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“Siderise Delivers High-Performance Passive Fire Protection Solutions for 50 Years”

By: Uday V Shetty, Siderise India Pvt. Ltd.

In an interesting interaction Sreenivas Narayanan and Uday V Shetty from Siderise talk about their company’s major projects and milestones since bringing 45-years of expertise to India in 2017, their passive fire protection solutions, the need and techniques for designing fire-safe façades, the challenges faced by the industry during the pandemic, and their ambitions for helping India set the benchmark for safer buildings in South Asia for the coming years.

Please brief us about your Siderise’s journey in India? What are the milestones you have achieved?

Uday V Shetty (US): Siderise expanded into the Indian market in 2017. In collaboration with All Arch India Pvt Ltd, we have successfully completed 150+ projects PAN India with more than 30 underway today. The journey since our first project in 2018 has been very exciting, reaching a point where Siderise India Pvt Ltd is now incorporated with a new regional office in India. This move solidifies our commitment to our clients and partners who in turn are committed to improving fire safety and effective compartmentation in façades. Through the new office, we have strengthened operations and support services with a management team and technical site services.

Tell us about your product offerings?

Sreenivas Narayanan (SN): For over 50 years, Siderise has been supplying the construction industry with high performance passive fire protection solutions for façades and construction:

• Slab Edge perimeter fire stop and smoke seal
• Cavity barriers
• Open state cassette inserts
• Spandrel Insulation + Protection fire boards
• Cavity trays
• Linear gap seals
• Bespoke solutions such as balcony bracket protection
• Façade acoustic upgrades

These are supplied with comprehensive technical data, detailing all aspects of their performance, supported by third party test certifications and test data.

You are one of the leaders in the industry. What are Siderise’s USPs and how they have been maintained consistently throughout the company’s growth?

US: From the very beginning of our business, we have set out to act with “integrity in all we do.” Not only does this mean developing superior and fit-for purpose products and systems that serve to contribute to building safer cities, but applying technical diligence and striving for betterment. New product ideas are often born out of collaboration with project partners and the problems they face, and our solutions are subjected to rigorous testing regimes to verify performance and are third-party certified by credited bodies to validate claimed performance.

This not only ensures they will comply with legislative and industry requirements but also continually seeks to push the boundaries of passive fire safety to the next level, raising the bar across the construction industry whilst providing reassurance. This includes tests to multiple British (BS), American – (ASTM) (NFPA) and European (EN) standards for both products and complete systems, as well as those created by key organisations such as the Association for Specialist Fire Protection (ASFP) and Centre for Window and Cladding Technology (CWCT).

All our solutions are backed by support from our strong Middle East technical team (based in Dubai), who can provide market-leading support with design expertise and an understanding of local building codes and standards. They can provide everything from project-specific advice and details to specific calculations and engineering evaluations. They can also work with project teams to develop bespoke product or system tests to demonstrate compliance with various performance criteria, depending on application or arrangement.

Name some of the major projects in India in which your products have been used?

US: Some of our major projects in India are: ICC 1 and 2, RMZ – MY Home Sky View, Rupa Renaissance, World Trade Centre – Chennai, Bhutani – Noida; and World One & Oberoi 365 – Mumbai.

What does sustainability mean to Siderise?

SN: Being a sustainable business means not only operating in an environmentally conscious way but also ensuring we have a positive effect on the communities we operate in. Our products are produced at our dedicated facility in Wales, UK, which has been accredited to ISO 14001: 2015 Environmental Management Systems. We use state of the art manufacturing processes and environmentally conscious materials. This allows us to meet our customers’ requirements quickly and efficiently whilst providing them with solutions that have minimum impact on the environment.

This edition of the magazine is on Fire safety and Façade design. Tell us about the key points to be taken care of while designing fire-safe façades and fenestrations.

SN: Passive fire protection is essential to ensure safe buildings. Therefore, it is vital for designers and façade engineers to understand how passive fire products work within the key façade types. Engaging with manufacturers’ training programmes is a good first step here, as they are the experts in their field. Advice and guidance can also be sought from reputable trade bodies such as the Association for Specialist Fire Protection (ASFP) and the Centre for Window and Cladding Technology (CWCT).

What are the current trends in thermal and fire protection products in India?

SN: The current practice is improved whereby all major stakeholders are focusing to use only tested and accredited products. The industry is also moving toward higher performance requirements like spandrel protection, addressing the leapfrog effect, and compartmentation in external façade assemblies that use various types of cladding materials. It is also important to note that the government CED committees are looking for effective implementation and improving local codes and standards.

What is the current situation of your industry when the world was facing the COVID-19 challenge and what are the measures taken post-COVID?

US: Protecting all aspects of employee health and safety has always been embedded into the Siderise organisation, from providing regular safety training to implementing policies that support well-being. During the pandemic, these measures were put to the test. However, through clear management, open communication and heartfelt initiatives designed to keep people connected, our supportive workplace culture has thrived. At our manufacturing plant in the UK, we implemented a COVID Risk Assessment plan which worked alongside governmental guidance to ensure all onsite staff were kept safe whilst ensuring we could maintain supply for our customers during this challenging time.

This is managed by a dedicated RA team, made up of people from all departments and has been communicated to the whole business, with the current RA level clearly displayed on the intranet for all to see. This is supported by onsite LF testing of all site-based employees twice a week, and of any visitors, by our occupational health providers. Alongside protecting the physical health of employees, many initiatives were introduced to encourage staff working from home to stay connected, motivated and positive. An informal internal newsletter and Facebook Group were created and used to provide regular business updates and disseminate information and resources to encourage mental health self-care. Online mental health awareness training was also made available for the entire business

What practices should be adopted by the industry to overcome these challenges and deal with the after-effects of this pandemic?

US: Having strong policies and communications channels already in place put us in a good position as we learned to navigate the challenges of COVID-19. As an international business, we had already embraced the use of remote communication platforms to a certain extent, but moving forward, the industry as a whole will need to be prepared to get to grips with a more digital-led business model — and there are some great benefits to doing this.

Please brief on your marketing and sales strategies and the latest steps taken towards achieving the best results? Do you organize some awareness generation activities for your customers?

US: In addition to working collaboratively with our customers to find the best solutions for their projects, we also share the knowledge we have gained over the years by offering multiple CPD and training opportunities. These include full CPDs talks and educational content for architects, specifiers and engineers covering a range of issues, including firestops and curtain wall regulations, cavity barriers within ventilated façades and more.

We also work closely with our delivery partners, located in regions across the world, to ensure they have access to all the product and installation information they need to supply our products with confidence. More widely, we are working to raise awareness of the vital importance of passive fire protection within the wider industry through active participation in several key industry bodies and technical committees.

What are the major opportunities for your business in India?

US: Post Covid, the Indian construction industry is recovering at a fast pace, even when the global shortage of raw materials and associated price increases pose challenges. The government investment in infrastructure has been the main focus for recovery and effective implementation has led to growth in tier 2 and tier 3 cities apart from metro cities. We want to help make sure that India as a country does not repeat the mistakes of others, by doing it right the first time and adopting best practice principles at all stages of a building project, including post-construction.

What are your goals and plans for the next 5 years?

US: As global businesses look to establish offices in India, the built environment and requisite fire and life safety protocols have to be enhanced and improved. Through education and knowledge sharing, we hope to improve the stakeholder responsibilities to ensure safer buildings. Currently, the trend is fire safety, where the wrong choice is often made, and it needs to be a mandated approach.

Sreenivas Narayanan has over a decade’s experience in sales, business development and new market development, the majority of which has been in the field of passive fire protection and working in the fenestration Industry since 2008. Sreeni has been in the Middle East since 2007.

He has worked extensively with AHJs, contractors, architects and developers in the Middle East, India and the Asia Pacific, assisting and advising the various stakeholders on matters relating to standards, testing, code compliance, etc. On behalf of Siderise, Sreeni has been instrumental in ensuring the successful completion of numerous large-scale system tests relating to external façade assemblies.