It’s onwards and upwards for FSL as it celebrates another successful year
FSL, the expert in fire suppression system manufacturing and service provision, is celebrating after significantly growing its operation with an expansion programme that has seen it move into a number of new territories including Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA). The company has reported a 148 per cent improvement in turnover since it was launched in early 2013 as part of Nitin Fire Protection Industries.
Its presence in mainland Europe over the last 12 months has established a network of 22 customers across countries including Italy, France, Norway, Estonia and Serbia. Much of this success can be attributed to the work of Vincenzo Sartori, FSL’s Regional Sales Manager Europe, who since his appointment in May 2014 has targeted a number of key vertical sectors including the aerospace, control centre, marine and data centre industries.
Commenting on the response to FSL within Europe, Sartori said, ‘FSL offers something unique within this market – we view our customers as partners and make sure they get the most appropriate fire suppression systems to meet their specific requirements. Our diverse range of products, which are competitively priced and backed up with excellent levels of service, has been warmly welcomed and earlier this year we secured the largest ever sale of 3M Novec 1230 to a major Italian industrial aerospace organisation.’
It’s a similar story across the buoyant Middle East and Africa markets, which continue to offer excellent business opportunities. FSL has developed exclusive distribution agreements in Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, Egypt and UAE, with further arrangements pending in Saudi Arabia, following government approvals.
Although chemical gas systems are still highly popular in this region, FSL has seen the 3M Novec 1230 clean agent chemical gaseous fire protection product gaining ground, as the benefits of using it become more widely appreciated. This includes the fact that it is a much more environmentally friendly system, which helps to meet organisations’ corporate social responsibility (CSR) agendas. Data centres are increasingly using it too, as its highly efficient and fast extinguishing process reduces downtime and limits damage to electrical equipment.
In addition to its EMEA growth, FSL has also invested heavily in its internal infrastructure, most notably its move into a new 8,000ft2state-of-the-art headquarters. Located in Wokingham, it is where the company stores and distributes products including 3M Novec 1230, the FM200 waterless system, Eurotech 227, Eurotech 1230, the HFC227ea and FE227 chemical gas systems, and its Inertech IG01, IG100, IG55 and IG541 intert range.
FSL has also developed a range of training programmes and introduced MyFSL, an exclusive online portal that gives customers the ability to access specific information relating to their activities, and quickly obtain information such as product specifications and datasheets. Furthermore, the state-of-the-art MyFSL online quotation tool allows customers to get an instant price from any location at a click of a mouse.
‘I’m delighted with the progress of the company over such a relatively short period of time and it is clear that we offer a genuine alternative to the more established players in the market,’ commented Dave Adkins, FSL’s Managing Director. ‘As well as establishing a significant customer base in the UK, our growth across EMEA has been phenomenal. This will provide us with significant opportunities throughout 2015, as we look to further expand our operations across the globe.’
