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Smart-Fix+ Revolutionises Fire Detection Installation

Hochiki Europe has introduced a new rapid-fix fire system cabling solution that, it claims, will revolutionise the way in which fire detection systems are installed. Called Smart-Fix+, it is described as a "plug-and-play" system that cuts installation costs, reduces waste, diminishes the need for site labour, improves site efficiency and accelerates construction programmes.

The new system drastically reduces the need for snagging, on-site testing and commissioning, as every Smart-Fix⁺ assembly is 100 percent factory tested. The pluggable, lockable and mechanically-coded connections ensure that there is no prospect of mis-mating, plus they eradicate on-site cable preparation and costly and potentially dangerous cabling errors.

Smart-Fix⁺ is a fully-engineered cabling system that enables safe and rapid installation "straight from the box". Cables are supplied to site in pre-determined lengths at one-metre increments with factory-fitted connectors at either end. These loop cables plug directly into the Smart-Fix⁺ back boxes that are pre-wired to Hochiki fire detection and alarm devices. The ingenious back boxes lock into place using a patented 'swing lock' fixing mechanism. Once the sensor base or call point is located in the fixing cavity, the fixing screws are tightened. This causes the patented 'Rotalock' mechanism to turn away from the unit and tighten behind the fixing surface.

Hochiki believes that Smart-Fix⁺ will fundamentally alter the way the construction industry thinks about fire system cabling and is confidently predicting that the new system will have fast take-off, particularly in the healthcare, education, retail, commercial and industrial sectors.

The current Smart-Fix⁺ range includes modular plug-and play solutions for Hochiki's ESP - Enhanced System Protocol - analogue addressable sensor bases, call points, input / output modules, and a surface back box.

Hochiki Europe (UK) is headquartered in Gillingham, Kent, and devised Smart-Fix⁺ in association with Apex Cables. The company has been active in the fire safety market since 1993. It is a subsidiary of the Tokyo-based Hochiki Corporation that today, is an international business that manufactures more than five million detectors every year, and has the largest fire test laboratory in the world.

Further information on Smart-Fix⁺ is available by telephone on +44 (0)1634 266 566, or via email at news@hochikieurope.com. The company's website is at www.hochikieurope.com

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