SFL supply Kingspan with Motorola Radio System

Kingspan are world’s leaders in high-performance insulation and building envelope solutions. Operating across a sizable 70,000 square metre site, manufacturing on a daily basis, with the team often working long shifts.

The Requirement for Two Way Radio

The engineering department required a two way radio solution, to improve communication across site, and reduce downtime. Additionally there was a requirement to have contact with the first aid responders around the site.

With staff occasionally working alone, the radios also needed to include Man Down and Lone Working functionalities. Kingspan wanted location tracking to send an exact location of the distressed worker, for immediate response in the event of a lone worker / man down emergency.
Mobile staff require their radio to be as easily transportable as possible. So there is also a requirement for accessories; carry solutions, chargers and earpieces.

Surveying the Site

Kingspan’s requirements were discussed over series of teams meetings. SFL engineers then conducted a detailed site survey, checking RF and GPS coverage.
Following the survey, it was identified that full site RF coverage was possible with a single repeater. GPS coverage was also available across the key manufacturing sites. We were able to propose a solution to fulfil all the requirements across the site.

The Solution

In October 2022 SFL installed a Motorola single site Capacity Plus (CP) radio system with TRBOnet control room solution. The system uses a Motorola SLR5500 UHF repeater, which offers full site coverage. The repeater was upgraded to operate Capacity Plus in order to offer multiple talk groups.
SFL provided Kingspan with Motorola DP4801e hand portables, which have built in GPS, Man down and lone worker functionality. The Motorola DP4801e radios are rugged, tested to Military standard 810, and have intelligent audio, which adjusts the volume of the two-way radio to fit an environment’s noise level. These radios are ideally suited to a manufacturing environment.

We added TRBOnet Control room solution, which has lots of functionality, but the site uses two key functions. Firstly it uses GPS to provide exact location of users when lone worker and man down alarms are activated. Additionally it records all transmissions, which is useful in debrief after an event.
The radio system has improved communication across the site, increasing efficiencies and reducing downtime, whilst also playing a key role in health and safety practices on site.

Speaking with Plant Engineer Chris, he detailed how the solution has had a great impact for the team;

“We now have excellent coverage around the site with the radio system and now we have peace of mind with the Engineering team, if there is an incident and with the TRBONet system this gives us a greater confidence in pinpointing to were the issue lies. This system gives us a platform to build on in the future also.
SFL where great to deal with, offering support to us during and after the install.”

Do you have a large site that requires full coverage? The team at SFL can supply the best solution to meet your requirements. Get in touch with the team on 0151 334 9160 to discuss.