From pillows to protection, gins to hand sanitisers, a number of Greater Manchester companies have switched production to help produce essential PPE during the pandemic.
Manufacturers and textile firms across the region have been making face masks, scrubs, and gowns while breweries or gin distilleries are using their alcohol supplies to make hand sanitisers.
For many firms the pivot towards producing PPE has allowed businesses to keep facilities open, keep staff in jobs and ultimately survive in the current climate.
In Middleton, bedding manufacturer Comfy Group has shifted production by adding face masks to the roster of products.
The business has switched areas of its factory to the production of non-medical face masks and this will now be ramped up on the back of the latest government advice encouraging the use of masks while in public places.
The company says both its reusable and disposable masks are made to ‘government standards’ and will be made available to buy in bulk for businesses wanting to protects their employees, schools wanting to protect teachers and pupils, and direct to the wider public.
Comfy Group, which has over 40 years-experience in textile manufacturing, has also donated hundreds of essential bedding products including pillows, duvets and bedlinen to local hospital trusts, including Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust.
Managing director Bob Moryoussef said: “As Britain transitions into the ‘new normal’, it would have been remiss of us not to re-focus our manufacturing capabilities from being solely on bedding, when there is a real and urgent need for institutions, businesses and the wider public to have access to PPE such as masks.
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“We’re proud to have ploughed our near half-century of experience into producing masks and have managed to manufacture quality options that meet the protective and comfort needs of those who’ll wear them.”
Salford gin maker Zymurgorium has switched production to make affordable hand sanitisers.
The company said it has capabilities to make large amounts of the product and therefore able to keep its prices much lower compared to competitors.
Its distillery, based in Irlam is currently up to a capacity allowing a fast and effective turnaround for companies in need.
Aaron Ross Darke, managing director at Zymurgorium said: “Our main goal and ambition is to ensure no one is being ripped off when purchasing hand sanitiser, especially at this crucial time when it really is a key necessity to ensuring people’s safety.
“We want ethics to be front and centre of everything we do and being able to produce and provide quality hand sanitiser, currently the most reasonably priced on the market, is absolutely essential to us.
“We hope our new fair pricing structure will have a knock on effect for those currently producing hand sanitiser as we look to welcome the challenge of providing a top quality product that ensures the safety of our customers without them compromising on price.”
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HMG Paints started utilising its manufacturing capabilities and existing alcohol stocks to produce hand sanitiser for front-line workers, care providers and charities a few weeks ago.
The company developed the HSE approved First Thing Sanitiser, which contains over 70% alcohol, after staff and their families reported being unable to find stocks at other locations.
The coatings manufacturer has now expanded its production capabilities as businesses across the 海角视频 re-open and implementing measures in line with government guidelines.
“Many of our current customers have placed regular supply orders with us for hand sanitiser as they begin to return to work and implement ways to protect their employees,” said John Falder, managing director.
“The First Thing Sanitiser being approved by the HSE has meant we have increased our production capabilities on the sanitiser line.
"By manufacturing right here in Britain, we can guarantee our customers a fast and continuous supply which will allow them to utilise First Thing Sanitiser in their working safely policies during this current time.
NHS staff across the country are set to receive tens of thousands of items of PPE every week thanks to a new deal between the government and a Warrington company.
Macdonald and Taylor Healthcare have already delivered over 300,000 isolation gowns over the past two months to NHS hospitals treating coronavirus patients.
They will now ramp up their production further to provide 50,000 gowns a week using government-sourced fabric over the next six months.
Peter Bibby, director of Macdonald and Taylor Healthcare, said: “We had been manufacturing protective clothing, such as scrubs and gowns, for several years and wanted to use our experience to help the 海角视频 health care sector.
“We therefore decided to assemble a network of textile manufacturing companies across the North West and the Midlands to help provide the urgent and growing demand for PPE.
“We were manufacturing 60,000 isolation gowns a week and now we have the government secured fabric we are able to produce 90,000 gowns a week.
“We are proud to be able to support the government in delivering to all the frontline staff who are providing the essential care we need.”
Macdonald and Taylor Healthcare, which normally provides protective clothing for the healthcare, chemical and nuclear industries, started to deliver the additional gowns this week.