Page 10 - BOSS Today Issue 48
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BOSS Today #48 SPECIAL REPORT
“since the initial COVID-19
outbreak, 3M has doubled
production of respirators
to nearly 100 million
per month”
George Elliott, Senior
Application Engineer, 3M
Meanwhile, McLoughlin reports that of our production sites in Germany to
VOW has set up a team to manage the focus on the production of our new Face
range and supply options with the target Visors, which completely shield the face
“By the start of May, we had of availability ‘on the shelf’ at the start and protect both the wearer and those
transformed one of our of July: “We have made good progress, around them. As we manufacture our
with a full range of facemasks (reusable,
products in Europe, we’ve been well
production sites in civilian, Type I and Type IIR) now available placed to ensure a continued supply of
Germany to focus on from stock, and we have containers products to our customers, and it was
great to see a really positive response
of 2Work sanitiser and wipes due in
the production of our before the end of the month.” Indeed, from many of them. Unsurprisingly,
new Face Visors” the company has expanded its range we also had a lot of interest from the
of PPE items significantly, adding more healthcare sector, as well as from
Sean Starkey, MD, consumer-style products, such as smaller facilities managers and those working in
logistics and construction.”
sanitisers and non-medical masks, as well
Durable UK as nearly 100 different social distancing Looking ahead, it’s clear that social
items. It has also had to accept many distancing will continue to be practised in
product changes in terms of pack size and some form for the foreseeable future, so
specification, especially on tops, screw the heightened and more stringent cultural
caps, sports bottle lids and flip lids. approach to hygiene – and hence for
PPE items – is therefore likely to remain.
Broadening The Range However, as Elliott points out, “Even with
For their part, Durable decided to 3M’s accelerated production combined
diversify into producing PPE, as Durable with capacity from other manufacturers,
UK’s MD Sean Starkey explains: “By the the reality is that global demand for
start of May, we had transformed one respirators is much higher than the
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