IFSJ catches up with Advanced’s Middle East team to find out what the fire safety specialist has in store at Intersec 2024

In 2022, Advanced appointed Sasi Kumar as Commercial Manager for Middle East and Africa, to spearhead the company’s expansion in the Middle East, a key initiative of its comprehensive international sales strategy.

Kumar, a seasoned professional, transitioned to Advanced from FFE Ltd, a Halma group company at which he notably advanced the business’s beam and flame detector segment as the Head of Sales for the Middle East, Africa, and Asia Pacific regions.

Following Kumar’s appointment, Advanced also welcomed two Business Development Managers to its Middle East operation: Sargunan Sellamuthu, Advanced’s second appointment to the region within a year, bringing nearly a decade of experience in the fire industry; and Hossam Badwy, previously a sales lead for a global systems manufacturer now operating out of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

As we look ahead to Intersec which returns this month, IFSJ caught up with Kumar, Sellamuthu and Badwy to find out more about Advanced’s offerings at the exhibition and discuss current trends in the GCC.

Sasi Kumar, Commercial Manager for Middle East and Africa

We’re delighted to be exhibiting at Intersec again and demonstrating how we can meet a variety of fire safety needs across a wide range of different sites and sectors.

It is an exciting time in the Middle East region with a high level of development, including the giga projects in Saudia Arabia.

Alongside this there is also an increase in safety regulation being rolled out which is improving fire safety in the region.

We are keen to show visitors at Intersec that we can provide proven, robust, fire safety solutions that they need.

Advanced is also thrilled to be celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2024 too, we are proud to have been a trusted UK manufacturer during this time providing high quality products.

Advanced is committed to the Middle East region and is increasing its presence for the long term.

We have already expanded our sales and support teams but are looking to further build on this.

We think it is vital to have a team based in the Middle East with local knowledge, that are here to speak directly to our customers.

That is why I joined in 2022, followed by Sargunan and Hossam this year, and we are looking to expand our team still further.

Advanced also has distribution partners in UAE, Oman and South Africa and we are actively looking for partners in the rest of the GCC and beyond, as well as OEM partnerships across the world.

At Intersec 2024 Advanced will be showcasing both new and updated products and explaining the benefits of each and the problems they can solve.

We will also be demonstrating the versatility of our wireless offering at Intersec and will be showcasing our MxPro 5 open protocol approach.

As an EN Standard open protocol fire panel, the MxPro 5 offers freedom, flexibility and safety thanks to its compatibility with a range of leading detector protocols, including Apollo, making it ideal for retrofits.

One current trend in the Middle East is the growth in wireless fire alarm technology with customers recognising its benefits including its robust performance.

This growth follows a similar trend in Europe where it is estimated the wireless fire alarm sector will increase by 10% from 2023 to 2032.

With wireless technology now tried and tested in Europe, the Middle East region is opting for wireless solutions too, especially following the development of the robust, reliable mesh technology.

Wireless fire alarm systems are now taking market share from wired variants.

Plus, last April, the Dubai Civil Defense announced that wireless technology could be used for both residential and commercial projects.

Other countries in the Middle East look set to follow.

As fire safety regulation tightens across the region, wireless fire alarm systems are becoming an attractive solution to retrofit, since buildings do not have to undergo the disruption of running cables which comes with installing a wired system.

Some wireless systems, such as Advanced’s Axis EN, also have the advantage of being able to integrate with existing fire alarm systems too when an upgrade is required, offering a hybrid system.

Visitors to Intersec will be able to see for themselves the wireless Axis EN on our stand (Stand F22, Hall 4).

Harnessing the power of proven technology, Advanced’s versatile Axis EN wireless range offers an easy-to-install robust fire alarm system which saves crucial time and disruption.

Offering a wireless fire safety system customers can trust, Advanced’s Axis EN wireless devices are powerful, reliable and fast to install and configure.

Rigorously tested and approved to EN 54 Parts 2 and 4 Axis EN, wireless fire systems carry the prestigious FM Approved mark.

Axis EN devices operate seamlessly with Advanced’s Axis EN range of high-performance addressable panels and can be used as part of completely wireless or hybrid systems.

Sargunan Sellamuthu, Business Development Manager at Advanced

I am thrilled to be at Intersec as we will be showcasing our UL-approved Axis AX fire system.

  UL-approved fire safety systems are gaining in popularity in the Middle East with our Axis AX fire system offering a solution that suits both large commercial sites and high-rise residential applications, as well as offering vital voice evacuation.

A growing awareness and implementation of fire-safety measures in the Middle East region is driving the popularity of UL fire safety systems.

When selecting a fire system, it is reassuring to know that it has the versatility to protect both large sites such as shopping centres, schools, universities and hospitals, as well as high-rise residential projects.

Fortunately, Advanced’s network systems are fully scalable to suit virtually any application including ‘campus’ style and high-rise style configurations.

Advanced’s UL-approved Axis AX fire system is suitable for very large projects.

What is particularly impressive about the versatility of the Axis AX is that it can deliver fast, reliable, communications from a two-panel network up to a large 200-node network.

Very few manufacturers can offer the capacity to connect to up to 200 panels.

One of the current trends is that high-rise residential buildings require a fire alarm system with voice evacuation.

Fortunately, the flexible Axis AX offers integrated audio for automatic (and manual) fire alarm signalling and live voice paging during emergencies.

However, with voice evacuations problems can sometimes arise if the audio doesn’t sync and people are able to hear multiple messages at once.

To solve this our Axis AX range features PerfectSync which ensures audio synchronisation across the entire network to avoid confusion by a mixed message.

This includes large networks where we are able to deliver the message from the first panel to the 200th with highly synchronised fast messaging to help people evacuate faster in case of fire.

Hossam Badwy, Business Development Manager, Middle East

The Middle East is an exciting, unique market where both EN and UL fire safety solutions are used.

Not all companies can fulfil both requirements but at Advanced we are able to help customers that need both standards in our Axis EN and Axis AX product ranges respectively.

We will have our Axis ranges, with solutions for both EN and UL standards on show.

The Axis ranges are not only robust and versatile, but also easy to use – from installation and commissioning to servicing, maintenance and day-to-day operation.

At Advanced we not only offer fire systems for complex buildings, we also offer solutions for small applications, such as retail and the housing sector.

At Intersec we will have our new-generation AxisGo single-loop fire panel on display, which can be used in applications such as villas and smaller commercial sites.

This versatile fire panel is packed with premium features, offering a powerful option for less complex sites.

It provides cost-effective access to Axis EN range performance, quality, and ease of use, in a simpler, non-networkable format.

AxisGo is available as a wired, wireless or hybrid system, bringing additional versatility.

At Intersec, we will have products on show for critical and high-risk sites, including our ExGo gas extinguishing panels at Intersec.

It is vital to be able to protect critical infrastructure, data centres and sensitive sites where water extinguishing could destroy irreplaceable assets, so gas extinguishing is required.

ExGo provides the control for the extinguishing system and is certified to extinguishing system standards.

We will also have on show our specialist redundant panel that kicks in if the main fire panel stops working and so maintains fire protection.

It’s ideal for big oil and gas power plants, manufacturing, datacentres and places requiring uninterrupted fire protection.

We provide a 100% hot redundant panel so users have the assurance the fire system will continue to work should a fire panel fail as the redundant panel takes over completely.

This also allows repairs and maintenance to take place without any operational downtime.

Advanced’s team of technical experts are there to help, whether customers are planning, installing or servicing an Advanced system.

Advanced offers free training and support throughout the lifetime of an Advanced product.

Plus, this is all backed up with a good warranty for extra peace of mind.

Meet Sasi, Sargunan and Hossam and learn more about Advanced’s full range of intelligent solutions at Intersec, 16 – 18 January, Stand F22, Hall 4.

This article was originally published in the January 2024 issue of International Fire & Safety Journal. To read your FREE digital copy, click here.