Firstco UK

Firstco was founded in 1998 and has grown rapidly to become a force in the areas of technical consultancy, technical assurance, project management and systems design and integration. Firstco is now the UK’s leading independent controls and communications systems specialist, with the company’s expertise continually transforming the built environment into efficient and effective operational facilities.

We work with blue-chip clients in a range of industries across the world, particularly in the transport sectors such as airports. We are currently working on several significant airport development projects in the UK and abroad, including Heathrow Terminal 2 and Muscat Airport in Oman, where we have teams of engineers providing both high-level guidance and detailed design. Integrating seamlessly into a client’s organisation is one of Firstco’s key strengths.

Airport systems design and integration, airport systems consultancy and project management

Firstco provides a range of systems consultancy services for airports and their associated infrastructure, including planning, requirements capture and design, project and airport systems interface management.

As well as providing technical expertise, Firstco specialists examine and advise on the main features and objectives of the client’s business and their future operational requirements. Consequently, today we are regularly involved in the very early stages of client projects and provide strategic input even whilst the earliest functional descriptions of systems are being prepared.

Firstco staff are amongst the master systems integrators on the information and control systems at the new Heathrow East Terminal (T2A).

Firstco's involvement with Terminal 5 at Heathrow included the rail station and tunnel systems integration, the airside road tunnel, the terminal and campus systems and the track transit system.

Firstco's team includes experienced project managers and skilled design engineers.

Heathrow Pod System: Firstco supported the core team during several stages of the project's lifecycle to bring this unique venture to fruition.

Firstco has recently opened a regional office in Muscat to support significant airport development projects in Oman and the Middle East area.

This enables Firstco to perform a high-level master systems integration role; Firstco oversees and carefully manages both the technical and management communications to ensure time and budget constraints are kept. This level of integration allows further added value in an area where many projects falter.

Airport communications, security, operational, monitoring and control systems

A typical project brief requires information and recommended methods of utilising technology to automate efficiency of people and processes. It comprises four primary groups of systems and Firstco undertakes the planning and design of these:

• Communications systems: the systems and infrastructure used to deliver data, voice and video around the terminal and campus
• Security systems: CCTV, access control, X-ray search and other specialist systems required to ensure the safe and compliant operation of the airport
• Operational systems: specific systems required for airport operations. Numerous systems and databases are used across the operator, the airlines and control authorities ranging from check-in and bag-drop right through to flight-information displays and stand allocation
• Control and monitoring systems: safety critical, operational control and environmental control systems which are monitored 24/7 from control rooms around the airport

Airport security and passenger flow systems

Airports and their functionality are under constant scrutiny and systems are paramount to guaranteeing that they can run smoothly and safely.

Firstco’s expertise is employed throughout the entire lifespan of an airport project and this has provided Firstco with a depth of experience of airport systems, from the early decisions made on essential requirements right through to the delivery phases.

To ensure that the systems running the airport are suitably designed, all the client, operator and shareholder requirements are taken into account. With this in mind, Firstco works alongside the operators and key decision-makers from the early design stages onwards.

Airport systems in the Firstco portfolio include:

• Plant control, including control rooms
• SCADA and PLC networks
• BMS and HVAC controls
• Energy metering and saving
• Passenger information, including public address
• Fire detection and voice alarm
• Lighting control
• Fixed-line voice communications
• Access control
• Surveillance, including CCTV and intruder detection
• Wireless
• Transmission
• Cable and space, including fibre and copper networks