Electronics Technology Centre at Seaham.

Electronics manufacturing.

Kidde Fire Protection has opened its new Electronics Technology Centre (ETC) in Seaham, County Durham. The advanced new facility is boosting the company's ability to supply specialist detection products to the fire industry worldwide.

Centre of Expertise

Investment in the new facility has come as a result of the re-organisation of the UTC Fire & Security EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) region. The facility, which replaces the company's former plant at Peterlee, has been designated the region's Centre of Expertise for specialist detection products.

Keeping up with Demand

The move enables the company to expand its production capacity and so keep up with growing demand for its electronic products. These include HART High Sensitivity Smoke Detection (HSSD), Alarmline Linear Heat Detection (LHD), Graviner Oil Mist Detection (OMD) systems and Vega Fire Control Panels.

New Product Development

A key role of the new facility is to maintain the company's position at the forefront of specialist detection technology. New product development is carried out by a team of electronics engineers in co-operation with research scientists at the United Technologies Research Centre (UTRC) in Connecticut, USA, and the Kidde International Research (KIR) laboratory at Colnbrook in Berkshire.

Training School

The wealth of technical expertise makes the site well-suited to host the company's Training School and Technical Support Helpline. Seminars and training programmes will explain  the latest specialist detection technology to installation and servicing engineers worldwide.

New Production Layout

Another benefit of the new facility is a new production floor design. State-of-the-art equipment is laid out in a way that reduces inventory, improves product travel, reduces lead times and eliminates waste. The facility operates a Quality Management System (QMS) fully accredited to BS EN ISO 9001:2000 in a clean room setting with Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) control to prevent damage to electronic components.

Health, Safety & the Environment

The company's Safety First programme remains a top management priority. Every effort has also been made to minimise the environmental impact of the site, which was selected and designed to incorporate sustainability practices including water and energy efficiencies, waste management and recycling. Its Environmental Management System (EMS) is registered to ISO 14001 to ensure compliance with the company's environmental policy and all relevant environmental laws and regulations.

Investor in People

Virtually all of the company's highly qualified and experienced employees have re-located to the new premises. In recognition of its commitment to developing its employees, the company has held Investor in People accreditation since 2003.

Entering a New Era

Since pioneering the development of specialist detection technology more than 50 years ago, the company has supplied thousands of systems to customers worldwide. "We are entering a new era" says Managing Director Alec Nighingale. "Investment in this new world class centre demonstrates the confidence of the company is the future growth of our specialist detection business."