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VESDA LaserPlus & LaserCompact Discontinued

Xtralis alert customers that the VESDA LaserCompact ("VLC") and LaserPlus ("VLP") will retire from December 31, 2019. There will be two years official support after this date. Building and asset owners should consider options if they are considering the installation of a new VLC or VLP. Xtralis offer a compatible alternative from the VESDA-E range.

CEO, Firewize
Xtralis VESDA LaserCompact & LaserPlus

According to Xtralis are retiring the VESDA LaserPlus ("VLP") and VESDA LaserCompact ("VLC") range of Aspirating Smoke Detectors ("ASD") from the end of December 31 2019. This marks an long 22 year history for this range of detectors and bring about a new generation of detectors, the VESDA-E range.

According to the product bulletin (May 2019), the last orders for VLC and VLP should be received before the end of October 2019, with the end of life date being December 31, 2019.

Service & Spares

According to the product bulletin, Xtralis intend to provide a support of two years for spares and repairs[fn]35275_02_VESDA_VLP-VLC_EOL_Notice_Generic_EMEA_May2019.pdf[/fn];

  • Warranty replacements will be honoured as per standard company policy which is 2 years from supply date.
  • Following cease of supply there will be a 2-year support period for spares & repairs.

VLC or VLP End of Life Considerations (7 Tips)

If you are reading this article, you may likely be a designer, integrator, installer, maintainer or have invested in VLC or VLP aspirating smoke detectors to protect your building and assets.

As an installer and maintainer ourselves, we are always keeping our eyes and ears open for any fire protection industry developments or trends that affect our customers. Some of our customers have literally invested in hundreds of aspirating smoke detectors within their facilities and so this news is important.

The important thing to know that there is a genuine migration path for the product range and there is planned support for spares and repairs from the manufacturer for two further years until December 31, 2021.

As an integrator, installer and maintainer ourselves, we expect to have to plan and respond to questions from property owners and operators regarding these changes. To assist we have developed these seven tips to help you navigate next few years with the VESDA product range;

  1. If your a designer of an aspirating smoke detection system, ensure you are familiar with the design requirements for the VESDA-E series (or similar competitor products) to make sure your design is compatible with the products available;
  2. If your a consultant or designer for aspirating smoke detection systems, ensure any boilerplate specifications you use has been updated to reflect the changes in the Xtralis product range and alternative aspirating smoke detectors.
  3. If you have a project that has been designed with the VLC or VLP in mind, and it has not been ordered before the October 31 deadline, then you may consider ordering the parts prior to this date. Alternatively you can change your design over to a compatible VESDA-E unit such as the VEP or VEU.
  4. If you have a number of older VLC or VLP, the you may consider taking the precaution of ordering some spare parts (just in case).  An insiders tip is to purchase a complete unit instead of the individual parts as the whole unit may be cheaper to harvest components that purchasing individual parts.
  5. Looking forward if you have a large investment in VEP or VEU, then you should consider an over the horizon (5-10 years) capital expenditure plan that takes into consideration the changes to the Xtralis product range.
  6. If your a contractor installing a VEC or VEP ensure your employees are trained in the application and installation requirements for the VEP or VEU. Update your prices to reflect the changes, especially if the project is scheduled to be completed in 2020 or beyond.
  7. If your a maintainer of the VLC or VLP, and you have Service Level Agreements ("SLA") with your customers, ensure they have been informed about the changes in product and spare parts availability.  Update your contracts to reflect these changes.

Filters were not mentioned in the Product Bulletin which are consumable items necessary for the reliable operation of the VLC and VLP.  That said, it stand to reason that these will likely be available for a long time going forward, however this should be part of your strategic considerations if you have a large installation base of these devices.

Summary

Xtralis have really excelled in the development and popularisation of Aspirating Smoke Detectors all over the world, and their ongoing research and development inevitably leads to new products (VESDA-E). So it stands to reason that there must be a time where old products need to be retired to make way for new products and solutions.

If your an existing owner of the VESDA LaserCompact or LaserPlus, there is no need to panic, there is still many years of both formal and informal support available.

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