Tell us about Stancold and some of the services your company provides
Stancold has been involved with panel build construction for over 75 years. Predominantly, the business has been synonymous within the food industry, working with food manufacturers, food distribution companies, from local to national businesses. Up until the turn of the millennium we were helping those companies work to construct cold stores, freezers, and other temperature-controlled facilities. At the turn of the millennium we started to see the need for fire-rated elements to be included as part of these constructions.
Since then, the business has divided into three clear sections. We still operate with the food industry; we also now look at passive fire protection in terms of compartment walls, and working on fire strategies with anyone who needs them; and then the third business unit, Crest, which deals with pharmaceutical companies, and the need for clean rooms and cold stores in that in that area.
What does a typical customer look like to you?
When it comes to passive fire protection, we can identify any business up and down the country that can probably benefit from a compartment wall or composite panel solutions when it comes to developing their fire strategy. Often this is in line with insurance requirements, as we’re seeing more that insurance companies are demanding property developers, occupiers of buildings, or landlords, have some passive fire protection in place.
This is when our products come into consideration, but we’re finding that they’re often left in the dark in terms of a strategy. We can then help them find a solution that suits their needs and their budget.
What challenges do you face as a business in the fire safety industry?
At Stancold we’re always keeping up to date with the latest regulations – which is where our membership of the FPA comes in – as we need to make sure that the solutions that we design, supply, and install are always up to date with what’s required in the industry. This is an incredibly important aspect of what we do, but another challenge at the moment is making sure that our supply chain is well equipped alongside that to meet our business and our customers’ needs.
Given these challenges, what problems do you try and resolve?
For us it’s about finding a simple, quick, efficient solution for our clients. Clients can feel unsure about what they need to do, and we want to make sure they’ve got the best solution given their budget and their needs at the time.
The fact that we use composite panels as part of our offering means that it’s quick on site. There are minimal trades involved, and there’s no wet trades so it’s often a quicker solution to more traditional building methods when it comes to compartment walls.
Stancold have been FPA members for some time now. Could you share why you became an FPA member?
Our FPA membership is really valuable to us. It allows us to be kept up to date with the latest regulations within the industry. This is also true of updates outside of our own small segment of the industry, as it’s really handy to know what’s happening a little bit further afield. We’ve found the training beneficial throughout the business as staying up to date in terms of skills as well as all the goings on is really important for all of us, both personally as well as the rest of the team.
Want to be featured in an FPA Member Insights interview? Get in touch with us at membership@thefpa.co.uk.