Warringtonfire has appointed Rob Axe as the General Manager of its fire testing laboratory in High Wycombe. Rob, who began his career as a Technical Officer at the High Wycombe laboratory, most recently held the role of Technical Manager for Warringtonfire – a global leader in Fire Testing, Inspection and
As part of the Element Materials Technology Group (Element), Warringtonfire has accelerated the roll out of its digital remote witnessing offering to improve customer experience. This remote witnessing service comes as part of Element’s large-scale digital transformation, offering customers the opportunity to monitor both sample preparation and installation, as well as
BDC 319 : Aug 2024
Warringtonfire has appointed Rob Axe as the General Manager of its fire testing laboratory in High Wycombe. Rob, who began his career as a Technical Officer at the High Wycombe laboratory, most recently held the role of Technical Manager for Warringtonfire – a global leader in Fire Testing, Inspection and Certification (TIC). With over 15 years’ experience in the field of fire resistance testing and passive fire protection systems, Rob is one of the industry’s leading authorities on testing timber fire doors, penetration seals, cavity barriers, load bearing and non-load bearing wall systems and glazed screens. In his new role, Rob will assume responsibility for Warringtonfire’s testing team in High Wycombe, including recruitment, training and management; as well as developing the laboratory’s on-site testing capabilities. Since his appointment, Rob has already recruited several new team members into varied roles and is currently scoping out the expansion of the laboratory’s mid-scale furnace to accommodate penetration seal testing and increase overall testing capacity at the site. Rob commented: “Having spent the majority of my career working at the High Wycombe laboratory, it is a real privilege to be appointed General Manager for testing at the High Wycombe site. It is an incredibly dynamic time for the industry, as building product manufacturers adapt to the ever-evolving legislative landscape. I am looking forward to working closely with our customers to deliver best-in-class fire resistance testing, while also collaborating with our management team to evolve our own testing capabilities and capacity here in High Wycombe.” Leigh Hill, Director – Built Environment at Element Materials Technology, added: “Rob brings with him a wealth of technical expertise alongside a deep understanding of our testing facilities here in High Wycombe. Our fire testing laboratory is set to play a pivotal role in our wider strategy for the built environment throughout 2024 and beyond, and we are delighted to have an individual of Rob’s calibre at the helm.” Warringtonfire is part of the Element Materials Technology group. Both UKAS and ISO/IEC 17025-accredited, it undertakes testing for fire resistance, smoke leakage, structural integrity and performance, as well as acoustic and mechanical testing for construction products. For more information Warringtonfire’s fire resistance testing offering, please visit: https://www.warringtonfire.com/testing-services/fire-resistance-testing. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
As part of the Element Materials Technology Group (Element), Warringtonfire has accelerated the roll out of its digital remote witnessing offering to improve customer experience. This remote witnessing service comes as part of Element’s large-scale digital transformation, offering customers the opportunity to monitor both sample preparation and installation, as well as the live test and subsequent data, and to share live feedback with the technical officer in situ. While strict measures remain in place at all of Warringtonfire’s laboratories to ensure the safety of colleagues and customers and in compliance with national and local requirements, this provides safe virtual access to both the site and the experts. Remote witnessing offers a number of additional benefits, including enabling those project team members who have never previously seen a fire test to witness one; allowing sales team members who are responsible for selling the products or systems to view the test; and helping members of technical teams to view the tests and continually build their competence. As with standard testing protocol, all remotely witnessed testing is performed in accordance with the relevant certification and security conformance standards. The delivery of the service is supported by rigorous operating procedures and usage guides, designed to give the customer the same high quality, efficient experience as they would in person. Rob Veitch, EVP of Fire and Building Products at Element, said: “Through the use of easily accessible digital platforms, customers can watch live testing of their materials and products remotely, keep their testing programs on track, avoid unnecessary travel and hotel costs, and focus on more productive, value-creating activities for their own organizations. “All of our laboratories remain open, so we are able to support our customers as they continue to face challenges that have arisen out of the COVID-19 crisis. We have been successfully delivering remote witnessing services to many of our customers for several years, but 2020 and 2021 have presented us with an opportunity to optimize our capabilities to better serve them through the restrictions that the pandemic caused, and we’re pleased that we can continue to offer our high-quality services while keeping people safe.” The Element Group is made up of a network of experts from around the world and its businesses work in collaboration to share expertise, best practice and capacity. With fire resistance testing, reaction to fire testing, cold smoke leakage testing, acoustic testing, security, performance and weathering testing, and third party certification and fire engineering capabilities spread across laboratories in the UK, mainland Europe and Australia, Warringtonfire offers a truly full-service solution to the construction industry.
