Advanced expands global network through investment

16 Sep 2013

To meet continuous demand for its cutting edge products, leading fire systems manufacturer Advanced has recently made a significant, seven figure investment in additional, state-of-the-art production facilities in Northumberland.

Advanced's investment includes the installation of additional high capacity manufacturing equipment, which effectively doubles the size of the existing UK manufacturing operation. Advanced’s reputation for the highest quality, best performing fire systems, backed up with acclaimed customer support and training, has seen it rapidly expand its global network to include more than 60 countries. The new investment will support further growth and ongoing product development.

The new equipment includes an additional ‘hi-flex’ surface mount line, which doubles Advanced’s PCB output, the core component in its intelligent fire panels.

Chris Marston, operations director of Advanced, said: “Our reputation for quality and reliability is a key factor in the success of our business and much of it can be attributed to our advanced manufacturing process and exacting standards. We take great pride in the fact that every part of our fire panels is manufactured, assembled and tested in-house, including the steel cabinets and the software.

“We specialise in mass customisation which means we can supply orders from our core product range to the exact specifications of the client within a very short time. This is only possible because we are in full control of the manufacturing process. The time was right to expand the facility, supporting our expansion and product development.”

At the heart of the new surface mount line are a Speedprint SP700avi in-line screen printer and an iineo 2 head pick and place machine. The iineo unit can process 24,400 components every hour using tornado heads for pinpoint accuracy. The line is completed with a TSM A70 8 zone reflow oven, prior to pre-inspection and assembly.

Mr Marston added: “We are not only doubling our capacity with this investment, we are also ensuring that the quality and reliability of our finished products is better than ever, and our R&D products reach market faster. This facility will produce panels for more than 60 countries around the world, all meeting the tightest ISO9001 and ISO14001 standards and inspection by leading bodies such as BSI, ETL, UL, VdS and SAI Global.”