Cables made by Glenrothes firm Brand-Rex could help keep the London Underground on track following successful approval of a new range of fire-resistant products.
The data networking and high-performance cable provider said its newly-launched RailSafe range had been developed with an overhaul of the tube and the construction of the £14.8 billion Crossrail project in mind.
Its new fibre and optical signalling, data and track-side telecommunications cabling has been designed specifically to meet safety rules in harsh underground environments, and could be applied to rail projects across the UK and overseas.
Manufacturing will take place at the global firm’s bases on the Viewfield Industrial Estate and at Leigh in Lancashire.
“The complete RailSafe range has been designed to meet rigorous requirements for smoke flammability and toxicity and is ideal for installations where fire, smoke emission and toxic fumes requirements exceed those of standard cables, such as underground applications,” said the company, which is part of Sir David Murray’s Murray International Holdings business empire.
Brand-Rex, which posted a turnover of more than £72 million in 2012, has recently benefited from the Queen Elizabeth Class warship build programme at nearby Rosyth and provided cables for the London Olympics in 2012.
The news came as the company announced four new appointments in a strengthening of its core management team.
Customer relationship manager Frank Ward who helped introduce the company to contracts for the South Glasgow Super Hospital, the Aircraft Carrier Alliance and the 2014 Commonwealth Games has been promoted to UK sales director.
John Marshall joins as territory account manager to help Brand-Rex in its efforts to push into the key data centre industry.
Kevan Sproston will join the marketing team at the group’s Glenrothes HQ.
Former Johnson Matthey Battery Systems supply chain manager Doug Withers takes on a new role as head of procurement.
Chief executive Martin Hanchard said he was delighted to welcome the new faces whose “wealth of experience” would be a valuable addition to his teams.
“Kevan will be working with our product management and R&D teams to develop new market-leading data network infrastructure products and solutions,” he said.
“Doug will be responsible for building a more robust, efficient and sustainable supply chain for our business.”