PPE to be provided for essential security and FM workers by automotive giant
James Thorpe
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Security officers, receptionists and other customer-facing facilities management staff could soon benefit from the decision by EGR, a manufacturer of precision-engineered solutions for the automotive industry, to convert its manufacturing capacity to the supply of plastic protective face shields for essential workers.
Australia’s largest manufacturer of rigid polymer sheeting used in personal protective equipment (PPE) will shortly increase its capacity from 25,000 units per day to more than 100,000, targeting existing users of PPE as well as addressing the need to stockpile equipment for future pandemics.
High traffic public-facing environments such as medical centres, pharmacies and supermarkets are already issuing staff with EGR Faceshields and installing EGR’s ZenoShield range of transparent protective barriers at front desks and checkouts to help keep staff and the public safe from the coronavirus.
Manufactured from robust, transparent acrylic or PETG polymer material, EGR’s PPE products are designed to withstand the harshest environments and can be cleaned and maintained easily using commonly available surface cleaning solutions.
James Horwill of EGR, which has a UK base in Milton Keynes, says the face shields are increasingly in demand beyond the medical profession: “Although perfect for frontline staff in hospitals and nursing homes they are also being requested by customer-service and security staff operating in any close contact spaces where it is vital to keep the minimum ‘social distance’ between those staff and the general public.
“We are responding to the need to protect people and are already receiving interest from both the public and private sectors, from supermarkets and shopping centres, through to bus operators and banks.
“Whereas there are several examples of smaller manufacturers that have turned their attention to making face masks and gowns, our expertise in plastics and polymers and the scale of our international group means we can manufacture more than half a million face shields in a week, helping to address a worldwide shortage.”
The products are currently being manufactured at EGR’s facility in Brisbane in line with European Standards and can be shipped to the UK within 48 hours. The Australian Federal Government is understood to need six million face shields to stockpile for future use and interest has also been received from South Africa, New Zealand and the US.
EGR will also look to convert its factories in the USA and the Far East to PPE production as the global need dictates. It is also looking to create a new medical division to supply the global health industry in the future.
