A New Product Line facilitates New Business Growth
April’s launch of Identifire Pro - the first new range of building alarm notification devices in a generation - is a watershed moment for Vimpex. Having spent the past decade transitioning from out-and-out distributorship to manufacture and previously describing ourselves as ‘coming of age’; now, on the evidence of our sector’s reaction to our recent developments, our company is firmly established as a mature and highly respected manufacturer.
A Decade of Investment
The last 10 years have seen continued investment, not just capital spent on modern PCB production and other high-value equipment, but also in the design of a modern cell-based production system, matched with an endless drive to ensure we not only meet, but consistently exceed customer delivery expectations. This sustained reinvestment in the business is now bearing fruit.
Further significant spend on the design and development of the first complete range of sounders, VIDs and VADs in a generation - consisting of over 200 variants, all with a common form factor and with instantly familiar installation methods means Identifire Pro is a serious contender to long-established incumbents, now direct competitors. The global market for notification devices is significant, with only a handful of serious manufacturers meeting ever-growing demands. Vimpex is positioned to exploit these market demands.
As an independent UK and EU-based manufacturing business, Vimpex is in an enviable position to disrupt the market with our ambition, fresh product offering and our energy and drive to continued growth.
The perfect illustration of this goal is in the recent design of the ‘Pro’ manufacturing cell. Determined as we are to rapidly gain market share for our new product, we have designed the first production cell with the capacity to produce 250,000 units per annum on a single 8-hour shift. This can easily be replicated and scaled up to allow for ever-increasing volume as we look to gain market share.
Identifire Pro – A Vast Product Line with Multiple Certifications for Multiple Territories
Identifire Pro is a truly global product. With approval to EN 54 Parts 3 and 23 as well as ISO, AUS and Marine certification along with 9 approved alarm tones, the considerable product line is appropriate for use in fire, security and general notification systems the world over. Bright LED beacons with 5 lens colours; sounders with a total of 32 tones, as well as three different body colours, means the Pro product line is extremely versatile. With a choice of 4 different mounting options from discrete flush installation to fully IP-rated backboxes, Identifire Pro constitutes the broadest such product line available anywhere. For those specifying code-compliant fire systems, sounders incorporating both ceiling and wall-mounted VADs (EN 54-23 approved visual alarm devices) with both white and red strobe options add to the array of possibilities.
Our choice of UL as a respected certification body was an important strategic move. The UL logo is sought out by consultants and specifiers in multiple territories as proof of product performance, manufacturing capability and consistency of quality. These are all characteristics reflected in Identifire Pro - indeed, all Vimpex-produced products. Our desire to achieve strong sales of Pro in export markets that, up to now, have been dominated by US-sourced, UL-listed notification products will be aided by our selection of UL for third-party audit and product certification.
We Want to Share our Products
An important part of our growth strategy is in ‘making our product, your product’. By this, we mean becoming the notification device partner of choice for detector, panel and system manufacturers. Our market research shows that there are many systems houses offering a mixture of addressable notification products, often compromised in terms of performance and aesthetics, installation options and versatility. These manufacturers are often forced to offer completely different alternatives for conventional solutions since they are not the original equipment manufacturer. Vimpex is ready to support system manufacturers by offering our huge product range as a platform for others’ technologies to create loop-addressable, wireless or IOT devices, as well as a conventional offering with complete consistency across all ranges and technology types.
With product customisation in the form of high-quality pad printing of logos and a back-end product configurator able to support deep customisation, including territorial localisation via different languages for packaging, labelling and installation instructions, we are ready to work with fellow manufacturers to make Pro theirs.
Even More New Products for 2025
In this next phase of growth for Vimpex, both in terms of products and the business generally, we are excited for the future. The launch of Identifire Pro coincides with the introduction of the new Identi-Cryer Vocal Alarm Lockdown System as well as a new brand of water leak detection – Identi-Leak.
Both products meet the requirements of two niche but rapidly developing markets:
Identi-Cryer is designed to assist schools and other facilities hosting smaller public gatherings with compliance with aspects of ‘Martyn’s Law’. This recently introduced regulation imposes new responsibilities on building managers to provide a method of effective notification of life-threatening incidents. Identi-Cryer does this with a highly effective implementation of multi-message vocal annunciation of critical and potentially life-saving instructions.
Identi-Leak provides facilities management with an early indication of ‘escape of water’ in buildings, which can cause significant and extremely costly damage to the fabric and décor of property. Insurance payouts after damage due to escape of water far surpass those for fire, so integration of leak detection equipment makes sound commercial sense.
The Future is Bright and Multi-Coloured
Identifire Pro, Identi-Cryer, Identi-Leak – all products manufactured in the UK, by Vimpex and exported globally both directly and via our EU subsidiary, to protect life, property and livelihoods.
The future for Vimpex is bright; the future is in five different lens colours, three body colours and four different mounting options. Identifire Pro Notification Devices are the culmination of years of striving and investment, and we relish the coming years of growth ahead of us.