Leading fire stopping specialist FSi has recently announced that it is to rebrand its products as FSi Promat and become responsible for Promat fire stopping products within the UK
Here David Roulstone, national commercial and marketing manager at FSi, shares how the company will draw on its combined 88 years of passive fire protection expertise to continue developing new innovative products and supporting high industry standards as FSi Promat.
Why has FSi rebranded to FSi Promat?
As both FSi and Promat are part of the Etex Group, it makes sense to capitalise on the technical support and knowledge across the two brands – bringing together our passive fire protection expertise.
That means we’ve kept everything that’s good about FSi and positioned this alongside the Promat logo to give a clearer, comprehensive fire stopping offer from Etex.
FSi has built up a strong reputation for its service and technical support over the years, and it is great to continue to build on that as FSi will now also be able to benefit from Promat’s global technical and digital resources.
What will change for customers?
For FSi customers the changes will only be in the packaging – as the new brand name FSi Promat is added, along with new product codes and barcodes. For Promat customers, the current fire stopping range will be discontinued and replaced by a significantly extended range of dual-branded FSi Promat fire stopping products. This will start to be seen from January 2024.
Our priority in managing the brand change was that everything FSi customers like about us will remain the same. There will be no changes to our products, services, manufacturing, technical support or documentation as all product names are staying.
Is testing certification still valid on existing products?
Yes. As only the brand name will change, and the product name remains the same, all existing certification is still valid. FSi Promat products will continue to be subject to the comprehensive testing and certification the company has built its reputation on.
Will this impact the service or supply chain for customers?
FSi Promat customers will continue to be supported promptly by our highly knowledgeable and experienced technical team.
All customers needing support will continue to contact the dedicated team at FSi, including technical enquiries and evaluations. The products will not change so all performance details are the same.
Promat boards and sprays will continue to be supported by the Promat sales team, and the technical department in Bristol.
Existing FSi customers will see no change in process as products will continue to be produced at our site in Measham and distributed from our warehouse in Thurrock. For Promat customers fire stopping products can be bought directly from us from next year.
Are Promat fire stopping products the same as the FSi ones in the UK?
FSi makes all of the Promat UK fire stopping range, with the exception of PROMASEAL® UniCollar. All the certification used for the Promat range is from the original FSi Classification reports as FSi holds the test data that supports these documents and third-party certification.
Will FSi be taking over the Promat warranty on fire stopping?
Any existing warranties issued under the Promat brand provided by Etex Building Performance Limited will remain, warranties issued on ongoing projects where the products supplied will change from the Promat Promaseal range to the equivalent FSi Promat product will continue to be provided by Etex Building Performance Limited but all future installations using FSi Promat products will be covered by warranties provided by FSi Limited.
Customers can rest assured that we have taken all elements into consideration to ensure continuity of service.
What will happen in projects where Promat products are already installed or specified?
The products are the same and there should not be any issues. The Technical Directors of both FSi and Promat will confirm in writing that the products are the same and that FSi products can be substituted without any impact on the specified fire performance period.
What does the future look like for FSi Promat?
Drawing on the combined expertise and knowledge from both brands, we’ll continue to offer a wide range of tested fire stopping products used to help keep buildings safe. With the new Building Regulations coming into force, we will continue to drive standards within our organisation and raise awareness of the need for effective installation and specification – and to ensure that adequate passive fire protection is always in place.
