Tekmar Group has joined the fight against Covid-19 – producing up to 200 protective face shields a day at no cost to the NHS.
Aycliffe-based Tekmar Energy and its sister company Subsea Innovation, based in Darlington, part of the Tekmar Group who specialise in bespoke offshore equipment and subsea protection systems for the global offshore energy sectors, have joined forces to manufacture PPE for NHS workers.
The two firms have responded to the coronavirus pandemic and have started manufacturing protective face shields for front line NHS workers at their respective facilities.
Last week, Subsea Innovation designed, prototyped and began manufacturing the protective face shields using their engineering expertise and 3D printing technology.
Recognising the limitations of using 3D printers to produce the face shields in quantity, the design team developed a design that can be cast in polyurethane and manufactured in greater numbers with sister company Tekmar Energy.
Supply chain partners Arthur Jackson and Co and Maddisons kindly machined bespoke aluminium moulds within a 24-hour period at the end of last week.
This allowed Subsea Innovation and Tekmar Energy to set up production lines over the weekend and start producing key components alongside ongoing production activities for their offshore energy clients.
They’re now producing between 150 and 200 protective face shields a day and will distribute them at no cost to local NHS trusts.
A design pack for the face shield is available to anyone wanting to join in or to provide components (please contact [email protected]).
Tekmar Group CEO James Richie said: “Tekmar Group is fortunate in that we have the capability to expand our operations and produce protective face shields for the NHS during this period of unprecedented demand.
“The Tekmar family are driving this initiative forward and they continue to demonstrate fortitude, determination and compassion during these difficult times.”
Tekmar Energy and Subsea Innovation are part of Tekmar Group plc, alongside Ryder Geotechnical, AgileTek Engineering and Pipeshield International.