Groundbreaking Train Factory to be Protected by CDS Security & Fire and Advanced

Hitachi Rail Europe has specified industry-leading MxPro multiprotocol fire panels from Advanced to protect its new UK manufacturing facility in County Durham, the first brand new rail vehicle manufacturing facility to be built in the UK for over 100 years.

Advanced’s benchmark MxPro 4 fire panel range was specified for its flexibility, reliability and ease of use. The fully integrated five-panel network will cover all areas of the new manufacturing facility and comprises 942 components in total, including over 200 smoke detectors and 150 sounder beacons, as well as an aspirating system.

Rosie Abbott, spokesperson for CDS Security and Fire, the Project’s Fire, Security and DA installer: “We use Advanced panels in almost all of our installations where bespoke solutions are required and we knew that the MxPro panels would be suitable for the installation at Hitachi, providing up to date fire safety for the new plant.”

CDS Security and Fire cover the entire North East of England as well as working directly with end users, they also work with main contractors, architects, electrical consultants and facilities management companies throughout to ensure the effective design support and integrity of their (and their clients’) systems.

The Newton Aycliffe facility, which is set to create circa 730 jobs, will initially construct new InterCity Express trains for the Great Western Main Line and the East Coast Main Line, replacing existing rolling stock that is circa 40 years old. The £5.7 billion order comprises 122 five and nine-carriage trains in total, as well as 27.5 years’ of maintenance of the trains.

The Hitachi facility is located at Merchant Park in Newton Aycliffe as part of a development currently being undertaken by Merchant Place Developments Ltd. The MxPro 4 panels at the site will be connected with a high speed, fault-tolerant network, interfaced with a PC-based graphical control system, and supporting Apollo devices.

Neil Parkin, sales manager for Advanced, commented: “We’re delighted that Advanced fire systems have been specified on such a high profile project. Hitachi is investing millions in the plant and it’s important that the staff, the technology and the factory itself benefit from the latest fire systems, offering the potential for future upgrades and expansion.

“We believe that MxPro ticks all the boxes, combining proven reliability with innovation and ease-of-use. It delivers a future-proof solution, with the promise that it can be easily upgraded and supplemented in future.”

MxPro is the fire industry’s leading multiprotocol fire solution, offering customers a choice of two panel ranges, four detector protocols and a completely open installer network that enjoys free training and support. MxPro panels can be used in single loop, single panel format or easily configured into multi-loop, high speed, 200 panel networks covering huge areas and thousands of field devices.

MxPro 4 is fully compliant with EN54 Parts 2 and 4, and backed up with Advanced’s renowned customer care and technical support. The MxPro 5 is Advanced’s highest performance analogue panel. It is EN54 2,4 and 13 approved and is backward compatible with MxPro 4 offering long-term security for MxPro customers.

Advanced is a world leader in the development and manufacture of intelligent fire systems. Its legendary performance, quality and ease-of-use sees its products used in locations all over the world, from single panel installations to large multi-site networks. Advanced’s products include complete fire detection systems, multi-protocol fire panels, extinguishing control and fire paging systems. More details can be found on the website at www.advancedco.com.