Members Delta Fire find fresh fuel with NAAME membership

Technology and design have been critical to Delta Fire’s success since its founding in 1990. Now it manufactures specialist firefighting equipment for clients across a range of industrial sectors in more than 65 countries worldwide. Yet it is firmly based in Norfolk, having recently opened a purpose-built operations and logistics centre on the Broadland Business Park.

Head of Business Development, Jordon King, is rightly proud of what Delta Fire has achieved over 34 years. He is also keen to continue adopting new technologies, upskilling the workforce, and winning new contracts. “We’ve built the business steadily over the years,” he says, “but have seen an exciting growth period since joining the NAAME sector group in early 2022, thanks to their support and advice.”

NAAME’s free membership offers the region’s manufacturing and engineering firms many benefits, including help with sourcing funding for new technologies and knowledge about sustainable business practices. “I came across NAAME by chance on LinkedIn,” says Jordon, “and immediately wondered why we weren’t already involved. Since then, James Williamson at NAAME has been an incredible source of help, to the point where he feels like a valued member of our team.”

In pursuit of net zero

When Delta Fire commissioned its new factory at Broadland Business Park, it wanted it to showcase both its commitment to growth and sustainability. “Our old place at Rackheath had served us well but we’d outgrown it,” explains Jordon, “whereas the new one has doubled our production capabilities and improved efficiency. We aim to be world-leaders in our industry, in the equipment we make and the lives that we save, but we also want to be the most sustainable manufacturer in our sector.

“We are deliberately bold, and the new factory serves as a statement of our ambitions. It has no less than 648 solar panels on the roof generating between 230 and 260MWh of green energy a year. The heating and air conditioning comes from air-sourced heat pumps with a typical efficiency ratio of 3:1, which makes them considerably more efficient than traditional heating. We have also invested in new state of the art CNC machining centres serviced by robots to maximise efficiency and reduce waste.

“That commitment to cutting our carbon emissions and our environmental footprint is both a moral duty and sound business sense. As well as reducing pollution, sustainability saves us money and helps us win more business. In fact, being able to demonstrate such a commitment is becoming increasingly important when bidding for work, particularly government contracts, which is why gaining Carbon Charter accreditation is such an important boost to our brand.”

Achieving Gold in the Carbon Charter

Jordon admits he didn’t know anything about the Carbon Charter until James Williamson from NAAME suggested it. “We were looking at applying for ISO14001 and James suggested that applying for Carbon Charter would help us with our preparations. On his advice, we asked the environment charity Groundwork East to conduct a third-party audit of our operations.

“We were pleased that they recognised the value of what we had already done, as well recommending what more we could be doing. We were also delighted to receive the Gold Carbon Charter accreditation, which recognises us as a ‘Net Zero Leader’. It shows our sustainably minded customers and supply chain partners that we are committed to investing in minimising our Scope 1&2 emissions.”

Grant funding for sustainable growth and R&D

The next stage in Delta Fire’s net zero journey also followed a NAAME introduction. “James pointed us to the New Anglia Growth Hub which recommended the ‘Road to Net Zero’ grant scheme. Part of the application process involved them producing a net zero roadmap for us, which suggested installing battery storage and further steps to reduce our Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions. The 300kWh battery, which is now on order through RenEnergy in Woodbastwick, will enable us to store peak energy generation for later use so giving us greater security of supply.”

The Growth Hub also advised Delta Fire on other grant and business support schemes. These included two Small Business Grants of around £10,000 each to improve research and development facilities. These helped cover 20% of the cost of a 3D printer for rapid prototyping and a salt spray cabinet.

“The marine sector is a big market for us,” say Jordon. “The cabinet lets us to test the corrosion resistance of our products in a simulated marine environment. It will enable us to make better products and expand our offering while gaining valuable data.”

Embracing the fourth industrial revolution

Jordon already understood that digital transformation would be critical to Delta Fire’s ability to grow and remain competitive but was unsure where to start. “Thankfully NAAME introduced us to the Advanced Capacities for Manufacturing Industry 4.0 (ACMI 4.0) programme, delivered by experts from the Smart Manufacturing Alliance. They provided a detailed review of our current digital capabilities and mapped out how we could increase our use of technology to drive efficiency and innovation.

“They then awarded us a 40% match-funding grant of £12,144 to significantly improve our design capabilities and support the implementation of our new digital plan. This grant also enabled us to recruit a new graduate and provide them with the tools to develop innovative new products. We are now in the early stages of launching some of these, which will enable us to enter new markets.

Introductions to other trade bodies

“Our region is lucky to have NAAME, which is dedicated to creating and fostering a collaborative, connected manufacturing and engineering community,” says Jordon. “Many SMEs struggle to know where to look for business and grant support, whereas NAAME has a vast understanding of local and national schemes that can help firms to grow. James Williamson also has a real passion for our sector and is great at encouraging members to share knowledge, so we learn from and support each other.”

Another way that NAAME helps its members is by providing them with free affiliate membership of Make UK. “We knew about Make UK,” says Jordon, “but James has helped us get more involved. One way we’ve done this is by hosting NAAME and Make UK events at our new factory, which we are proud to show to guests. This has been a great way for us to start conversations with new customers.

“We have since paid for top tier membership of the Make UK Defence sector group, which is a key market for our business. It is also an important sector for Norfolk and Suffolk, with some 16 local companies at the last Defence and Security Equipment International (DSEI) trade exhibition in London. Our firefighting equipment is essential to reducing casualties in conflict zones and we are pleased to already be working on life saving R&D projects with other members of the defence community.

“Overall, joining NAAME has been a great experience. Some people think that because it’s free it’s not worth joining, when in fact it is better than many paid membership groups. Delta Fire has certainly got a huge amount out of it in just a short time and,” concludes Jordon, “everyone in the business is happy and hungry for the growth opportunities it offers.”

You can register for your NAAME Membership here

Or contact James Williamson (james.williamson@naame.co.uk) for a confidential discussion about how NAAME can help your business.