Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham officially opens the Tenmat F-Lab Fire Test Centre & Training Academy
Official launch
Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham officially opens Tenmat’s state-of-the-art Fire Test Centre & Training Academy in Irlam
Irlam, Salford, Greater Manchester, Tenmat Ltd. On Tuesday the 22nd October the Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham officially unveiled Tenmat’s new Fire Test Centre & Training Academy – F-lab – in a celebratory ribbon cutting ceremony.
About Tenmat
Tenmat is a leading international passive fire protection manufacturer and has been in the Greater Manchester area for over 100 years. Indeed, from 1914 until 2023 Tenmat was based at its original factory site just down the road in Trafford Park.
Tenmat’s storied association with Greater Manchester endures with this new facility in Irlam, employing over 200 skilled employees on a 24-hour shift basis. Continuing its legacy, Tenmat remains a key part of the community, bringing jobs, technical apprenticeships, and investment into the area, while delivering essential products and services to local, national, and global building projects. Tenmat’s range of passive fire protection products is also widely specified by housebuilders within affordable new build housing to ensure the next generation of homes are optimised for fire safety.
Recently, the burgeoning ‘Manchattan’ skyline has been a focus for Tenmat’s passive fire protection products, as well as major residential reclad schemes in Salford where Tenmat’s cavity fire barriers are being installed at multiple sites. In this respect, and in its commitment to remaining a leading manufacturer in the region, Tenmat truly is made in Greater Manchester, by Greater Manchester.
Quotes from the Mayor and Tenmat Leadership team
In his opening ceremony speech, Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, said: “Visiting Tenmat’s facility and new labs today, it’s clear that this is a long-term investment which will only be good for Irlam and Greater Manchester as a whole. There’s not only the economic benefit that the investment brings, but a huge social benefit here as well. It's fantastic that some of these materials will be used in the construction of homes in Salford, improving their safety. The more we can encourage the uptake of this material, the more we can help prevent fires here and across the UK.”
Tenmat CEO Dr. Kapil Chopra said of the event: “It was an honour to welcome the Mayor to our site and celebrate this significant milestone for the company. With our expanding international headquarters based in Irlam we are continuing to invest in the Greater Manchester region and having the support of the Mayor in our endeavours means a great deal. We are very proud to be involved in making buildings throughout Greater Manchester and the UK safer; this new lab will enable us to do that on an even greater scale.”
Fire Protection Managing Director Ed Peltor added: “The work we are able to carry out in our testing and training facility means we can continue to develop the best solutions as well as fully train professionals involved in selecting and installing fire protection measures in buildings across the country – from architects to contractors on site.
“In light of the terrible Grenfell tragedy and the fact that 7 years on there are still 2,277 buildings identified as needing replacement cladding systems, we at Tenmat are committed to helping the government accelerate this process and ensure standards are raised across the industry.”
Test Centre & Training Academy detail
The state-of-the-art Fire Testing laboratory specialises in the development and testing of Tenmat’s cavity fire barriers and service penetration products. The lab’s calibrated indicative scale furnace can simulate the pressures and temperatures experienced in real fire scenarios and can reach temperatures in excess of 1200 degrees centigrade. The lab performs fire resistance testing adhering to the general principles of relevant international standards, ensuring the reliability and effectiveness of Tenmat’s passive fire protection products in the most challenging applications.
In its dedicated Training Academy, Tenmat provides detailed and comprehensive training programmes focusing on instructing participants on the correct installation of our cavity barriers and service penetration products. This training is designed to equip installers and product specifiers with essential knowledge and skills to ensure optimal safety in real-world scenarios – from the architectural design stage through to the final project build.