Leading the way in fire safety glass: Mohamed Rhammaz, our Technical Support Manager, takes us behind the flames
As a global leader in fire safety glass solutions, fire testing and certification are an integral part of our operations here at Pyroguard. With this in mind, we caught up with Mohamed Rhammaz, our Technical Support Manager, to give us an insight into our diverse test programme and how we ensure we stay aligned with market needs worldwide.
Can you tell us about your role at Pyroguard?
Sure! I’m currently based at our French production facility in Seingbouse, where I manage the entire test programme, from initial development and onsite pre-testing, to full-scale installation.
I also work closely with our international sales teams and their customers, providing project-specific technical support.
How has your knowledge and expertise helped deliver Pyroguard’s testing programme?
Before joining Pyroguard, I worked for CERIB, a fire testing centre in France, which enabled me to develop strong relationships with industry notifying bodies and test houses across Europe. From here, I gained an in-depth understanding of the varying certification and building regulation requirements for each country – knowledge which has proved invaluable in my role here especially as we enter into new emerging markets and territories.
This familiarity with the certification process allows me to tailor my approach to each individual test, ensuring we meet the required regional specific test standards.
Being fluent in French, English, and Arabic is also a big advantage that can often help streamline the certification and testing process for projects around the world.
What is your favourite part of the job?
It has to be when we get a ‘pass’ on a fire test. Being part of the team has taken me full circle in the testing process; It’s more than just technical data on a page. Seeing the tests achieve the desired result is really rewarding.
We’re also often challenged with finding innovative solutions to meet the growing demands of architectural design. It’s incredibly fulfilling to utilise my industry experience and broad knowledge to collaborate with our customers in helping them turn their vision into a reality. For instance, we recently developed a 45° structural wall system for butt-jointed fire safety glass – a market first! This success means we now have a solution that covers angles between 0° and 180° for partition walls, offering our customers greater design flexibility.
Can you tell us about any projects your working on at the moment?
Absolutely! We’ve recently embarked on a 12-month testing programme with a new aluminium framing manufacturer. This collaboration is an exciting opportunity for us that will open the doors to many new markets and provide even more test evidence for aluminium profiles, specifically for façades, doors, and partition walls.
What do you do to unwind after work?
I’m a very keen runner and cyclist. I love nothing more than getting out on my bike or going for a run, particularly after a busy day. I really like to push myself out of my comfort zone and I’m always looking to the next challenge. I recently completed the Marathon Des Sables, which is a 250km race, spread over six stages in the Moroccan desert. Whilst it was extremely physically demanding, it was one of the best social experiences I’ve ever had. In fact, I’ve already signed up to do it again in 2025!
