Apollo Fire Detectors integrates Cranford Controls with single ordering from 2 November

Apollo Fire Detectors has integrated Cranford Controls into its business, the Havant-based manufacturer said on 7 October, bringing the Alton maker of audio-visual alarm devices under its product support and ordering arrangements.

The move combines Apollo's intelligent fire detection range with Cranford's alarm devices, evacuation solutions and fire door control products, Apollo said, for customers in the UK and overseas.

The Cranford Controls brand will be retained and its products will continue to be made at the company's Alton site and sold through existing distributor channels. Documentation and product support for Cranford products will now come from Apollo.

Apollo described the integration as a step forward for both businesses, saying it brought together two organisations with shared values around quality, engineering excellence and UK manufacturing.

What changes for customers

The most immediate practical change is in purchasing. From 2 November 2026, Apollo said, customers will be able to place Apollo and Cranford Controls products on a single purchase order.

The announcement also said the integration would allow Cranford's specialist experience in alarm devices to be combined with Apollo's detection expertise, heritage and wider market reach, strengthening the product offering and allowing the two businesses to share technical knowledge.

Apollo said it remains committed to designing, engineering and manufacturing in the UK and to continued investment in fire safety technology.

Two Halma companies

Apollo's announcement does not describe the ownership background to the integration. Both companies, however, say on their own websites that they belong to the same group. Cranford Controls describes itself as originally family owned and now part of the Halma plc group, while Apollo says it is part of Halma, which it describes as a global FTSE 100 group of life-saving technology companies. Cranford says Halma employs more than 7,000 people in more than 20 countries.

Cranford was established in 1993 to design and make audible and visual warning devices, according to its own 'Our Story' page. Companies House records Cranford Controls Limited as incorporated on 1 December 1995, with a registered office in Alton, Hampshire, and a registered activity of manufacture of other electrical equipment. Its last accounts were made up to 31 March 2025.

The company says it manufactures CE, UKCA, ISO and EN54 approved products at its Alton facility, where it has an onsite anechoic chamber and a visual alarm device evaluation rig for product testing. It says it offers lead times in days or weeks rather than months, and uses its membership of the Halma group to secure supply for customers.

Apollo describes itself as a specialist in the manufacture of fire detection and alarm devices since 1980. Companies House records that Apollo Fire Detectors Limited was previously named Apollo Manufacturing Limited between 31 December 1980 and 22 March 1984.

Based in Havant, Hampshire, Apollo operates through regional offices in the UK, China and Germany, and says its detection products protect people in more than 100 countries. The company was awarded the Royal Warrant in 2009.

Single-order purchasing across the two ranges begins on 2 November 2026.