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Adam Bannister is a contributor to IFSEC Global, having been in the role of Editor from 2014 through to November 2019. Adam also had stints as a journalist at cybersecurity publication, The Daily Swig, and as Managing Editor at Dynamis Online Media Group.
Ian Arbuckle is managing director of LINIAN Fire Clip, which produces a fire-resistant fixing for fire alarm cable with the same name.
The Glasgow-based company, which is exhibiting at FIREX 2018 in June, says the clip is 70% quicker to install than traditional methods, requiring less drilling and screwing.
It also meets recommendations for Fire Rated Cable Fixings in Escape Routes BS7671 Amendment 3, is compliant with BS 8519:2010 and is tested in accordance with BSEN50200 PH120 Classification and DIN 4102-12 E90 Classification.
Testing in numbers
Smoke emission tested to London Underground Standard
Melting point higher than 1000°C
Resist tensile loads of 244N
Salt spray tested to 500 hours
In the Q&A below Arbuckle recounts the genesis of the product, outlines its unique selling points and looks ahead to FIREX 2018.
IFSEC Global: Please tell us a bit about the background of your company and the LINIAN Fire Clip…
Ian Arbuckle: The result of years of advanced technical research and direct experience the product was born out of requirements across the market for a product that was simpler to use when installing fire alarm cables.
Fire alarm cable has traditionally been fixed with a fire-resistant fixing. The inventor of the LINIAN Fire Clip decided to develop his own product that would eliminate the need for a screws, plastic plugs or investment in expensive gas guns and cartridges. The LINIAN Fire Clip is just faster, safer and simpler to install.
At LINIAN everyone is dedicated to the delivery of products, solutions and services that enable our clients to achieve their own goals, to the highest standard, with the greatest degree of efficiency. As a proud family business the inventor is my father, Wes Arbuckle. He named the product after his two children – myself and my sister, Lynne who is our Sales & Export Director.
In 2015 as the next generation of the business we joined with an aggressive growth strategy which included rebranding and redefining the strategy to become the LINIAN brand which you know it as today.
IG: In what ways is it superior to the alternatives?
IA: There are alternative methods on the market but there are definitely points to consider for installers using them. Some of the other methods use a plastic plug and screw ultimately to fix into the substrate – but is that really fire-resistant?
Failures were due to plastic fixings in the substrate and not the supports themselves
Interestingly, BRE released a testing document on that issue – and the outcome is that the failures were due to plastic fixings in the substrate and not the supports themselves.
The LINIAN clip eliminates that element of risk completely: it doesn’t use any plastic and fixes directly into the substrate. It’s made from spring steel, which has a melting point about 1300 degrees.
IG: You said it was patented – are no other products on the market even remotely similar?
IA: It’s very unique. There is nothing on the market quite like it that doesn’t require additional tooling, other than your drill to drill the hole.
Most alternatives use plastic in the substrate, or as I mentioned, additional capex for gas guns and cartridges.
IG: How is your position in the market developing given this USP?
IA: The market for fire-resistant fittings for cables is becoming more prominent and it’s now moving towards the whole electrical cable market with the release of the 18th edition.
It’s gone from being used only for fire alarm cables to being required for all type of cabling – within all areas of a building, effectively.
This has intensified the need for the LINIAN Fire Clip to be developed further to suit the wider cable market. We have specifically chosen FIREX as our partner to officially launch and showcase our new product range designed to suit more cables and apply to more installers who are demanding them.
IG: What products are these?
IA: We’re launching our expanded range of current product and the new LINIAN Fire cleats designed to suit more sizes of SWA cable and to accommodate larger cabling covering up to 25 mil in diameter.
Plastic cleats will soon no longer be compliant and aluminium is not designed to withstand high temperatures that you would expect in a fire
With the release of the 18th edition wiring regulations, due to come into effect in Jan 2019, it will mean that plastic cleats are no longer compliant and aluminium is not designed to withstand high temperatures that you would expect in a fire.
The new range of LINIAN Fire cleats ensure that the transition to the new regulations is faster, safer and simpler for all installers within the industry.
IG: What kind of people are you hoping to meet at FIREX?
IA: FIREX provides an excellent platform for us to remain at the forefront of innovation by speaking to installers to assess their demands, to meet key partners in territories as we focus on expansion overseas and also specifiers and buyers who want to ensure that their businesses and projects are complying easily with the latest wiring regulations.
We also relish the opportunity to speak to other likeminded individuals in the industry. We recently joined the ASFP, who will be exhibiting at FIREX as well, which compounds and demonstrates our values that we have cultivated at LINIAN to show that we strive for perfection, innovation, quality and excellence.
The long term satisfaction of our clients is of paramount importance and this year at FIREX we have been asked to provide a forum to collaborate with other industry leaders to deliver the best products to the marketplace.
LINIAN Fire Clip is exhibiting at FIREX International, 19-21 June 2018, ExCeL London. You can find them on stand A255. Register now.
“There’s nothing on the market like it”: How installers can save time, money and lives with the LINIAN Fire ClipAn interview with Ian Arbuckle, MD of LINIAN Fire Clip, which produces a fire-resistant fixing for fire alarm cable. The FIREX 2018 exhibitor says the clip is 70% quicker to install than traditional methods.
Adam Bannister
IFSEC Insider | Security and Fire News and Resources
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