United Kingdom Testing & Certification (UKTC), part of the SOCOTEC Group, has expanded its fire safety testing capability following a £2.5 million investment in a second fire-testing furnace at its East Kilbride facility, strengthening capacity for manufacturers requiring product certification and regulatory compliance.

According to PBC Today, the new furnace became operational in May after completing initial flame testing and introduces greater flexibility by allowing operators to switch between vertical and horizontal testing configurations. The facility can accommodate multiple testing formats, including 3 x 3 metre, 3 x 4 metre and 3 x 5 metre vertical arrangements, as well as 3 x 4 metre horizontal testing.

The investment follows UKTC's acquisition by SOCOTEC in 2025 and significantly increases the organisation's ability to conduct fire resistance testing for products used across the construction, infrastructure and manufacturing sectors.

The new testing facility has received full UKAS accreditation, enabling UKTC to carry out recognised fire safety assessments required for product certification and regulatory compliance. The additional capacity is expected to help manufacturers access testing services more efficiently as demand for fire performance assessments continues to grow.

Building safety requirements have become an increasingly important consideration across the construction industry, with manufacturers seeking reliable testing and certification to demonstrate compliance with evolving regulations. Investments in specialist testing infrastructure also support the development and market introduction of new building products by reducing constraints on available testing capacity.

UKTC said the second furnace would expand the range of services available to clients while improving operational flexibility across its testing programmes. The facility is scheduled to be formally opened in early July with representatives from government and industry expected to attend.

The investment reflects continued industry focus on strengthening fire safety testing infrastructure to support product certification, regulatory compliance and safer built environments as construction standards continue to evolve.