18 Jun We do not compromise on quality or standards

Sam Malins, a founder director of Reacton Fire Suppression, key sponsor of the Fire Middle East Conference, took the time to speak to Editor Wendy Otway about the company’s short journey to success and global recognition with its portfolio of fire suppression systems capable of protecting massive plant deep underground; electrical panels & enclosures; server cabinets; CNC machines and fume cupboards; buses, coaches and basically anything that has an engine!

Why Reacton?

Ed Barnes and myself journey started in the fire industry around 2010. We formed a startup business called Fireward which was born to protect thatch fires which once they take hold, are very hard to detect and then extinguish because by the time the fire met the oxygen the fire would have taken hold and the property lost.

This was our initial motivation for starting Fireward. At the time we had a third business partner Jamie, who was a firefighter. Having explored the thatch protection market with homeowners and the Thatch Fire Association we thought it was going to be a commercially very difficult prospect so we moved across to waste plant and machinery – familiar ground for us… and business to business.

We were using and also supplying and installing a product made in the UK. In 2014 we took on our first employee and were installing systems across the UK to a range of clients including JCB and waste management companies like Veolia and BIFFA. Our pitch was “the Ford” of fire suppression – a system which was affordable to everyone.

By 2015 we were aware that our specialist needs were not always being met and we became concerned for the future.

At Firex that year we met with the Malyon family whose company Firetech Reacton had the products we needed. However by the time they came to our office for an intital visit we told them we wanted to buy the company not just the products. We completed the deal in April 2016.

We looked at the name and realised that Firetech was a commonly used name across the globe on Google and other search engines whilst Reacton there was nothing… you were spell checked to reaction every time. Thus we dropped Firetech and acquired a unique global name – Reacton. The ultimate goal was to stop Google spell checking it and taking people straight to our company.

To date we have almost achieved it… At the time of writing, the first page of Google is entirely occupied by Reacton Fire Suppression. One of the early stumbling blocks was the relocation of the business to Essex, with none of the the employees, and the learning curve of going from a service and installation business to a manufacturing business and never having understood manufacturing overnight was just the most underestimated thing I have ever done in my life.

Luckily Ed is extremely intelligent where mechanical engineering is concerned and instantly understood the concepts of the business … we had so many challenges to get our heads around, the valve, how our systems operated especially in the single agent to dual agent collaboration.

But with Ed’s determination we just got on with it and made the product better and better over time. At the same time we were growing our waste management business with the goal of bring our company, the Dunmow Group, to the forefront of the Essex waste management sector at the same time as running Fireward and, of course Reacton.

We absolutely loved the pneumatic fire suppression technology but it wasn’t being taken too seriously globally… it was certainly a great product with reliability issues. We saw the gap in the market and were determined to take the product to the top.

Our Firetrace DNA has inspired us to be an expert in a number of industries not just in our system.

So in the beginning, what was your sector focus?

The heavy plant industry was our focus specifically in the UK… the waste and recycling market. But in Europe and the Middle East – Mining. Same machinery but different applications. We have a bespoke arm to the business and will work on anything a client wants to see whether our product can offer the best for their application.

For instance we designed a fire suppression system for the Ain Dubai wheel. Basically anything with an engine bay or electrics… we can protect it. Our products are designed specifically for the heavy plant industry.

Our valves are appropriately approved and with our Firetrace DNA we use the same valve across the other industries so we know how extremely reliable it is in the mining industry and we know it will never ever leak in the electrical control or NC industry. For us it seems a waste to use our system to protect one industry when it can be used across many.

What has been your biggest business challenge so far?

Our biggest challenge is getting our product known. In an industry that is quite established with companies who have been in it for years. And here we are. So getting our product known around the world and importantly gaining trust.

Without spending millions and millions.

What has been your biggest application challenge?

The Emirates School Bus project here in the UAE. Just the numbers – an initial 2300 installed with our local within 12 months – was a big ask. Just gearing up for it was certainly a big challenge.

What is the difference between protecting plant in a diamond mine compared with a mines where the gasses maybe constantly very volatile?

Every mine has it challenges, some are very wet, some are volatile, gaseous spaces. As a company we have analyse and examine the environment our product must be ready to operate in and ensure that our offering is fit for purpose on each occasion providing the best possible fire suppression system every time.

What sets Reacton apart?

Our pneumatic technology does not leak. The quality control process is industry leading . Ee have helium leak detectors to detect whether the valves, cylinders and individual components lead. We are fixated on reliable fire suppression systems and we only use the best suppression agents on the market to match the quality of our systems.

We also constantly strive to grow our team to the best in the world.

Challenging times?

With Fireward we undertook a vehicle installation project in the Middle East for Byrne Equipment Rental LLC – one of the largest plant and equipment rental companies in the Middle East. The challenge set to Reacton was to completely refurbish Byrne’s clients hired power generator based at an off-shore powering oil production site within a limited time frame. Within seven days of awarding Reacton the project, Fireward were onsite in-country, installing an 18kg in-direct dry powder system.

Whilst in Mongolia… We completed a 28 day installation, battling extreme temperatures in a Southern Mongolian coal mine. Our highly dedicated team of engineers flew from the UK, via Russia then a 12 hour off road drive from the nearest signs of civilisation with no road signs and only a compass for navigation to complete an installation on behalf of Bayalag Energy Resource LLC. We were tasked with supplying and fitting a range of 27KG – 108KG Dual Agent systems to twenty of the huge (300 -400 ton) Hitachi and Belaz excavators and dump trucks which cost millions of dollars.

Each asset was fitted with an automatic fire suppression system which included a full kit to include fire detection tubing, in-cab monitoring, battery isolation, engine shutdown and manual actuators. The reliable and robust Reacton Fire Suppression system was a perfect fit for Bayalag in the extremely harsh conditions as it is accredited to -20 degrees C. The project was a great success and as a result the mine have set up their own company to distribute Reacton Fire Suppression products across the whole of Mongolia.

Have you had to adapt your practices to achieve a foothold in the Middle East?

There are so many low cost products from China and India which do not have approvals. The frustrating thing is they purport to have the relevant approvals… So it is not a truthful shopfront. Making sure that people know we have a quality product with the relevant approvals has, and continues to be a priority.

And now that we have brought all of our manufacturing in house with three CNC machines, we are able to be very competitive price wise without compromising on quality. It is a relentless challenge ensuring that the market knows that Reacton holds not only the relevant approvals, but offers a quality product which can be relied on to work. The other challenge is to educate the market to seek products which have the most robust approvals rather than basic, and not necessarily appropriate, approvals for each individual sector.

Why are you investing so much in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia?

The Kingdom is a focus area for us… there is an increasing commitment towards safety and regulation for instance they are changing the law on bus protection. Again it’s all about education.

We support many of the smaller contractors in the Kingdom but still need get our message in front of the main contractors. Our aim is to offer the best product in the world, working with a committed team of experts who are passionate about the quality and efficacy of our offering.

Indirect and direct release systems?

In the direct system, the agent is released through the burst hole/ There are no moving parts and typically used in smaller applications. The indirect system is based around our valve. And our valve is really what Reacton is all about.

There are aspects of our valve which allows our system to be so reliable. It allows us to have multiple cylinders in one bank which is only available to Reacton pneumatic technology. We can protect any size of machinery, engine bay, mining plant with our technology especially on the dual agent extinguishing technology so to have a pneumatic system with multiple cylinders with powder and foam is unique to Reacton.

What next for Reacton?

Reacton is always looking at expanding our portfolio. Over the next two years we are seeking to gain further approvals but that is not quite the priority it has been over the past six years. Our focus now is about refining the product and making sure that the world really knows about Reacton.

But having achieved those approvals, we are predominantly pushing into the US market. And with the US approvals comes entry into the Middle East markets as well. We are busy working with the electric vehicle sector but nothing that we can report on at the moment but their should be some exciting announcements in 2024.

The difference with Reacton is we will not release unless we know it actually works and will walk away from potential projects unless we know our product will be effective. We are not interested in the risk of failure simply for commercial gain and all of us are passion.