It is with great pleasure that we can announce that Ocean Footprint has been selected to supply millions of PPE respirators to the Department of Health and Social Care, for delivery to the NHS, for use on the front lines against the COVID-19 virus
Part of our business was supplying protection to the marine industry, and we have valuable contacts in factories that manufacture respirator masks for us
As soon as we realised there was a possible shortage in supply to the NHS we approached our existing supply partners and looked for ways to fulfil capacity to manufacture much-needed PPE. All parties concerned stepped up to help provide a solution to the problem, a lack of capacity in factories, caused by most governments worldwide placing orders for far more masks than ever thought possible.
The COVID-19 outbreak has dwarfed any projections or models and the existing manufacturing capabilities are under strain. Ocean Footprint approached our suppliers and asked that if all of the machines were running at capacity, why not make our own machine. We spoke with engineers and discussed the costs of having a machine built for us and the effect that this would have on the unit price, and the critical number of days the machine would have to run was at least 100 days
…if we own the machine, then we own the capacity of the machine, and are not affected by demand…
Partnerships
Whitehouse Yacht Design
Whitehouse Yacht Design
In order to move fast, Ocean Footprint reached out to existing contacts with whom we already have a working relationship with and formed an alliance. For the compliance and design, we asked for the assistance of Guy Whitehouse of Whitehouse Yacht Design based in Cowes on the Isle of Wight.
As a business, we have always worked very closely with Guy in a number of areas. We collaborate with him to offer design assistance in our range of tools and stainless steel railings, but also very frequently on certifications, compliance and equivalence. Ocean Footprint is all about bringing improvements to the way that we work in the marine industry, but making changes to products is not just having an idea, it is looking at the mechanics of how a product is used, then making changes to improve it, this is not something that can be done without a lot of work on the design and this is where the close relationship with Whitehouse Yacht Design is so powerful
…known for his award-winning designs of small yachts but also designs larger craft and consults on commercial projects…
Guy has a wide experience of the design and construction of yachts and commercial craft including past employment as Naval Architect, a wide range of consulting roles as senior Naval Architect and 10 years as Director and Principle Naval Architect of Whitehouse Yacht Design Limited
Guy is better known for his award-winning designs of small yachts but also designs larger craft and consults on commercial projects in the roles as a lead Naval Architect and Surveyor for accreditation and certification. Throughout his career, he has sought to combine commercial success with advancing naval architecture and the marine sector through innovation and cross-discipline cooperation. In addition, he is currently an Inspector for IMCI (CE Accreditation body) and a member of the BMF and SuperYacht UK groups
…the largest shipbuilding conglomerate in the world…
For a number of years, Ocean Footprint has been working with the CSSC on new product development projects, and a strong relationship has been built on trust and cooperation. Our supply of masks have been from this organisation, and when the COVID-19 outbreak occurred Ocean Footprint repatriated our stock of masks back to CSSC allowing them to get their workforce back and their operations active again.
CSSC is the largest shipbuilding conglomerate in the world, headquartered in Beijing, the CSSC handles most shipbuilding activities in China. The collaboration between Ocean Footprint and CSSC is a very powerful one, and there are plans in place to extend this cooperation going forward to assist in innovation, product development and the ongoing production of that work over the coming months and years
Our prime goal is to be a safe pair of hands, we work very hard to maintain this reputation. “This large NHS order is no different from what we do day in and day out,” said Peter Harrison our MD “and that is finding solutions in ways that are not normally immediately apparent for our customers”
ISO9001
At the centre of our collaboration is the ISO9001 process, which is the beating heart of Ocean Footprint enabling all of the parties involved to have confidence in the quality of the product, and the ability to react to issues that may arise throughout this complex contract. “It is one of the most important pillars of Ocean Footprint that we adhere to our Lloyds Register quality manual,” says Peter Harrison of Ocean Footprint “it enables us to react to problems and quite literally quash them in their tracks”.
Selection of mask design
The design of the mask was critical to our decision, it needed to meet the requirements for the NHS, this included a number of factors:
Certifications
It was imperative that the PPE mask be certified under the European Union’s CE rules by a recognised European body, the time required to achieve certification through testing would introduce a delay that would not meet the immediate demand. The testing process to achieve the FFP certifications takes many weeks and with many countries in Europe already in lockdown, this was not a viable option.
Design
Ocean Footprint found a design of mask that was suitable for the NHS, was of a design that could allow automatic manufacture using the machine available to maximise the production capacity required, and also be of a design that could easily be switched to FFP3 once the fabric becomes available. Once all of the above was decided a licence needed to be obtained to manufacture this design on behalf of the certification owner
Production
It made perfect sense to us that if we own the machine, then we own the capacity of the machine, and are not affected by demand and restrictions affecting the rest of the crowded market place, we have plans to continue the manufacture of masks using this machine, but plans need to be made as to its final destination
Ocean Footprint has purchased a machine that will produce 30,000 face masks a day
The machine is in build and will shortly start production
This will run entirely, day and night, 7 days a week, to the supply of masks for the NHS
Ocean Footprint is also supplying Italian hospitals with masks through our Italian network of partners such as CEM Pumps and blowers
A Doctor in Modena Hospital wearing a mask supplied by Ocean Footprint – A powerful message
