OPTIMUS PA and voice alarm systems are installed in some of the most demanding infrastructure in the world: airports, rail networks, mines, tunnels, power stations, port terminals, and more. The OPTIMAX3 platform and the COMPACT system take care of centralised audio management, the matrix, the amplifiers, and the control consoles.
But an industrial project doesn't end at the control room. The complete solution is closed with the field equipment: the loudspeakers distributed across the installation and the intercoms that enable operational communication between staff on the ground and the control centre. That's why OPTIMUS also offers a range of loudspeakers and intercoms adapted to every type of environment, including the most demanding. This article walks through the main demanding industrial environments and which models from the OPTIMUS catalogue cover each case.
Control equipment and field equipment
In any PA, voice alarm, and intercom system, two categories of equipment coexist with very different demands:
- Control equipment (control units, matrices, processors, consoles, workstations) is installed in protected areas: control rooms or climate-controlled offices. As a result, it operates under stable working conditions.
- Field equipment (loudspeakers and intercoms) is distributed throughout the infrastructure and directly exposed to the environmental conditions of each installation point. It's the front line of contact with the physical environment, which is why choosing it has to be based on the real demands of each area of the project: exposure to the elements, humidity, temperature, impact, or the presence of explosive atmospheres.
Three international standards are the reference points for classifying the physical resilience of field equipment: the IP rating (protection against dust and water, under EN 60529), the IK code (impact resistance, under EN 62262), and ATEX certification (for potentially explosive atmospheres). On top of these come further variables such as operating temperature range and resistance to salt-heavy air or sustained humidity.
Marine, offshore, and port environments
Ships, offshore platforms, and port terminals share a common enemy: salt spray, sustained humidity, and a corrosive atmosphere. Equipment here has to be prepared not only with a high IP rating, but with materials that resist corrosion and with specific certification for marine use.
- For Public Address, the OPTIMUS catalogue offers several DNH models specifically certified by Bureau Veritas for Marine & Offshore, a standard requirement for tenders in this sector. Examples include the VES-561-54T ceiling loudspeaker and the CAS-15-54T aluminium column loudspeaker. For applications with additional demands around resistance to extreme humidity, the OPTIMUS AEI-12T is designed specifically for marine environments.
- For intercom, J&R stations rated IP66 and IK10 meet the demands of an environment where equipment has to withstand water jets, salt-laden dust, and heavy use. Models with protective covers, telephone handsets, hands-free operation, or LCD displays cover a range of operational needs.
Environments with explosive atmospheres (ATEX)
Oil platforms, refineries, chemical and petrochemical plants, liquid bulk terminals for energy products, and specific areas of the pharmaceutical industry. In these hazardous areas, any electrical equipment can act as an ignition source if it isn't certified to operate in explosive atmospheres. PA and intercom are no exception.
ATEX certification classifies zones by how often a flammable atmosphere is present (zones 0, 1, 2 for gases; zones 20, 21, 22 for dusts) and by the explosion group of the gas involved (IIB for medium-risk gases such as ethylene, IIC for highly volatile gases such as hydrogen).
- For ATEX Public Address, the OPTIMUS catalogue features DNH exponential horn loudspeakers from the DSP and HS series, certified for zones 1, 2, 21, and 22 under IIB and IIC classifications. A good example is the DSP-25EEXMNT, a 25 W exponential horn loudspeaker with an antistatic polyamide enclosure, IP66/67 protection, and NEMKO ATEX IIB+H2/IIC certification.
- For ATEX intercom, the J&R range brings together ATEX certification, IP67 protection, and IK10 vandal-resistant rating in a single unit. The JREX series offers models with a front protective cover (which prevents dirt from building up on the keypad and handset) or without, with a keypad or auto-dial on pick-up, depending on the needs of the project. All are certified for zones 1, 2, and 22.
Environments exposed to impact and vandalism
In industrial intercom, the call point is usually at hand height and exposed to heavy use, vandalism, or accidental impact during day-to-day work. The IK10 code is the highest vandal-resistant rating and guarantees that the equipment holds up without compromising its function.
The J&R range is designed specifically for these environments: almost all its stations achieve IK10, with configurations adapted to different operational uses.
For PA, the IK code is rarely listed on datasheets because loudspeakers are usually installed out of direct reach. The exception is loudspeakers with ATEX certification: the testing standard itself (EN 60079-0) requires them to pass impact tests of 7 joules, which implicitly guarantees a structural resistance equivalent to IK08 or IK09.
Extreme temperature and humidity environments
Industrial cold storage, underground mining, iron and steel works, foundries, saunas, changing rooms, tropical settings, or high-altitude environments. Each one has its own thermal demands and its own humidity level, and in all of them standard equipment simply stops working properly.
- For extreme thermal conditions, the OPTIMUS catalogue features DNH exponential horn loudspeakers rated IP67 with thermal ranges from -50 °C to +150 °C, suitable for mines as much as for installations exposed to foundry heat or polar cold.
- For clean rooms in laboratories, hospitals, or the pharmaceutical industry, the DNH BK-560 and BLC-550 series offers loudspeakers with finishes and construction specifically designed not to compromise hygiene and particle-control standards.
- For changing rooms, saunas, and environments with high temperature and continuous humidity, DNH has models built to operate without degradation.
A complete solution for every industrial project
A demanding industrial project needs consistency in the choice of every component. The best approach is to design a complete solution that brings together the control units, the audio matrix, the microphone consoles, the field loudspeakers, and the intercoms into a coherent system, sized for the real conditions of the site and the operational needs of the client.
That's what OPTIMUS offers integrators and specifiers: a common audio and communication architecture that combines OPTIMUS's own systems with the DNH loudspeaker ranges and J&R intercoms, matching each component to the part of the project where it belongs. From the IP67 exponential horn loudspeaker on the offshore platform, through the ATEX IK10 intercom in the classified zone, to the microphone console in the control room.
Have an industrial project at the design stage? Get in touch. We'll look at the specific conditions of your installation and put together the exact technical combination each zone needs.