Belfast firm ‘Halt’ opens new factory following £2.5m boost, creating 20 jobs

A new factory has opened in Belfast’s Springfield Industrial Estate which will create 20 new jobs following a £2.5m investment into the area.

The new HALT facility will use a revolutionary technology which injects a fire retardant treatment called Burnblock into timber and is the brainchild of local businessman Ronan Higham who already runs a building fitout and a construction business in the city.

The new fire retardant treatment is significant in that it is fully biodegradable and non toxic so the treated timber is not classed as hazardous waste and won’t have any disposal costs at the end of its building life making it attractive to builders and developers whilst satisfying all sustainability criteria required for modern buildings.

It is hoped that using this treated timber will help drive down insurance costs and will be especially attractive for external cladding in the large scale building developments sector.

HALT managing director Noel McKernan, said: “We are excited about the potential for saving lives with wood treated at HALT. We are the first facility of its kind in Ireland, and can now offer wood impregnation, achieving the highest fire classification for a combustible material. Tests have proven that wood treated with the revolutionary Burnblock treatment will char, as water vapour is released limiting combustion. Just as important is the fact any wood treated at HALT carries the highest rating achievable for preventing smoke production. Statistics have shown that smoke and toxic fumes contribute up to 34% of fire related deaths.”