Introducing the new Hi-Protect SAF Ventilator

The new Hi-Protect® SAF Ventilator from the Advanced Smoke Group

The Advanced Smoke Group is proud to present the latest addition to the Hi-Protect® range, the new slim-line SAF Ventilator. The SAF Ventilator offers architects and consultants a combination of stylish and unobtrusive design with all the quality, reliability and safety that has come to be expected with the Hi-Protect® range. Using high grade EN485/515/573 aluminium and combined with expert manufacturing, the Hi-Protect® SAF Ventilator is provides the maximum level of durability.

What makes the Advanced Smoke Group’s SAF Ventilator so appealing to customers is the level of bespoke options that customers have the choice of, providing them with the freedom to choose a custom unit that best meets their specifications rather than being restrained by the ‘off the shelf’ sizes. This can often be provided at no additional cost and helps to ensure that all customer needs are not only met, but exceeded.

There is an extensive range of different choices available to customers and our expert and friendly sales team are on hand to provide any assistance needed to help guarantee that customers receive the best unit to best meet their criteria, making the Hi-Protect® SAF Ventilator the ideal choice for architects and consultants. Read the Hi-Protect® Datasheet to find out more information, including the various options and designs available or contact our dedicated sales team mail@advancedsmoke.co.uk or call them in the office on 0116 271 6861. The datasheet can be found by clicking on the image below.

Introducing the Hi-Protect® Door Actuator

We have released the new Hi-Protect® range of smoke control and ventilation products, focusing on providing high quality, great value and peace of mind. Sourcing only the highest quality components combined with exceptional manufacturing expertise means that our Hi-Protect® range of products are the most reliable and durable in the smoke control market.




Advanced Smoke Group Hi-Protect® Range

 

 Included in our Hi-Protect® range is the new Hi-Protect® Door Actuator designed for use in lobby ventilators, offering a remarkably quick 20 second opening cycle, low power ratings and brilliant value for money. To read more on the new Hi-Protect® Door Actuator click here to download the PDF datasheet and for information on installation and prices contact our friendly sales team on 0116 271 6861 or email:

directsales@advancedsmoke.co.uk for expert advice.

There will be constant updates on both our blog and the website www.advancedsmoke.co.uk as well on the new Hi-Protect® products so make sure to keep checking and thanks for checking out the post :)

'Progress is Impossible Without Change'

Having now had the same logo for quite some time, we felt that it was time for a change, and what better time than entering the New Year, the time when we all think about those resolutions that will make a positive change in our lives. There is a lot of change happening within the Group, from welcoming new staff to working on our new website, and we felt that a new logo would be the ideal way to embody this change and signify where we are going as an organisation.



The older Advanced Smoke Group Logo



The new ASG Logo

This new logo is an evolution from the original as it is essential to not only know where we are going but also remember where we have come from, reflecting the journey that the Advanced Smoke Group have taken, is taking and plan to take. We are making as an organisation changes to stimulate progression and this logo acts as a symbol for that change, incorporating features of the old logo such as the flames with a more modern and progressive design.

As a centre of excellence in smoke control systems, we provide protection for people and properties against the damaging and dangerous effects of smoke in the event of a fire by effectively controlling the smoke. We wanted our new logo to symbolize that fact. The flames are now confined within the protective sphere, safely being controlled and defending that around it whilst the colour scheme maintains the original blue and white motif of the original.

We would love to hear any comments that you may have regarding the new logo and would like to thank you all for checking out the page. Whilst 10 days late, everyone at ASG would like to wish you all a happy new year!

Advanced Smoke Group investing in the Future

"Youth will be a Key Driver to our Future Growth and Success"

It has been well publicised of the recent record highs in youth unemployment in the UK. With fewer companies providing fewer opportunities to the young, there is an extensive range of skills and potential available in the market that is being wasted at the moment.

The construction industry was one of the hardest hit sectors in the recession and in the UK is still struggling to regain sustained growth. With many organisations downsizing or defaulting, the Advanced Smoke Group are going against the trend and aiming for high growth for the future. A major feature of this high growth strategy is the employment of young workers who have the skills, determination and potential to be valuable members of the organisation. By working closely with the local University and Government skills funding agencies the Advanced Smoke Group are recruiting graduates and apprentices from the local community and providing them with the opportunity to gain further qualifications and valuable experience. The Advanced Smoke Group is a company specialising on smoke control and smoke ventilation systems in buildings, providing protected escape routes for residents and quick access for fire-fighters in the event of a fire.

Calvin Barnett who graduated in 2010 from the University of Leicester with a BA in Management and Marketing explained that even though he had achieved a first in his course, his lack of experience held him back from being able to get a marketing position in a company and there were very limited internship opportunities in the East Midlands.

Calvin explained, ‘The majority of firms I looked at wanted relevant experience as well as a degree but it seemed most work experience and internships seemed to be unpaid in London so I was in a Catch 22; I couldn’t afford to travel from the East Midlands to London daily for unpaid work or live in London unpaid and I was unable to find any experience opportunities in the town I live in to get a role in the career I wanted. If it was not for the Advanced Smoke Group providing me with the opportunity and taking me on as a marketing assistant, I do not know where I would be at the moment.’

Darren Wale, Technical Sales Manager for Advanced Smoke Group commented, ‘Many of the unemployed youth want to work, have the abilities and are eager to go; all they require is the opportunity. We want to help develop and grow these individuals and in turn they will help develop and grow the company.’



Right to left: Calvin Barnett, Jade Brown, Danish Ahmad: The ASG
Young Guns



The young prospects all have an incredible work ethic and each showed real progress, contributing to some major developments in the company. Danish Ahmad was the first intern taken on by Advanced Smoke Group after completing his MSc in Advanced Electrical and Electronic Engineering from University of Leicester in 2009 and is now a full time employee of the company as systems developer following on from his internship where he was instrumental in developing and patenting a new product. Danish is now responsible for product design and development and states ‘Working at ASG is an honour; we have a very friendly environment with a very supportive team. This makes the workplace a very enjoyable place.’

Richard Brooks, General Manager of the Advanced Smoke Group states, ‘at the moment, downsizing and redundancies will not help local communities, organisations, industries or the economy. There needs to be investments into the future in order achieve sustainable growth and the youth have a lot of potential that will be valuable to the Group and provide a competitive advantage in the long term. This is why we are looking at developing bright and enthusiastic young prospects that have a lot to offer and provide them with training, hands on experience and real responsibility.’

Jade Brown, having recently finished her AS Level's is now an apprentice within the Advanced Smoke Group as an adminstration assistant and working towards gaining her level 2 NVQ in business administration. Jade says 'this apprenticeship gives me the opportunity to get hands on experience and training in the position. I am learning a lot and each day is different which has helped me gain a lot of different skills. The team is always there to support me and although I only started in November, everyone is really friendly and has made me feel at home straight away so I have thoroughly enjoyed my time here.'


Over the last 12 months the Advanced Smoke Group has taken on two graduate interns and an apprentice and are planning on taking on another graduate in Accounting in early 2012.

The ASG December Update

Tis' the season.....


As Christmas draws nearer and the year begins its conclusion, we are looking back at the year and some of the events that have shaped it. It has been a exciting year in what has been a pretty turbulent environment with some great new faces in the group, some unique patents and some very interesting projects.

Whilst it is nice to reminisce, there is a new year coming our way soon and we want to be ready for it. The Advanced Smoke Group is updating the look and feel of the website, which we be relaunching just before the new year with a modern, contemporary and simple design.

The navigation and theme is being redesigned to allow for easier use for all users and easier access to information and content on the site.

In preparation for this update, we are updating all of our other sites as well so that the theme is consistent throughout all outlets and ready for the new year, including our twitter and this blog. The new year is bringing with it a new look and feel for the Advanced Smoke Group and we couldn't be more excited to get it out there for all of you to check out.

We have also produced a publication looking in detail at the Pitfalls and Trends of Car Park Ventilation from the team here at ASG; providing important tips, guidelines, regulations and more.

For a free copy of the publication please email us at mail@advancedsmoke.co.uk with your contact details and address and we'll happily send it out in the post free of charge.

As a quick reminder to all those interested in the effective ventilation of Car Parks, we would like to remind you that ASG do run a free seminar (and lunch) at your own offices where our experts will present the ins and outs of smoke control and ventilation in Car Parks and how to optimise effectiveness and safety of systems. Simply call us on 0116 271 6861 or email us at mail@advancedsmoke.co.uk to arrange for a mutual acceptable date for the seminar to run.

We would like to thank you as well for checking the blog and keeping up to date with us; expect more and more material as time goes on and good luck with getting your Christmas preparations sorted. The new starter Calvin came up with a rather ingenious method of dealing with Christmas shopping when he told us; "I do all my Christmas shopping in the January sales then just hold onto it for 12 months....yeah it takes up space but as long as no one passes away and I don't split with my girlfriend then I'm quids in. And if we do split then I'll just store it till the next one comes along; it's win win really!"

You have to admire the dedication to forward planning.

Advanced Smoke Group Blackwall Tunnel Project: Largest AOV in Britain

Britain's Largest Automatic Opening Smoke Ventilator



Full Opened Blackwall Ventilator



Advanced Smoke Group finishes the largest Automatic Opening Ventilator in the UK at Blackwall Tunnel

Open Ventilator from the ground

The Northbound Blackwall tunnel constructed over 112 years ago and linking the boroughs of Tower Hamlets and Greenwich has seen a major refurbishment commissioned by Transport for London and awarded to Bam Nuttall. It is one of the busiest commuter roads in London, with over 50,000 vehicles driving through daily and is a vital link from one side of the Thames to the other.

The refurbishment involves a range of upgrades to various systems including drainage storage facilities, CCTV surveillance, fire and life safety systems, modern communication systems and a complete modernisation of the ventilation systems.

The Advanced Smoke Group, specialists in the design of smoke control systems for residential, retail and commercial premises were invited to tender by the consultants as one of only two companies who the consultants felt were qualified to undertake the project. The ventilation contract was awarded to the Advanced Smoke Group who designed, manufactured and installed the automatic opening ventilator for the existing ventilation shafts with dimensions of 8.5 metres in diameter and weight in excess of 8.2 tonnes, making it the largest in the UK.



One 'petal' of the Ventilator



The refurbishment required that a new ventilation system should be installed within the tunnel’s original ventilation shafts built in 1897 and it was decided that an opening roof would allow for the existing shafts to maintain their domed appearance. A mechanical ventilation system was created that would allow for the vents to open in case of an emergency in the tunnel. In the event of an incident or fire in the tunnel, the system will engage in a specific mode to allow for the extraction of smoke. Despite the vast size and weight of the smoke ventilator, the vents are capable of fully opening in sixty seconds.

The automatic smoke vents will help extract smoke and harmful gases from the tunnel in case of a fire, allowing firemen easier access to tackle any blaze.

Richard Brooks, General Manager for the Advanced Smoke Group commented that, “The Blackwall Tunnel project has been a great success and is a perfect example of the engineering expertise within the Advance Smoke Group.”

The system was designed and manufactured at the Advanced Smoke Group premises and Engineering Director for Advanced Smoke Group, Brian Lockton said “the fact we were able to build the Unit in Leicester in the UK, is a great achievement and an example of good British engineering.”



Look at that view



The full feature length video will be available on Youtube shortly.