Engineering firm ramps up visor production

Warwick-based high-tech engineering and custom automation company, 3P innovation, have kick-started the production of PPE visors once again after a surge in demand from frontline workers.

The third lockdown and second wave of Covid-19 appears to have exhausted visor supplies at organisations such as hospices, care homes, food banks, homeless charities and schools.

After being notified of this demand in January, 3P have set to work again. They have teamed up with Colemans Office Supplies of Warwick and reformed the Visor Bikes volunteer network to distribute over 10,000 visors to institutions in need, primarily across the West Midlands.

3P initially set up a community-led visor production initiative at the beginning of the first lockdown in 2020, pivoting part of their business to support Covid-19 NHS supply chain by designing and making visors.

Led by Solid Print 3D, based in Stoneleigh, a small “army ” of many hundreds of hobbyist 3D printers were mobilised to print the plastic components for the visors.

After the purchase and a generous donation by Mondelez International of injection moulding tools, 3P were able to dramatically increase production of the visor parts.

Pictured: Some of those who have benefitted from 3P's bolstered visor production

As part of this strictly not-for-profit initiative, 3P have so far donated over 40,000 visors to front-line staff across the UK.

Dr Dave Seaward, projects director at 3P, who coordinated the activity commented: “Setting up this visor initiative has been a great opportunity for local businesses and multi-national companies to come together and protect our frontline workers.

"Leveraging our long-standing relationships with companies such as GSK, Chiesi and Mondelez International, has enabled us to produce high-quality PPE visors during the first and second Covid-19 waves. The local community in turn has been key in distributing the visors to frontline staff across the UK. This again has been a fantastic community effort for which everyone involved can be proud. ”