The coronavirus pandemic has taken its toll in many ways, including a huge financial impact on the economy. But it has also shown British manufacturing in a positive light, as companies rallied to the Government’s request for help, highlighting the importance of a robust manufacturing base at a time of crisis.
Redhill Manufacturing answered the call for assistance in producing medical equipment for the NHS back in mid-March, rising to the occasion and demonstrating the flexible, ‘can do’ approach that characterises our manufacturing industry.
We utilised our manufacturing capability at our Redditch-based factory to produce much needed oxygen cylinder storage and handling units. Drawing on our reputation for expertise and precision manufacture, we ensured items were produced to the highest UK safety and quality standards, delivering the ‘Best of British’ manufacturing.
As a result, we received numerous orders from NHS hospitals and stepped up production to meet demand, producing high stock levels, with manufacture, assembly and despatch for each order completed within just 5 to 10 days.
As lockdown eased, we were quick to respond to the ongoing requirement for cleanliness and hygiene, producing a range of anti-bacterial Hand Sanitiser Dispenser Units that included free-standing, desk mounted and wall-mounted options. Placed at strategic locations around a building, they encourage hand sanitisation by staff and visitors entering and leaving the premises. Again produced to the highest quality standards, they have proved very popular and we have stepped up manufacturing accordingly.
With a growing demand for our products as we come out of lockdown, and with a backlog of orders to process, our workforce has been working tirelessly to meet customers’ requirements. Committed to a programme of continual investment, we expanded our workspace in early June to include a further unit, giving us manufacturing and warehousing facilities in excess of 60,000 sq. ft. This not only enables us to increase production, but also provides extra storage capacity for finished stock, allowing us to store additional stock for immediate despatch.
Unwelcome as it has been, the pandemic has demonstrated the importance of manufacturing in supporting the economy during a time of need, and British industry has shown how flexibility and expertise can produce a different way of working. We are proud to have contributed to our national effort in assisting the NHS, working around the constraints imposed by coronavirus, and believe we have more than risen to the challenge of supporting the country by manufacturing products that continually meet the highest UK quality standards.
