50 Years of GreCon: Fire Prevention for the Food Industry

GreCon is celebrating 50 years – and with it, the success of our preventive fire protection systems that stop fires before they start! This significant milestone pays tribute to all who have accompanied us on this journey over the decades.

What began as a technological driver for the wood-based panel industry has evolved over the years into a wide range of fire protection solutions and customised protection concepts. GreCon has successfully advanced its knowledge and technology, adapting them to other industries.

"The principles of preventive fire protection are universal, but each industry’s specific requirements always demanded individual adjustments. What began in the wood-based panel industry quickly gained traction in other sectors, such as the food industry, due to compelling safety arguments," recalls Ralf Steiner, who has worked at Fagus-GreCon for 24 years and is an expert in application technology.

According to Steiner, it was primarily operators of animal feed production facilities, where the tonnage is similar to that of the wood industry, who were the first to recognise the value of automatic spark detection and extinguishing systems. "Preventive fire protection was already a topic in the food industry back then – although not to the same extent as in the wood-based panel sector."

GreCon’s Role in the Food Industry: Experience and Ambition

Today, the food industry is much more diverse than it was at the start of GreCon’s journey, encompassing many sectors that can benefit from preventive fire protection (previous: vorbeugender Brandschutz), from traditional agricultural products like herbs, fruits, and spices to cellulose production (previous: Celluloseproduktion) and chocolate processing.

"Cellulose is a key material for producing tablets, with almost 90% of a tablet’s weight consisting of microcellulose that embeds the active ingredient," explains Steiner. With the cellulose manufacturer JELU, based in Rosenberg, Baden-Württemberg, Steiner highlights a business relationship spanning almost 25 years. Today, no production begins without it being secured by spark detection and extinguishing systems. "After all, finely ground wood in cellulose form burns even better than wood chips or raw wood."

Another example is beer production, which – while enjoyed cold and liquid – doesn’t immediately bring fire protection to mind. However, producers are well aware of the risks and the value of key production materials like malt and hops. Hop production is limited to a few weeks a year, and hops are one of the most expensive ingredients in beer. Additionally, the malt sugar in malt is highly flammable.

These examples show why many beer producers worldwide have relied on GreCon’s preventive fire protection solutions for decades.

"In the early days, we drew on our experience from the wood-based panel industry. The processing steps aren’t as different as one might think. Material is broken down, dried, and stored," explains Ralf Steiner.

Customised Protection Concepts with Cross-Industry Expertise

Preventive fire protection is more than just a precaution – it’s a necessity. Fagus-GreCon has established itself as a reliable partner in various industries through its long-standing expertise in fire prevention. GreCon solutions are specifically designed to meet the unique requirements of production environments – across industries and application-focused. From mills, screens, and filters to dryers and roasters, GreCon offers tailored protection concepts that can be applied to nearly any scenario.

This applies to the food industry as well, from the processing of grains, fruits, vegetables, and herbs to the production of microcellulose. GreCon systems can be integrated into almost any industrial environment in terms of spark detection and extinguishing.

"Our strength lies in our ability to respond to specific customer needs," confirms Steiner. After all, fire protection isn’t just a matter of safety, but also a crucial component of asset protection, helping avoid hard-to-quantify costs like production downtime and customer loss.

Another Word for Safety - GreCon as the Industry Standard in the Food Industry

The food industry continues to evolve, and with it, the demands for safety and efficiency increase. Steiner sees significant potential for further establishing GreCon technology in the market.

"The ongoing automation in the food sector will lead to fires going unnoticed more frequently until it's too late. I expect greater damages in the future if no one is around to report fires as they start. We need to promote our cross-industry solutions even more and talk about our capabilities. The potential is there. Our goal must be to become the industry standard for preventive fire protection in the food industry."