13 Oct 2025
FIREFLY® Apollo Lite Upgrades Roof of Sunderland Car Plant
Following a direct approach from Nissan’s engineering department, Apollo Lite 30/30 was selected from the FIREFLY®range in preference to the manufacturer’s Phoenix product and used to create a series of 2.4 metre deep smoke and fire barriers – each 21 metres in length – protecting five roof bays. In the unlikely event of a fire within the highly automated workspace, the Apollo barriers would act to prevent smoke travelling horizontally beneath the roof soffit, thereby assisting in the safe evacuation of the building. The Contracts Manager for Flux Fire Protection, Jack Cardwell commented: “This is the first time we have worked for Nissan Motor Manufacturing UK, who got in touch following a search which brought up our website. We put forward both the Phoenix and Apollo Lite, but the client chose Apollo because of the additional period of insulation it offers. Then to carry out the work, we used scissor lifts to get up to the self-supporting walkways installed by Nissan’s own scaffolding sub-contractor. We bolted metal angles to the roof purlins, with the barriers fixed using FIREFLY® 50mm Tek Screws. All overlaps were sealed using FIREFLY® High Temperature Adhesive, while butt joints were fixed with stainless steel staples. The barriers were supported on vertical sections every eight metres, which is the maximum span the system can be installed unsupported. At the end of each run, the barriers were tied into the external façade or abutted a steel column.
”The work went really quite smoothly given the compressed timeframe: there was good liaison with Nissan’s engineering manager and we are now due to carry out a similar contract during another shutdown in July.” Based in Checkheaton, West Yorkshire, Flux Fire Protection covers the whole of the country and has established a reputation for carrying out contracts in the education, health and social housing sectors as well as for large commercial and industrial clients like Nissan.
In addition to fitting fire barriers and undertaking compartmentation work employing various products from the FIREFLY®range, the company also offers fire-stopping and intumescent coating services. All of its materials for the Nissan contract, including FIREFLY® Collaroll used for wrapping beams and purlins, were supplied through Galaxy Insulation.
Jack reflected: “The company was set up four years ago and has been utilising the FIREFLY® product range virtually from the start – due to the performance and ease of installation and the technical service that is available if required. Also, since the Building Safety Act changed fire requirements for the construction industry, we have been getting a lot of inquiries from those responsible for apartment blocks, schools and other establishments, wanting a survey to ensure they comply with directives from fire offices and other regulatory bodies. So not only is our surveyor constantly undergoing new training courses, we also have suppliers like FIREFLY® delivering courses for our operatives. We now have a dozen installers proficient in fitting Apollo and its sister products.”
Chris Boam, the Technical Manager for FIREFLY® explains: “I’ve worked closely with Flux Fire Protection since 2022 and have built a strong relationship with their Operations Director, Lee Andrews, as well as their wider team of Contracts Managers such as Jack. Together, we’ve collaborated on numerous projects across various sectors, ensuring that FIREFLY® installation standards are consistently upheld. Their attention to detail and commitment to compliant installation is evident on every job. We value their approach and look forward to continuing this positive working relationship on future projects”. Manufactured from woven and non-woven glass, the FIREFLY® range is designed to optimise resistance to flame and smoke as well as offer heat protection in a wide range of scenarios. The barriers are easy to install horizontally or vertically using a full selection of FIREFLY® ancillary products to ensure a fully tested and certified installed system.
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