Multi-award-winning Fire Curtains Group have completed the purchase of fellow East Midlands based company Intumescent Chemicals.
Intumescent Chemicals based on the Nottinghamshire / Derbyshire border specialises in indicative fire-resistant testing and research and the development of intumescent liquid flame retardants (LFRs).
Arthur Calow, Chairman of the Fire Curtains Group, commented on the purchase saying, “We’ve been a customer of Prometheus Developments – now named Intumescent Chemicals – for several years now and I have always been very impressed by their knowledge and expertise. There really is no substitute for experience when you’re running fire tests as we need to do for each of our life safety products. Their 25 years’ worth of experience was one of the things that really shone through and caught my eye. They are also able to supervise and advise on Fire Test Certification Programmes and have a range of furnaces and indicative test equipment to simulate most fire tests currently in use in the UK, Europe and the USA. This equipment is all standardised to predict performance under full scale fire testing and has been of supreme help to Smoke & Fire Curtains in the past as well as to a host of other repeat customers.
“Coupled with that is the fact that Intumescent Chemicals is a market leader employing R&D chemists and maintaining a full and sophisticated laboratory with a full inventory which is substantially and constantly updated in order to be able to quickly respond to customers who want to investigate new areas of the market.”
Intumescent Chemicals offer the passive fire industry a large range of fire-resistance adhesives, composites, polyurethane, mastics, sealants, foam injection as well as compounds for sealing and preventing the spread of smoke and fire and their products are used across a large array of sectors including aerospace, marine, automotive, building construction, and oil and gas. Intumescent Chemicals are also able to formulate completely bespoke products to suit specific applications sectors and undertake all research and development in-house.
Dean James, Operations Director of the Fire Curtains Group added, “Everyone within the Group is fully on board with the purchase and the team at Intumescent Chemicals have been welcomed into the family group. Together we have big plans in turns of driving this business forward and I’m very much looking forward to working with the team over the months and years ahead. I am delighted to have welcomed our first customers to the business who have already placed their first orders with us.”
“Dean, with a chemistry background in Materials Engineering, Structures and Fire Protection, has been involved with the Grenfell Enquiry for over two years and has taken the lead in the running of the Operations of Intumescent Chemicals Ltd. With Deans’ extensive knowledge and experience of being in the industry for more than 25 years, together with the team’s knowledge and expertise at Intumescent Chemicals, they have now successfully developed and tested what is going to be the world’s first solution into passive fire protection to stop any further Grenfell type disasters,” added Arthur.
Fire Curtains Group
Fire Curtains Group group owns Smoke & Fire Curtains Ltd who specialises in the design, manufacture, installation and servicing of bespoke, fire and smoke barrier systems, available for domestic, commercial and industrial use.
Founded by Arthur Calow in 2005 the company began with only eight employees distributing mainly within the UK but with plans to expand its export markets.
Over the past five years Smoke & Fire Curtains have expanded into a network of companies employing a group total of over 65 employees, with manufacturing facilities in both UK and India supplying and installing fire curtains globally.
Smoke & Fire Curtains pride themselves on being one of the top global companies for manufacturing operable fire and smoke curtain barriers with their clients ranging from international organisations from multiple-sectors to industry and domestic UK customers.
All their products are made to the highest quality at their UK manufacturing plant which is based in Leicestershire and they are continuously testing to meet with British and European Regulations and standards.
Over the past number of years Smoke & Fire Curtains have invested heavily in new production techniques and innovative developments. Although the development work and fire testing certification can be a very long and very expensive process, they continue to develop new fire curtain systems in order to improve and develop further their own systems in design.
In 2019 Smoke & Fire Curtains ltd were recognised for their Innovation and became Winners of the Leicester Mercury Business Awards collecting the Freeth’s Award for Excellence in Science and Technology.
Simona Pillay, Managing Director of the Fire Curtains Group, was also honoured this year with the Forward Ladies Mentor of the Year award for the Midlands Region.
The Group work with all those responsible for the protection of life against the effects of smoke and fire in both public and private sectors; from main contractors, Building Control bodies, Fire & Rescue Services through to architects and individuals purchasing for their domestic properties. They are active members of the International Fire Consultants and the Association for Specialist Fire Protection and also sit on the various task groups.
