ISM: A Waste & Recycling Business Who Like Being One Step Ahead!

Testimonial from Peter Allen Joint MD ISM on why they chose Fireward.

Back in 1965 John Allen (Snr) was specialising in the removal of machinery and scrap metal from factories around Ramsbottom in the Northwest of England. Even then Allen (Snr) was ahead of his time and recognised the benefits recycling had on the environment and opened his own onsite materials recycling facility.

A decade later and with the introduction of the Landfill Directive and the move away from landfill, once gain Allen (Snr) was leading the way with the construction of his own waste transfer station. This decision was one of those defining moments, allowing waste to be sorted and processed much more quickly.

As the business continued to grow, so too did Allen’s (Snr) family with 2 sons and 2 daughters working in the business, learning the ropes with the ultimate objective of taking day to day control when the time was right.

Fast forward to 2015 and ISM celebrating 50 years in business with the present Allen management team ensuring the business is on course for continued growth by nurturing the 3^rd generation. ISM is now the Northwest’s leading waste recycling facility, processing 100’s of tonnes weekly, diverting waste from landfill and supplying the waste to energy sector.

The recycling industry is susceptible to fires due to the combustible material being processed, therefore fire suppression is vital for any machinery used. ISM have always had a proactive approach to health and safety and as part of a much wider fire mitigation strategy have since 2018 routinely installed Fireward fire suppression systems on their plant and equipment. Running alongside this are daily asset checks, regular fire suppression servicing and best practise across the site.  

Prior to selecting Fireward, ISM conducted significant due diligence, where they evaluated several suppliers, but the outcome was that Fireward offered the best overall package.  

The first installation was on a Haas Tyron 2000XL shredder following on with a further 10, Dual & Single Agent systems on Liebherr, Volvo and Caterpillar. These systems have varied in cylinder size and are fitted with a range of safety options including monitoring panels and manual actuators.

ISM is a great example of mitigating risk from the start. Rather than having an event, putting millions of pounds of long lead time assets at risk of fire, to then try and reopen, not to mention the cost to buildings and risk to personnel, prevent it in the first place!

Peter Allen, Joint Managing Director of ISM Waste & Recycling

“Brilliant! When you take on a new supplier it takes time to build confidence and it snowballs from there. This is what’s happened with Fireward, and we know we’ve made the right decision. It’s a good product, we get the back up and support you would expect and as they say it does what it says on the tin!

I would recommend Fireward, we did our due diligence and if anyone wants to take that for free, they can.

A few of the commercial benefits to install a Fireward Fire Suppression system was the reduction in repair costs and downtime of our machinery after a fire, as well as the reduction in our insurance premium."

ISM Waste Recycling Limited chose to protect their heavy plant and machinery with our approved and accredited systems, ensuring the highest level of fire protection is received.

Our industry-leading dual agent system are an outstanding fire suppression method due to the combined benefits of fry powder and wet chemical in one solution. Utilising both dry and wet agents reduces the chance of fire reigniting after discharge. Not only can the system provide rapid-fire knockdown and excellent coverage with the dry powder, but with the cooling properties of wet chemicals, the system is economical and efficient.

Fireward systems carry a range of independent third party accreditations for off road plant and machinery including AS5062, SPCR199 and SPCR183 for our customers ultimate peace of mind that with Fireward, you are protected to the highest possible standards within the fire suppression industry.

Thank you to ISM https://ismwaste.co.uk for agreeing to take part in this case study.

Watch the full testimonial here.