GARMENT hanger manufacturer Mainetti has re-engineered its Jedburgh plant to begin producing protective face shields for frontline medical and care services amid the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic.

Mainetti said that 1,000 face shields would be donated to the plant’s local hospital, Borders General in Melrose.

Highlighting its plans to produce face shields on an “industrial scale", Mainetti said it was now taking orders for delivery at the start of May. It added that production would begin at a rate of 8,000 face shields a day, and could then be scaled up, based on demand.

Mainetti said it would “focus on meeting the needs of healthcare providers with staff on the front line”. It added: “The face shields will also be available to businesses outside of this who are looking for equipment to protect their colleagues.”

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Mainetti declared all of its face shields would be CE-certified and produced to EN 166 standard – “the specification required by the NHS”.

Bob Dennerlein, chief financial officer of Mainetti based in New Jersey in the US, said: “This UK initiative reflects the approach we are taking across the Mainetti Group. Our people around the world are responding positively to the challenge in similar ways which will make a real difference at a local level and create new opportunities for us to continue to be of service through lockdown and beyond”.

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Nick Cranston, spokesman for Mainetti UK and EU, said: “The shortage of PPE (personal protective equipment) – including face shields – has been well-publicised and we’re fortunate that Mainetti has the capabilities to adapt our operations and produce these vital pieces of equipment.”

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