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AMTICO USES FACTORY TO HELP PRODUCE THOUSANDS OF NHS FACE MASKS Coventry-based flooring firm Amtico has transformed its manufacturing facilities to produce up to 20,000 parts a day for life-saving face shields used by frontline NHS and critical key workers in the battle against COVID-19. Better known for is luxury vinyl tile (LVT) flooring, the company has adapted the materials and machinery used in its production to create parts for essential PPE for use throughout the UK. This comes as the result of joining forces with schools from around the country, who were working on producing face shields using 3D printing before assembling and distributing them nationwide. As the headband is the most complex and time-consuming component of a protective face shield, Amtico stepped in to help
improve the efficiency and speed of production. The company assembled a dedicated team of technical, CAD and cutting specialists and, within a few hours, modified the design of the headband to ensure it was more secure and structurally sound, as well as faster and more efficient to assemble, with less wastage. Amtico also created a new composition of its flooring material specifically for the headstraps, ensuring the best balance between flexibility and rigidity, with the ultimate aim of making them as comfortable and practical as possible for frontline NHS staff and critical key workers.
to produce up to 20,000 per day, and furthermore is now listed on the Government’s official PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) procurement service.
The company has already produced 4,500 of the headbands to date, with capacity
The final samples were taken to Watford General Hospital on Thursday 9th April 2020, where
#COVID19: ROTPUNKT OFFERING TWICE-WEEKLY ONLINE TRAINING “We’re committed to making the best of a bad situation, which is why we have new remote training sessions to maintain brand focus, update suppliers on our current products and services and help our supply chain “add-value” to their knowledge and expertise.” German kitchen manufacturer Rotpunkt, has announced that it is supporting its UK retail network by offering free online training sessions twice-a-week. The online seminars, which will take place every Wednesday and Friday at 10am and 2pm, will last approximately 30 minutes, and Rotpunkt clients will get a chance to raise any questions they have related to the brand. Matt Phillips, Head of UK Operations at Rotpunkt says,
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Rotpunkt has an extensive product portfolio with many new kitchen solutions for 2020 now available for the UK retailer. The newly introduced online-training sessions will ensure that the company is regularly communicating with its customers so they in turn, can create new dialogue with theirs. All existing Rotpunkt customers will be sent a personal e-vite to join the online-training sessions and be provided with a session ID and password for private access.
the design was approved and 2,000 units ordered. These were then produced by Amtico, free of charge, within seven hours of NHS approval. A further 12,000 parts have been ordered to create face shields for many hospitals throughout North and West London.
HOMEBASE TO REOPEN ACROSS BRITAIN Homebase has announced that it will reopen 50 additional stores across the UK, following a successful trial period in 20 of its branches. CEO Dan McGloughlin explained that certain stores will be reopened for customers to browse and shop, but strict controls have been put in place to ensure shopping is safe for everyone. In March, Homebase was classified as an essential retailer by the Government, but senior leaders of the company decided that it would operate online only in a move to protect both its customers and teams. The reopening follows an announcement from DIY retailer B&Q, which stated that it will reopen 155 of its stores following a successful trial period at 14 shops. Home improvement retailer Wickes also announced that it will reopen six stores as
part of a trial run, with strict new social distancing measures in place designed to protect colleagues and customers. McGloughlin commented ‘It has taken a tremendous amount of hard work and commitment from our teams across all parts of the business, to ensure we are ready to safely welcome customers back through our doors.’ ‘I’m extremely grateful for the dedication shown by every single team member, and to our customers, for the huge support and understanding’ he added.
