On Wednesday 22nd April Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal visited Tenmat Group’s completed Manufacturing & Innovation Centre in Irlam. The visit included a full tour of the site in which The Princess Royal spoke with a number of valued employees and concluded with a plaque unveiling ceremony to officially open the centre.
The Princess Royal was joined by His Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Greater Manchester, Mrs. Diane Hawkins, High Sheriff of Greater Manchester, Mr. Mark Llewellin, and Ceremonial Mayor of the City of Salford, Councillor Heather Fletcher.
Tenmat Group is a leading international passive fire protection manufacturer with a proud 100-year heritage rooted in Greater Manchester. Originally established in Trafford Park in 1914, the Group grew from its Manchester Foundations into a Global business, before relocating to its new-state of-the-art Manufacturing and Innovation Center in Irlam in 2023.
The Tenmat Group, headquartered in Irlam, Greater Manchester, also comprises a number of specialist companies committed to tackling fire safety across a range of sectors, applications, and global locations. The Group’s brands include: Tenmat Limited in Irlam – a world-renowned passive fire protection Innovator and manufacturer, BrandGuard Vents in California – producing ember-resistant vents for homes in wildfire zones, PFC Corofil – a long established passive fire protection manufacturer based in London, and Tenmat USA – a Delaware based division of Tenmat Group serving the North America market.
The recently fully completed facility in Irlam employs over 150 skilled employees. Continuing its legacy, Tenmat Group remains a key part of the community, bringing jobs, technical apprenticeships, and investment into local areas, while delivering essential products and services to local, national, and global building projects. In 2024, Tenmat Group opened its Fire Lab Test Centre & Training Centre on the final step in the facility’s completion.
Tenmat Group’s cornerstone product is high-performance intumescent – a material that expands when exposed to heat from a fire. This can be placed throughout a building – such as within a wall cavity – to prevent or significantly slow the spread of fire between rooms, floors, or apartments. Tenmat intumescent uses a unique formula and is manufactured on-site at the Manufacturing & Innovation Centre. Providing a controlled and low smoke expansion that effectively seals cavity spaces, the intumescent also has a confirmed working life of 60 years – making it highly cost effective for major projects such as reclad schemes.
His Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Greater Manchester, Mrs. Diane Hawkins, said: “The completion of the Tenmat Group Manufacturing & Innovation Centre is excellent news for Greater Manchester. The impressive facility and the crucial components manufactured therein contribute not just to the local region but also have a national impact with regards building fire safety. Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal and I were delighted to be a part of this opening ceremony and visit and hope the company continues to prosper.”
Tenmat Group CEO Dr. Kapil Chopra, commented: “This was a very special occasion for all of us at Tenmat Group. The completion of the site is the culmination of years of careful planning and company-wide effort, and Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal’s visit and enthusiasm for the important work we do was the highest level of recognition we could hope for.
“I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal and regional representatives His Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Greater Manchester, the High Sheriff of Greater Manchester, and the Ceremonial Mayor of Salford for participating in what was undoubtedly a historic day for Tenmat Group and one that marks the beginning of a new chapter of growth.”
Tenmat Group Managing Director Ed Peltor added: “It was an honour to share our fire protection expertise and knowledge with our esteemed visitors and further highlight the work we are doing to further improve safety standards and regulations across the industry.
“Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal, His Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Greater Manchester, the High Sheriff and Mayor all showed great interest in our operations and the people who make our work possible. Their support in celebrating the completion of the site was fantastic and I’m sure the day will be remembered for many, many years to come.”
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