Richmond, Québec, May 11, 2021 – INNOTEX, leader in the development and manufacturing of personal protective equipment (PPE) for firefighters and first responders, acquired Technofil, a manufacturer established in Laurierville, Canada. This decision allows INNOTEX to increase its production capacity and support its expansion projects.

Specialized in the production of uniform pants, Technofil adds to the knowhow of INNOTEX’s team, which totals 250 employees divided among four plants – three in Canada (Richmond, Warwick and Laurierville) and one in Alabama, in the United States.

“For the past five years, our sales have risen at a remarkable annual rate of 15%. The demand for our products has increased significantly and continues to grow. We are well positioned to pursue our North American expansion. The acquisition of Technofil adds timely support to our growth plan,” says Claude Barbeau, General Manager of INNOTEX.

INNOTEX clothing, designed primarily for the fire-retardant PPE market, protects firefighters and first responders in hundreds of fire departments, including some of the biggest in North America, and Hydro-Québec line crews.

INNOTEX’s light, durable and comfortable products are the result of several decades of unequalled experience in the technical clothing field. INNOTEX has combined its expertise in extreme sports and fire-retardant materials to manufacture protective gear with exceptional performance.

“Since 2018, we have invested over $2 million in modernizing our facilities and equipment and in our R&D activities, with the aim of offering our customers the ultimate in performance and innovation. We have deployed a continuous improvement program according to LEAN or value-added manufacturing principles in all our production units to increase our productivity and efficiency,” Mr. Barbeau points out.

The new Laurierville manufacturing facility, bringing together workers who are both skilled and experienced, will have the primary mission of making ENERGY certified protective equipment, one of INNOTEX’s flagship products.

About INNOTEX
A leader in the development, manufacturing and distribution of fire-retardant personal protective equipment, INNOTEX is recognized as a trusted partner by thousands of firefighters and first responders.

With 100 years of experience in the technical clothing field, INNOTEX puts innovation at the core of its activities to serve its customers worldwide. The company has three manufacturing plants, including an R&D centre, in Richmond, Warwick and Laurierville, Canada and a manufacturing facility in Ohatchee, Alabama, in the United States.

• Non-fluorinated foam concentrate verified to achieve control and extinguishment at the same application rates as a UL 162 listed AR-AFFF on Type III hydrocarbon fuel fires
• Long-lasting foam blanket for excellent burnback resistance and vapor suppression
• Effective fire control and suppression on volatile hydrocarbon fuel fires at expansion ratios as low as 3-to-1

MILWAUKEE – (May 11, 2020) – Johnson Controls, the global leader for smart, healthy and sustainable buildings and architect of OpenBlue connected solutions, is setting a new standard in fire suppression with the launch of WILLIAMS FIRE & HAZARDCONTROL^® T-STORM_® NFF 3×3 UL201 Foam Concentrate. This new, patent-pending, Non-Fluorinated Foam (NFF) technology provides fast, effective fire suppression on most Class B hydrocarbon and polar solvent fuel fires. With a longer drain time than most AR-AFFFs, this foam blanket also delivers excellent post-extinguishment burnback resistance and vapor suppression.

T-STORM_® NFF 3×3 UL201 Foam Concentrate passes the UL 162 synthetic foam concentrate protocol. It has also passed, under independent third-party witness, the UL 162 AR-AFFF test protocol for Type III hydrocarbon fuel at a 3-to-1 expansion ratio. This protocol’s more challenging foam application test rate of 0.04 gpm/ft² (1.6 lpm/m²) is two-thirds that of the UL 162 synthetic, non-fluorinated foam protocol, and for an AR-AFFF this result would correspond to a minimum design application rate of 0.10 gpm/ft² (4.1 lpm/m²).

T-STORM_® NFF 3×3 UL201 Foam Concentrate provides flexibility and ease of use for first response teams, as it allows for consistent three percent proportioning for both hydrocarbon and polar solvent fires. This means there is no need to adjust proportioning for different Class B hazards. With a 3-to-1 expansion ratio and viscosity similar to a 3×3 AR-AFFF, the foam concentrate is compatible with most standard response proportioning and discharge devices, reducing the need for significant hardware changes. The low expansion ratio provides greater throw distance for the foam, giving firefighters additional separation from the flames. 

“We developed and tested the NFF Concentrate at the Johnson Controls Fire Technology Center, one of the most extensive fire research and testing facilities in the world,” said Craig Cook, global product development leader, Foam Products at Johnson Controls. “When tested on a hydrocarbon fuel fire at three percent concentration, the foam quickly gained 90 percent control and exceeded the requirements for extinguishment and burnback time for a UL 162 AR-AFFF Type III listing.” 

T-STORM_® NFF 3×3 UL201 Foam Concentrate is defined as a non-fluorinated firefighting foam concentrate, produced in equipment free from the use of PFAS chemistry. Since this product is free from any intentionally added PFAS chemistry and precautions have been taken to avoid PFAS contamination, it inherently complies with Directives (EU) 2017/1000 on PFOA and 2019/1021 (EU POPs directive) as a non-fluorinated product.

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