MONDAY, JULY 24, 2023
Marine and protective coatings company Jotun recently announced the expansion of its Global Intumescent Research and Development Laboratory, more than doubling the size of the facility in Flixborough, United Kingdom.
According to the release, the new expansion aims to increase Jotun’s product development and fire testing capacity and capabilities. The facility, which opened in 2017, has now reportedly been expanded to 2,900 square meters.
Jotun states that the new expansion will allow for the accelerated development of new innovations and more advanced products, while also providing additional certification support to their existing product range.
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Marine and protective coatings company Jotun recently announced the expansion of its Global Intumescent research and development laboratory, more than doubling the size of the facility in Flixborough, United Kingdom. |
“This expansion is a key part of Jotun's ambitious strategy to increase market share and grow sales of intumescent coatings by developing a global network of intumescent R&D facilities with Flixborough as the hub,” said James Irving, R&D Manager, Intumescent Coatings.
The one-year expansion program reportedly included the installation of new furnaces, with associated application and conditioning facilities, combined with new analytical, environment simulation and mechanical testing facilities. The expansion is also anticipated to aid in the ongoing development of intumescent fire coatings like SteelMaster, for steel structures within the infrastructure market, or Jotachar, for assets in the energy industries.
“Our intumescent R&D team is expanding rapidly. These new facilities will allow our scientists, technicians and industry specialists to reinforce our position as a global innovator in this safety-critical area of the coatings industry,” said Irving.
In addition to their expanded Flixborough facility, Jotun says that it has "cemented its commitment to localized innovation, working to ensure that differing certification and environmental requirements are met in each market." Jotun states that they have investments in regional intumescent research, development and testing facilities in Norway, the United Arab Emirates, China, Korea, the United States and Malaysia.
Reportedly supported by Jotun’s research and development headquarters in Sandefjord, Norway, the expanded hub in Flixborough will continue to focus on research and development projects in intumescent coatings technology.
The company says that their growing team of scientists and industry specialists can engage with fire protection authorities, global regulators and certification bodies providing guidance on testing, certification and material performance.
Jotun stated its intent to gain market share in the industry, aiming to enter new markets through wider certification and regional product customization “in line with rapidly changing market requirements” to ensure that its customers' assets are fire protected to latest regulatory requirements.
“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 become more complex and regionalized. 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,” Irving said.
Previous News
In 2017, Jotun announced the opening of its new research and development center focused on passive fire protection and insulation coatings at its facility in Flixborough, United Kingdom.
The Flixborough site, which has hosted Jotun operations since 1989, saw additional testing and research on intumescent coatings and other passive fire protection, in a two-floor, 17,200-square-foot building that the company says officially opened March 2017.
The new investment, which the company says was £4.5 million ($5.6 million), was first reported in December 2015. The facility reportedly supplements the work done at Jotun’s already-established PFP development site, in Dubai.
The new Flixborough facility featured two furnace areas for the testing of intumescent coatings, in addition to labs, mill rooms, offices and plant space. The company said that clients would have the ability to watch intumescent coatings while they are tested in the furnaces.
Jotun stated it foresaw the creation of the facility having an effect on the larger economy in Flixborough and the surrounding North Lincolnshire area.
Tagged categories: Business management; Business matters; Business operations; Coating Materials; Coatings; Coatings manufacturers; Completed projects; Intumescent; Jotun; Oil and Gas; Passive Fire Protection; Program/Project Management
