Passive fire protection from the UK market leader has been chosen for the first phase of a major commercial cleaning products warehouse in Lancashire. Promat DURASTEEL ® and Promat SUPALUX® were both specified for the new SCA facility in Skelmersdale, by specialist fire protection contractor, Sharpfibre Limited.
“Sharpfibre is a long-term specifier of our products, which have also been installed at other SCA premises throughout the UK, so it’s no surprise that Promat DURASTEEL ® and Promat SUPALUX® were specified again for this project,” says Promat Area Sales Manager, Thomas Sheridan. “Working in partnership with the SCA engineering team, their insurers, and Sharpfibre meant that an integrated approach to fire protection was going to be required.”
SCA is a leading global hygiene and forest products company and its Skelmersdale mill produces paper tissues, including the well-known household brand Velvet and ‘own brand’ products for leading supermarket chains.
Given that the warehouse contains tissue products, the need for robust and reliable fire protection was paramount. “1000m2 of 9.5mm Promat DURASTEEL® was used to create a fire protection barrier, providing up to four hours fire resistance in the warehouse,” adds Thomas. “400m2 of Promat’s high-performance SUPALUX® fire protection board were also used to create a protected zone, designed to prevent the spread of fire through breach of compartmentation at the roof level and a specific requirement of the buildings insurer.”
Promat DURASTEEL® panels feature a non-combustible core of fibre-reinforced cement which is mechanically bonded to punched steel sheets on both surfaces. In addition to their exceptional fire resistance, this also allows the panels to resist the effects of firefighters’ hoses and so help the building retain its structural integrity during a blaze. They combine lightness, strength, impact and blast resistance plus outstanding durability, and represent a well proven solution suitable for use in walls, doors, stairwells, ducting and ceiling applications.
Promat SUPALUX ® is a strong, lightweight and non-combustible building board that has delivered over 30 years of proven fire protection performance across many building applications. Offering between 30 and 240 minutes fire protection options, it is gypsum-free and made of a calcium silicate composition. This creates moisture and impact resistant boards with excellent dimensional stability and very low thermal shrinkage, which can be used even in damp or humid conditions.
