AN industrial insulation company has seen business heat up after experiencing a huge surge in demand for its specialist fire-proof pipework protection jacket.

Advanced Industrial Solutions (AIS) makes jackets for pipes on offshore energy industry platforms, which protect them against extreme fire and searing temperatures.

The firm, based in North Shields, has just secured an order worth hundreds of thousands of pounds with a Kazakhstan company, and says it is now investing £300,000 in its plant and taking on three new workers to meet demand for its Jet Fire Pro 120 jacket.

The jacket uses 13 layers of material, including some which are used to protect astronauts on NASA’s space programme, and the system also protects against water to prevent pipe corrosion.

Paul Stonebanks, AIS managing director, said the firm was delighted wit the success of the jacket, which has also been taken on by firms in Russia, Angola and Azerbaijan.

He said: “Two years of painstaking research and development went into the jacket, which is thinner than alternative fire protection systems making it easier to fit, transport and maintain.

“This is great news for jobs and the economy, as well as putting the North-East on the global map for industrial insulation products.”