At first, the idea was more of a foreign body for us,” admits Jörg Pfeiffer, CEO of Riester GmbH. “In the automotive industry, our main business area, everything revolves around precision down to 1000ths of a millimetre. Fire safety seemed to be a completely different issue at first.
“But the turning point came when they began developing the fire barrier ceiling. “Our partners brought this blanket one day and challenged us: 'Make something of it. 'We didn't take this too seriously at first, but then we started with initial experiments,” Pfeiffer remembers.
The more the developers at Riester looked at the product, the more they recognized its importance. “We understood that our expertise in precision work could play a decisive role in developing an effective fire protection system,” continues Pfeiffer.
Over time, the team developed a sophisticated system that automatically throws the fire control ceiling over a burning vehicle. “The ecell-guard system is an example of how you can create innovations across industries. It is not just about preventing fire damage, but also about protecting people's lives and property,” Pfeiffer emphasizes.
Jörg Pfeiffer is well aware of the irony that a company from the automotive industry has now developed an important fire protection product. “Sometimes an unexpected path leads to breakthrough innovations,” he concludes with a smile.