IREKS, Kulmbach

Renovation of the insulation after a fire

IREKS, a global manufacturer of baking ingredients and malts, based in Kulmbach, Germany, was the victim of a fire in the spring of 2020. An explosion that was due to a technical problem in the production facility caused a fire that quickly spread throughout the building. Therefore, industrial facilities had to be shut down urgently.

The result was unequivocal: a large part of the building was completely on fire. More than a hundred firefighters worked for around six hours to bring the fire under control. And in addition, the shutdown of the production plant caused significant losses - every minute of downtime was losing money for the company.

But what caused the most damage? Contrary to what might be expected, a large part of the damage is due to the strong emission of smoke and the resulting soot that has formed in the technical installations, in particular in the HVAC systems.

Renovate with a low smoke insulation solution

The renovation turned out to be particularly challenging: Finding a good solution for the high hygiene requirements in food industries combined with high resistance to water diffusion and, most importantly, minimising the risks associated with possible future fires.

For this reason, the choice fell on Kaiflex KKplus s1, a complete low smoke system (including glue and tape).

The contractor Ehrhardt Freitag GmbH & Co. KG, specialist in cold, heat and noise insulation since 1962, installed 150 m² of Kaiflex KKplus s1 panels, under the technical supervision of Kaimann teams who helped on site and provided optimum thickness calculations.

Kaiflex KKplus s1: the best of both worlds!

In addition to combining the specific requirements of the food industry such as hygiene, and the prevention of parasite infestation under the insulation, Kaiflex KKplus s1 offers a complete solution for fire protection and prevention of condensation.

Reliable prevention of condensation

Condensation can damage insulation and technical equipment. Thanks to its closed cell properties, Kaiflex KKplus s1 keeps pipes and ducts dry and prevents corrosion under the insulation!

Preventive Fire Protection

Furthermore, Kaiflex KKplus s1 can be used for certified fire protection systems with a minimum fire resistance of 90 minutes. The fire reaction performance of Kaiflex KKplus s1 corresponds to Euroclass B/BL-s1, d0, according to EN13501-1 – the highest class that can be achieved with elastomeric insulation materials. In particular with the smoke emission class s1 (« low smoke »), Kaiflex KKplus s1 effectively reduces the risk of personal injury and damage to property as well as the contamination of building inventory and technical systems.

With Kaiflex KKplus s1, safety comes first!