PAPER straw manufacturer Transcend Packaging has produced a lightweight face protector for use in the fight against Covid-19.
The Transcend Face Shield is made from widely recyclable materials and available in plain or printed versions. Transcend said the CE-certified face shields are intended for use in conjunction with medical face masks and are available to the NHS and others at low cost.
The face shields are being produced at Transcend’s plant near Caerphilly in Wales, where the company is normally busy producing paper straws and other packaging for restaurant brands.
Many of the face shields are already in use across hospitals and care homes in Wales and are being tested or deployed in health systems in Greece, Italy, Japan, Ireland, and other parts of the UK.
Lorenzo Angelluci, CEO of Transcend Packaging said, “We’re delighted to have designed, produced and received our CE-marked, regulatory approval for a face shield that can be produced quickly, inexpensively and in large quantities.
“These face shields will help provide Covid-19 protection across Wales and beyond, protecting our brave NHS staff, care home workers, retail and restaurant staff and other frontline workers.
“Our goal is to get as many shields in the hands of key workers as possible and we should be able to produce between one and two million face shields a week as long as the need persists.”
Wales economy minister Ken Skates commented, “Transcend Packaging is an important business in Caerphilly County and I applaud the way it has changed its way of working to develop a vital product, which will help support and protect many people. We are in the midst of a global crisis, but we have seen companies really step up in recent weeks.”
