JGI Group, UL set up fire testing lab in Bengaluru

JGI Group, which runs Jain University, amongst other educational institutions, has set up a new fire testing laboratory.

The group has partnered with UL, a global company that certifies safety standards from mobile phones to fire extinguishers. The lab will be set up at the JGI Global campus in Bengaluru and will test different kinds of fire suppression products, executives said.

As per this partnership, JGI Group will operate the facility and provide manpower, while UL will be provide technical capabilities, and facilitate all-year training and certification programmes, Chenraj Roychand, founder-Chairman of JGI, told BusinessLine. Both parties have invested ₹15 crore.

Additionally, the lab will also offer fire safety educational programs and support research and development activities. Already, a one-year diploma in fire safety management has been introduced, Roychand said.

UL will further facilitate year-round training and certification programs, both web-based and offline, along with workshops for industry, academia and government agencies, said Suresh Sugavanam, Vice-President and Managing Director of UL South Asia.

Some areas that the laboratory will work on are efficient alternatives for fire testing equipment.

“Spruce wood is used in the US, but we have to import it as it not native to our country. We are researching on alternatives,” said Bhaskar Dixit, Director, Centre for Disaster Mitigation, Jain University.

These imports add to increase in compliance cost for establishments, which in turn are resorting to cut corners in a big way.

The ecosystem building efforts are starting to gain momentum. Last year, Liverpool-based LDRA partnered with India Electronics & Semiconductor Association (IESA) and Society of Indian Aerospace Technologies & Industries (SIATI), to introduce a Certification Ecosystem Development Program (CEDP) in India that aims to support and encourage Indian companies to be on a level-playing field with their international counterparts.