© Hollingsworth & Vose.

The Hollingsworth & Vose plant situated near Kendal in the UK’s Lake District has recruited additional staff to support its continuing 24 hours a day, seven days a week operation in response to Covid-19 PPE demand.

“Having supplied the healthcare and PPE industry for over 25 years, H&V Kentmere has been well placed to support the response to the pandemic,” says plant manager Jeremy Collingwood. “We manufacture media that is essential to assisting our healthcare infrastructure, including the fabrics used to construct FFP2 and FFP3 face mask and ventilator filters, as well as other nonwoven materials used in the production of surgical hoods and consumables for Covid-19 test systems.”

The plant has substantially increased production while ensuring the safety of employees is given the highest priority, he adds.

“We have instituted social distancing protocols and enhanced disinfecting procedures and we are also providing employees with hand sanitizer and masks and performing temperature checks when they arrive at work,” Collingwood stresses. “The team spirit on site is always good, but it is now on another level. Everyone is rallying around taking extra care of each other and following the safety precautions we have set in place, to prioritise our team’s health.”

Assistance is also being provided locally, with full company support for the Cumbria Community Foundation which has set up a Covid-19 response fund to aid the vulnerable and isolated in our community.

“We are very proud of the work our employees are doing to help keep the nation, our community, and each other safe,” Collingwood said.

H&V, headquartered in East Walpole, Massachusetts, has 13 plants worldwide producing advanced materials for filtration, with a second UK plant in Winchcombe.

www.hollingsworth-vose.com