Kentec Strengthens to Support Growth in China

May 23, 2025

Kentec Electronics has made a key appointment and is building out its product portfolio to build its presence and solution offering in the Chinese market.

Frank Tan has been appointed Business Development Manager for Asia Pacific and will play a key part in Kentec’s expansion into the rapidly expanding Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) market in China, as well as increasing the presence of the brand across the Asia Pacific region.

A graduate of the University of Science and Technology in Beijing and a recipient of an MBA from Donghua University in Shanghai, Frank has three decades of experience in fire safety and detection, including work with Johnson Controls, VESDA, Airsense and SDHY.

A member of the Technical Committee for technical specification for ASD fire alarm systems of electrical factories, Frank also holds both a Registered Electrical Engineer Certificate and a Registered Fire Engineer Certificate.

Derrick Hall, Director of Sales and Marketing at Kentec, said: “Frank brings invaluable knowledge and experience of the market in China and the wider region, and will help drive Kentec’s growth in the fast-moving battery energy storage sector, where fire presents a considerable risk for BESS operators.”

In response to the massive growth in BESS installations in the region, most notably in China, Kentec has developed a solution that effectively addresses the particular fire risks around battery storage facilities, which are often located in remote and unmanned sites – making fire harder to detect and suppress, and the risk of costly damage far higher.

Building on this solution, Kentec will shortly launch a flammable gas sensor designed to detect specific gases in BESS applications that could lead to combustion. Calibration free over its life span to save site servicing costs, when one of the sensors is connected to a Kentec panel, such as ZXT and other Kentec extinguishing & releasing systems, the solution alerts operators to the circumstances that might give rise to potential lethal explosive gases and fire before it occurs – allowing them to mitigate through venting or other measures in advance of ignition and release of suppression itself.