Hochiki Middle East FZE - Experts & Thought Leaders

Hochiki, the provider of innovative, Japanese-designed life safety solutions, specializing in the design, manufacturing, and distribution of state-of-the-art fire detection and emergency lighting systems will be at Intersec 2024 - the event for emergency services, security, and safety. The Hochiki regional team, who are based in Dubai, UAE, will be at the event to demonstrate their range of sophisticated fire detection systems, Latitude, and their emergency lighting system, FIREscape Nepto. Latitude For many of Hochiki’s customers, Latitude is at the core of their safety systems and the team is excited to announce that the system will be the headline product on show at the event.  The platform is favored worldwide due to its powerful networking capabilities, its modular hardware which is configurable for multiple applications, and its impressive cause and effects programming capabilities. range of applications It is UL, FM, and EN approved and recently achieved BOSEC approval, adding to its existing EN 54 Part 13 approval Sophisticated enough to operate anywhere in the world, in multiple languages, Latitude works across a diverse range of applications from schools and hospitals, skyscrapers filled with thousands of office workers, apartment blocks and entertainment venues, cultural, commercial, and manufacturing spaces as well as international travel ports, hotels, and logistics hubs. The system has been designed to be simple to configure and easy to use by anyone, utilizing touchscreen technology with a graphical user interface to help display vital information. It is UL, FM, and EN approved and recently achieved BOSEC approval, adding to its existing EN 54 Part 13 approval and the recent acquisition of Denmark’s prestigious DBI certification. FIREscape Nepto At the 2023 event, the Hochiki team exclusively revealed to the world their all-new emergency lighting system, FIREscape Nepto. Back for the 2024 event, the team will be on hand to demonstrate features such as its intelligent self-contained LED luminaires and exit signage connected via screened, extra-low voltage (40V) cabling. Quick and easy installation Fire and security teams around the world rate it as one of the best on the market Integral batteries with a 10-year lifespan, make installation and maintenance of the FIREscape Nepto system quick, easy, and appealing to install teams. As the whole system is networkable, fully self-monitoring, and self-testing with a central point of control, fire and security teams around the world rate it as one of the best on the market. Intersec 2024 Commenting on attending the event, Hochiki Middle East General Manager, Mr. Hemanth Kumar said, “We’re thrilled to be here at Intersec to kick off what will be an exciting 2024 for Hochiki customers." "We will be showcasing the capabilities of our market-pioneering system Latitude and our emergency lighting system FIREscape Nepto. We look forward to seeing customers new and old at this year's event.” Intersec will take place at the Dubai World Trade Centre on 16th – 18th January 2024. Hochiki will be exhibiting in hall 4, stand B-22.

Hochiki (Hochiki Europe (UK) Ltd) will be making significant new investments in their people to support the Middle East, Africa, and European regions, in order to develop the expertise they can bring to their customers in 2022 and beyond. Accomplished Mr. Shinsuke Kubo, Hochiki’s Managing Director for the Middle East operation, based out of Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), has been recognized by both customers and the business’ internal teams, as a shining light, when it comes to customer experience. Extensive knowledge of Hochiki products With his extensive knowledge of both the Hochiki product and the fire industry, Shinsuke Kubo will now take up the role of Commercial Director for Hochiki Europe, Middle East, Africa, and India. This new role will be based out of the UK head office in Gillingham, Kent, United Kingdom, with regular visits to the Middle East region, where Shinsuke Kubo will continue to play a key role in the strategic development of this region and remain as a Board Director. Developing the company’s road map Shinsuke Kubo will be focused on leading the product management team to develop the company’s road map Using his vast experience of the market, in this new role, Shinsuke Kubo will be focused on leading the product management team to develop the company’s road map, in order to ensure it meets the needs of customers. With a desire for an efficient operation, Shinsuke Kubo has already set up his key team with David Brown as Product Manager and Robert Head as Commercial Product Manager, who between them bring over 40 years’ experience of working with Hochiki and within the fire safety sector. Constant feedback between customers, Japan and R&D teams A crucial element to this new role and indeed the team will be the close working partnership between them and the teams in Japan and of course, the Research and Development arm of the business. The constant feedback between customers, Japan and R&D teams will enable Shinsuke Kubo to realize his ambition to take Hochiki to the next level for its customers. Mr. Shinsuke Kubo said, “I have enjoyed a fantastic career with Hochiki for the last 28 years (Japan - 17 years, USA - 7 years and Dubai - 4 years) and have gained experience of the industry, and their customers across the globe, so I am excited to start here in the UK.” Working to improve Hochiki’s products and services My focus will be on learning more about the market here in the UK and across Europe" Shinsuke Kubo adds, “My focus will be on learning more about the market here in the UK and across Europe, including exports, in more detail and I’m looking forward to meeting with our customers to learn directly from them on how we can improve our products and services, that customer insight is what drives everything we do here at Hochiki.” Both Graham Lowe, Hochiki Europe’s Managing Director and Shinsuke Kubo’s priority throughout this transition and beyond is to ensure that customers continue to receive the absolute best service and products from Hochiki, therefore, Shahab Anjum, the Head of Sales of Hochiki Middle East and his team will continue to support in developing Hochiki’s sales within the region. New role of ‘Country Manager Middle East’ created In addition to the excellent service that the commercial team delivers and as part of the business’ continued commitment to investment in the region, a brand new role of ‘Country Manager Middle East,’ has been created. With the interviewing process underway, this role will be dedicated to supporting and growing the region. Hochiki Europe is committed to ensuring the best people are in place in order to deliver the best life safety technology and customer experience. Shinsuke Kubo’s new role as Commercial Director is essential to driving the company vision forward.

Hochiki life safety devices reduce false alarms and help make the 75km long Dubai Metro transport network safe for passengers. Famed for its luxury shopping and extraordinary architecture, the city of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates is home to over 3.3 million people, and the world's longest driverless single metro line - the Dubai Metro. Detection system for Dubai Metro Designed to take up to 13,380 passengers an hour on its green line and 11,675 passengers an hour on its red line, at peak time, the Dubai Metro is almost 75 km long and operated by RTA and Serco. Under contract to the Dubai Roads & Transport Authority, the network is run by a team of 2000 staff with 57 trains running at peak times.  Fire detection installation project Dafoos Fire and Security were commissioned to run the fire detection installation project Dafoos Fire and Security were commissioned to run the fire detection installation project on the entirety of the Dubai Metro. Trusted as a market renowned company in the Fire Protection Industry in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Dafoos Fire and Security specializes in providing end-to-end design, erection and commissioning, and maintenance of both active and passive Fire Protection Systems, and partners with some of the best OEMs in the world, including Hochiki. Reduction in false alarms With tens of thousands of passengers using the network daily and the system itself operating in a hot and sandy environment, any false alarm could potentially cause mass disruption and cost the operator financially, especially during peak service times. Vijay Chandran, the Marketing Director of Dafoos Fire and Security, spoke about the project. He said “It was especially important, as part of the life safety system design process, to negate false alarms." He adds, "Hochiki fire detection devices were chosen as they have a reputation for being the best in the market for their quality and their reliability, when it comes to false alarm reduction. Our selection of Hochiki was confidently backed by the operators RTA and Serco.”  Hochiki sensors installed inside the metro and tram coaches The Hochiki technical team also worked closely with the Dafoos Fire and Security team The Hochiki sensors were to be installed inside the metro and tram coaches. This is considered an extremely sensitive area with thousands of people transiting at a time, thus posing a higher chance of triggering false alarms. Any fire alarm trigger was programmed to send a command to the central station, and this would halt the operations within the entire network until the problem is rectified. The Hochiki technical team also worked closely with the Dafoos Fire and Security team, to negate the challenge of frequent dust build up in the chambers. It was advised that periodic maintenance of the sensors was moved from every 6 months to every two months instead, which is customary practice for commercial buildings in the region.  Hochiki Smoke Sensors Dafoos Fire and Security’s Managing Director, Vijay Chandran, said “Hochiki Smoke Sensors have been installed across the entire Dubai Metro and tram coaches. They have been functioning with minimal issues for the last three years. He adds, “Periodic maintenance has been conducted, in conjunction with Hochiki’s technical team recommendation. Our team would not hesitate to recommend Hochiki life safety systems and products to be used in other projects within the transport industry.”