Kentec Electronics Ltd - Experts & Thought Leaders

Kentec Electronics has been honored with a King’s Award for Enterprise. Kentec is one of only 185 organizations nationally to be recognized with a prestigious King’s Award for Enterprise in 2026. Announced on Wednesday, 6 May, the Award acknowledges the company’s outstanding achievement in International Trade. Kentec was founded in 1985 and is one of the world’s pioneer life safety solutions, manufacturers of conventional, analog addressable fire detection and extinguishant control panels. All design, development and end-to-end manufacturing is undertaken from the firm’s headquarters in Dartford, Kent, where it employs around 290 people. Outstanding export growth The King’s Award for Enterprise recognises Kentec’s outstanding export growth over the last three years, in which time overseas sales have risen by 69%, with exports now responsible for over two-thirds (67%) of the firm’s turnover. “As the most prestigious business award in the UK, it's a great honor to win the King's Award for Enterprise, and it's wonderful for everyone at Kentec to have their efforts recognized,” said Kevin Swann, managing director at Kentec. “Kentec now exports to over 90 countries around the world and we hope the recognition that the King's Award for Enterprise brings will help open up even more markets.” Celebrating exceptional UK businesses The King’s Awards for Enterprise - previously known as The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise - were renamed in 2023 to reflect His Majesty The King’s commitment to continuing the legacy of HM Queen Elizabeth II in celebrating exceptional UK businesses. Now in its 60th year, the King’s Awards for Enterprise remain the UK’s most prestigious business accolades. Successful organizations may use the esteemed King’s Awards Emblem for the next five years, signaling excellence to customers, partners, and global markets. Applications for the 2027 round will open on 6 May 2026.

Kentec, a foremost provider of innovative life safety solutions, is proud to announce its Wireless Lockdown Notification System, designed to help public venues comply with the UK’s Martyn’s Law legislation – and avoid hefty fines. About Martyn’s Law Martyn’s Law is named after Martyn Hett, one of the 22 people who died during the 2017 Manchester Arena attack, and aims to enhance the safety of public spaces in the face of terrorism threats. Also known as the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025, it requires the UK’s 180,000-plus venues to assess their capacity and implement risk assessments, security plans, and procedures for responding to terrorist incidents, including evacuation.  The bill received Royal Assent on 3 April 2025, and compliance is mandated by April 2027. Falling foul of the rules, that will be enforced by a new regulatory function within the Security Industry Authority (SIA), could result in fines of up to £18 million - or even a criminal conviction. Wireless Lockdown Notification System Kentec’s Wireless Lockdown Notification System has been designed to offer a fast, reliable, and easy-to-install solution. It applies the company’s decades of experience in fire safety to life safety, empowering venues to react quickly, remain compliant, and protect staff and visitors from immediate terrorism threats. Suitable for a wide range of venues, from schools and theaters to libraries and corporate offices, the key features of our Wireless Lockdown Notification System include: Designed using fire system technology: Applies Kentec’s proven K-Mesh life-safety reliability to a dedicated lockdown solution; Rapid response: Instantly activate notification throughout the building / site via simple switch control, enabling the rapid implementation of lockdown procedures in the event of a security threat; Three pre-recorded clear, precise spoken lockdown messages for high intelligibility of the announcements, even in the most hectic environments. Options include lockdown, covert alert, all clear, or evacuation. Only one message is broadcast at a time, ensuring instructions remain unambiguous in an emergency; Up to 91dB(A) sound output at 1m: Ensures announcements are clearly audible across large, noisy environments; Lockdown indicator panel: Visual alert indication with integrated LEDs provides clear visual system status, immediate confirmation during incidents, and detailed fault logging to support fast decision-making and efficient diagnostics; Self-healing mesh network: Each device automatically connects to the strongest available signal path, ensuring communication is maintained at all times; Up to 10-years of device battery life: Long-life batteries reduce maintenance demands; Minimal disruption: The system is easily configured and commissioned using Kentec’s K-Mesh software with off-site pre-programming, while its minimal cabling design ensures fast installation with minimal disruption. Public safety Derrick Hall, Director of Sales & Marketing, said, “At Kentec, public safety is at the heart of everything we do. With Martyn’s Law set to reshape how venues approach security, our Wireless Lockdown Notification System allows organizations to implement effective, immediate protective measures without compromising operational efficiency or visitor experience." “It integrates seamlessly with existing fire alarm, access control, and security systems, providing a comprehensive safety solution that prioritises speed, simplicity and intelligibility. By enabling venues to enact instant, fully audible and easy-to-follow lockdown procedures, Kentec is helping organizations mitigate risks while providing reassurance to employees and visitors alike.”

Kentec Electronics, a pioneering manufacturer of life-critical control systems, has appointed Soumya Bhattcharya as an International Business Development Manager to further drive the company’s international growth in India and the subcontinent. With a forecasted compound annual growth rate of 10.91% by 2031, the fire detection and protection industries in India are fast-growing, and Soumya’s appointment will support Kentec’s growth strategy in a highly-competitive region. Soumya's Work Experience Soumya proven track record in the security and investigations industry, and was with the Johnson Controls  Soumya has a proven track record in the security and investigations industry, and was most recently with Johnson Controls, focusing on developing business associated with building technology and software. He will be supported internationally by Costas Constantinides, Head of International Sales, to support and strengthen local markets with a growing culture-centric approach to business as usual. “It’s an exciting time to join the Kentec team,” says Soumya. Author's quote Soumya added: “In this new role, my expertise in building and developing partnerships will help the international team consolidate their existing success in a busy region." "We hope to build upon the success of analog addressable panels like Taktis and Syncro AS, a best seller in the region, and promote our wireless capabilities which are fast becoming globally renowned and which will play an increasingly important part in the future of fire and security.” Global Mission Kevin Swann, Managing Director at Kentec, says the appointment adds to the existing strength of Kentec’s international mission: “With Kentec’s presence in the Indian Subcontinent spanning 17+ years, and the international team reaching multiple growth regions across the globe, we’re delighted to expand our horizons with his appointment and add Soumya to our existing arsenal of talent." Soumya is based in Mumbai, Maharashtra.

A new study reveals that intelligent fire detection systems have the potential to unlock more than 30 percent cost-savings on routine maintenance checks through real-time, data-driven remote monitoring. Kevin Mears, Product Manager for Kentec Electronics, describes how remote monitoring and predictive maintenance can meet the competitive challenges of the digital age. Leading economists have identified the convergence and synergies delivered by The Internet of Things – the interconnection via the Internet of computing devices embedded in everyday objects, enabling them to send and receive data – as a powerful force to create entirely new business models for system developers and integrators, by releasing the potential of remote interrogation. Remote Diagnostics: A Cost-Efficient Approach For the fire systems sector the definition of remote diagnostics is instructive: “Improving the reliability of life-critical installations and reducing maintenance costs by monitoring the condition of the system remotely to obviate unplanned maintenance.” The practical economic value of this data-driven approach to maintenance monitoring is highlighted by the findings by one of the largest global companies specializing in infrastructure solutions. The company found their costs for avoidable maintenance work were just as high, annually, as their actual profit from production: alerting them to seek a fresh rationale to release this massive saving potential. Intelligent System Operability So, the message is clear: real value can be created by optimizing predictive maintenance by means of smarter remote troubleshooting, enabled by liberating the interoperability between intelligent systems so their full potential can be realized – and it’s a message that fully applies to an AFD (automatic fire detection and fire alarm system) to the significant benefit of service providers and to end users. The cost of wasted time for both business and the fire service is estimated to be well in excess of £1 billion per year Specifically, programmed remote diagnostics that discriminatively interrogate an AFD can cut out the need for excessively scheduled maintenance intervals, a measured approach to risk management that harnesses the interconnected intelligence of versatile addressable field devices to deliver an immense reduction of on-site maintenance costs. Reducing False Alarm Downtime It’s worth remembering that of the more than 600,000 call out incidents were attended by Fire and Rescue Services, nearly 50 percent of these were due to false fire alarms. The cost of this wasted time for both business and the fire service is estimated to be well in excess of £1 billion per year, and that includes downtime from needless evacuations. Clearly, such preventable emergency alerts can be sensibly reduced by the use of intelligent predictive technology, reducing the need for fire risk professionals to travel to monitored sites by allowing potential problems to be resolved before they arise. To tackle this menace of false activations, one of the leading innovators in the fire safety market has now devised an entirely new future-proof management platform that fully exploits internet-enabled technology to establish a new concept in Life Safety System performance, designed to add value to system designer, integrator, service provider and the end user. Customizable Fire Detection Control  Entering the market as a new concept in fire detection control equipment, this life safety technology brings a new approach to system annunciation made possible by onscreen virtualization of any life safety system via fire alarm system repeater panels, augmented by configurable, application-specific annunciator panels (such as nurses stations, sprinkler indicators, lift alarms, etc.), supported by an easy-to-configure modularity of software that makes any project customizable. The technology is designed to yield the key benefits bestowed by the virtualization of remote monitoring Foremost, the system combines the efficiency of high-integrity fire data communications – whose performance to minimize false activations is defined by the highest reliability in resistance to outside interference – with a touchscreen-accessible configurable network whose high performance is measured by compliance with BS EN standards for control and indicating equipment, power supply equipment, and system components compatibility. At its core, this capability incorporates the latest hardware and software to deliver a system that fulfills the precautionary measures most frequently demanded by integrators and contractors. These include the management of fire and security servicing inspection routines, false fire alarm interrogation and diagnosis, or the scheduling of system maintenance call-outs. At the same time, this capability benefits users with the support of a full audit trail for traceability and regulatory compliance. Sophisticated network analysis tools, in addition, provide the ability to identify connection problems instantly. Fire Management: A New Dimension This internet-enabled resource permits information to flow according to the needs of each interface, and to match specific supervisory structures; for example, from the restricted entry-level user, through facilities management, to the maintenance engineer. Individual logins grant individual levels of access. This means that the intuitive touchscreen repeater screens are an easy-to-operate entry-point for those with specific safety duties in a fire zone. These screens can be programmed to ensure restricted users receive on-screen information relating only to their preordained tasks, which communicates clearly so they comprehend quickly and respond without panic. Cloud notifications are accessed 24/7 for online monitoring via users’ smartphones, tablets and other digital devices For more complex system demands, at the unrestricted level of engineer or building manager, for instance, these utilities permit layer upon layer of operating data to be retrieved for reliable incident reports. By drilling down, through the menu-driven interactions, management can review system event logs, conduct tests, change emergency notification, check trouble signals, disable the system, manage inspections and callouts, and improve servicing and maintenance regimes. Cloud notifications are accessed 24/7 for online monitoring via users’ smartphones, tablets, and other digital devices, ensuring full system event activity reporting, including multiple sites, false alarm diagnostics and functional testing of system devices. In addition, traceability for site compliance is delivered to benefit users with a full audit trail for regulatory conformance – including operational and performance records to register maintenance routines and all mandatory periodical tests are completed, with full confidentiality of all data. Virtuality: The New Reality Of Predictive Analytics The technology described here is designed to yield the key benefits bestowed by the virtualization of remote monitoring: 1. To permit businesses to monitor status of devices in the field for maintenance or upgrade 2. To reduce downtime and improves network efficiencies when coupled with predictive analytics 3. To reduce servicing costs by enhancing maintenance regimes 4. To enable system integrators to harvest operational data and apply these insights to customise user services that build and retain customer loyalty 5. To deliver an operational and performance record for compliance and traceability.