Ad-Vance Engineering, one of Ireland’s foremost toolmakers, based in Lisburn, were recent participants in their local Council’s business mentoring programme, which helped to equip them to assist in COVID-19 efforts by manufacturing PPE.
Ad-Vance Engineering already has an established foothold in supplying plastic injection moulding tools, composite tooling and blow moulding services to some of the UK and Ireland’s leading Tier One companies in the pharma, automotive, construction and food industries. As such, Roger Vance, MD of Ad-Vance Engineering, was keen to use the mentoring offered through Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council’s programme to research supply chain partners that could collaborate on design and development of PPE face shields for the healthcare market and the wider commercial base.
Ad-Vance Engineering and partners were able to design and manufacture tooling for a two-piece low-cost face shield that can be used as PPE for front-line NHS medical staff in their ongoing battle with the COVID-19 virus.
Their own design team and injection moulding partners began production of a tool for moulding a quick-assembly face mask. This comprised a front shield made from acetate/PET, with fog-resistance, and complied with all technical specifications for health trust product listings.
Local Health and Social Care Trusts indicated the need for initial delivery of at least 300,000 units immediately, with the potential to supply front-line staff across the wider NHS and HSE in the Republic of Ireland.
Roger added:
“We were well-positioned to re-purpose our modern manufacturing facilities to rapidly produce this vital medical device needed to support front-line medical professionals in saving lives during this emergency.”
It further demonstrates Ad-Vance Engineering’s ability to turn round projects from design to full production in record time, based on responding to customer needs with a “right-first-time” approach.
Watch the below video to find out more about Roger’s participation in the scheme with Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council.
