Global paints and coatings manufacturer Jotun (Sandefjord, Norway) — one of the major providers of intumescent fire protection coatings for the infrastructure and energy industries — announced the completion of major expansion of its Global Intumescent R&D Laboratory to advance new product innovation and technologies.
This ambitious expansion more than doubles the size of the Flixborough Global Intumescent R&D facility, aiming to increase Jotun’s product development as well as its fire-testing capacity and capabilities. The new facilities will accelerate the development of new innovations and more advanced products, while providing additional certification support to Jotun’s existing product range.
In a press release announcing the expansion, Jotun claims that its aim is to enter new markets through wider certification and regional product customization in line with rapidly changing market requirements, thereby ensuring the protection of its customers’ assets.
Originally constructed in 2016 and now expanded to 2,900 m2 (31,215.3 sq. ft.), the enhanced facility increases capacity and capability for Jotun’s ongoing development of intumescent fire protection coatings. The one-year expansion program included the installation of new furnaces, with associated application and conditioning facilities, combined with new analytical, environment simulation, and mechanical testing facilities.
Supported by Jotun’s R&D headquarters in Sandefjord, the enhanced global hub in Flixborough will continue to focus on leading-edge R&D projects, driving breakthrough intumescent coatings technology. The company believes that its enhanced capabilities across its global network of intumescent R&D facilities represents a significant milestone in its drive to advance fire safety.
“When we opened the Global Intumescent R&D Centre in 2016, our vision was for a facility that could evolve to support our customers across the globe as their structural fire protection requirements became more complex and regionalized,” says James Irving, R&D manager intumescent coatings. “We are delighted with this major extension, more than doubling the size of our facility. We are now ready to further enable the development of fire protection coatings and technologies to meet these requirements.”
“Our Intumescent R&D team is expanding rapidly,” adds Irving. “These new facilities will allow our scientists, technicians, and industry specialists to reinforce our position as a global innovator in this safety-critical are of the coatings industry.”
Source: Jotun, www.jotun.com.