Supporting Businesses With PPE Production

Over 130 UK manufacturers have pivoted their production facilities so that they can now support the NHS by producing vital Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). The importance of this can not be overstated. PPE is needed not only for the NHS but also for care homes and areas with at-risk individuals who need to self-isolate. With the new government advice about the public wearing masks, you can be sure there will be a surge in demand there as well.

The demand for PPE is hard to quantify. However, conservative estimates suggest that each of the 223 hospital trusts in the UK need around 72,000 items of PPE per day. This equates as many as 16 million items for our frontline health workers on a daily basis.

At AE Sewing Machines, we’ve helped many businesses to transform their facilities so that they can produce vital PPE in the fight against COVID-19. We offer a range of state-of-the-art machinery to make creating PPE much easier. Furthermore, we also make sure all machinery is built and ready to use. So, as soon as it arrives at your door, it is primed and ready to go.

If you’re looking at how you can help with PPE production, then here are just some of the stories from across the UK of how manufacturers, with a little help from trusty sewing machines, can help in the fight against Coronavirus.

Different Types Of PPE Production

Gowns

Single-use surgical gowns are one of the items that are in the highest demand in hospitals. This is why every single gown that can be made in the UK will be a massive benefit to those who are putting themselves in harm’s way to care for those in need of medical assistance.

Our customer, Survitec Group, has recently announced that they have been selected by the UK Department for Health and Social Care to produce sterilized surgical gowns in order to supply the NHS with much needed PPE. This contract is part of the UK Government's recently announced initiative for manufacturing PPE for the NHS. The Group’s Birkenhead factory, which has continued to operate during the COVID-19 crisis, supporting the UK’s aerospace and defence industries, has been expanded to include a dedicated site for the production of the life-saving gowns. The Company will be hiring over 100 additional workers from the local area to support this critical work. As an existing supplier of choice for the UK Government, Survitec already meets the high standards for such critical material production and will produce this new PPE to the standards required by the NHS and other health services.

Wingrove Motor Group have converted their main distribution centre into a manufacturing facility. In just 48 hours they made the transformation. We are very proud to say that we were able to help by supplying the machines needed. The aim of this facility is to produce up 7,500 gowns per week. All of which will be greatly appreciated by the Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust.

EIZO Limited is a specialist monitor manufacturer. However, now they are one of the first UK manufacturers to start producing gowns. They partnered with their local NHS trust to convert their monitor workshop into a sewing workshop. They have been able to accommodate space and machines for 25 socially distanced sewers.

Protective Suits / Coveralls

Protective suits are an alternative to surgical gowns. They are harder to put on, but they do provide full-body protection for frontline staff. These coveralls are used by ambulance staff as well as those caring for the most high-risk patients.

Since these have now been approved as an alternative to gowns, we put together an infographic to show exactly what you need to produce these suits. We are able to provide all the machines needed for production and testing.

Scrubs

Scrubs are basically the uniform of nurses and doctors when they work in hospitals. They are designed to be washed at high temperatures and allow the easy identification of contamination. Having a good supply of scrubs removes the burden from burses and doctors washing their own scrubs and helps to keep them safe.

Laura Ashley is one of a number of textile companies that have made the switch to producing scrubs. Despite recent difficulties, they have redesigned one of their factories so that they can produce scrubs for the NHS. Another company making scrubs, as well as face masks, is ThinkLaser LTD. They’ve made the switch from providing printer systems to making PPE.

Masks

Masks are needed for any health or care worker who may be at risk of infection. The masks used by these workers need to be fluid repellent in order to be effective. Due to shortages of these masks, some NHS trusts have had to begin reusing them, which is not ideal.

There are a lot of companies that are turning their hands to the production of masks and visors. This has been an area where a lot of innovation has been shown. MerchantCain has switched from automotive engineering to face mask production. Checkmate, Sabre Plastics Tooling LTD, and even the Royal Mint have been looking at ways to produce masks and visors.

At AE Sewing Machines, we’ve also been partnering with Juki to bring our customers the latest equipment for mask-making.

Aprons

These are used in a wide range of settings, so they are desperately needed. These aprons are used with any patient who may have COVID19 even if they have no symptoms. This is because not everyone shows symptoms, but they can still pass on the virus. These aprons are particularly needed in care homes and on delivery wards.

Oliver Harvey has pivoted from producing chef wear to making PPE for their local hospital in Manchester. This includes a donation of Sharpies to ICUs. Oliver Henry provides sharpies with all their products anyway, but when they learned how important they are to ICUs, they didn’t hesitate to send their surplus stock to help out as well. 

Can Your Business Help?

If you want to help in this national effort to support the NHS and care homes, then we’re here to help. At AE Sewing Machines we have already supported a range of businesses in converting their facilities to produce PPE. So, far we’ve worked with a wide range of business types, including producers of furniture, sportswear, and even coffins. So, please, if you need some support in pivoting your business, we’re here to help. After all, we’re all in this together.

To get you started here is the government’s guidance on becoming a provider of PPE. Then, talk to our team, and we’ll help you get set up with the machinery that you need.