Fire protection laboratory creates centre of excellence

International Paint has opened its new £6.4M fire protection laboratory in Tyne & Wear, creating 14 new jobs and safeguarding a further 30.

“The facility significantly improves our ability to develop new fire protection products for the market,” said Dipak Mistry, Technical Manager for International’s Protective Coatings business. “The new laboratory will give us a state-of-the-art centre of excellence for fire protection product development.”

The fire protection market for steel structures is expected to grow rapidly, according to International Paint, due to increasingly stringent fire protection regulations. Forecasters expect demand to double by 2018.

The new laboratory will complement International Paint’s current fire protection capabilities, which include structural and fire engineering experience, estimation expertise and corrosion performance knowledge. By integrating into design contract chains and working alongside owners, architects, design engineers and steel fabricators, International says it draws on these resources to offer a much broader fire protection service than just coatings supply.