans, plus smoke & odour capture and treatment.

Warringtonfire’s plans will create 50 new jobs, with a commitment to training and upskilling new and existing employees. The 200 strong team will be one of the world’s largest teams of fire technical experts.

Jason Dodds, VP of Warringtonfire, said: “Our new fire testing facility in Warrington is a major investment in the region and a statement of our ambition for the business.

“The new facility will significantly improve Warringtonfire’s testing offering for our customers, providing a faster and more wider ranging service, as well as expanded access to technical excellence delivered by the foremost experts in the fields of fire testing and certification. It will solidify our position as the go-to partner for fire testing and related services and broaden our ability to serve customers across the value chain. Using best in class building design and new technology, we will also be able to greatly improve our environmental footprint, which is incredibly important to us as a company and is becoming increasingly important for our customers.”

Warringtonfire’s existing premises will continue to operate at full capacity while the new warehouse is under construction. Following the transfer of fire resistance testing to Birchwood Park, part of the existing facility will be used to create a centre of excellence for reaction to fire testing, which are smaller scale tests including spread of flame and heat release.

Construction of the new 101k sq. ft. $30 million testing centre has begun and is expected to be completed in 2025. The designers were TP Bennett Architects and Hoare Lea and construction is being managed by Arcadis with Tilbury Douglas as the principal contractor.

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