Production of Perspex clear acrylic has increased by 300% in the UK as a result of the Coronavirus outbreak.
The pandemic has led to an unprecedented demand, in no small part due to clamour for protective screens intended to protect key workers from infection.
Lancashire based acrylic manufacturer Perspex International Limited (PIL), says it has prioritised increased production of Perspex clear acrylic to fulfil requirements for protective acrylic screens across the UK and Europe.
‘As a UK manufacturer, we believe we have an obligation to meet this demand where possible and last week we acted immediately to increase production to meet the urgent requirements,’ said Bryan Welch, operations director at PIL. ‘Achieving the production volumes required in such a short time period has required the business to quickly implement new manufacturing methods and practical working changes.’
As a result of the immediate factory changes, which includes shifting production lines from other products and altering shift patterns to allow for greater production capacity, production of Perspex clear acrylic sheet has now increased by 300% compared to the same time last month.
‘We recognise the urgent requirements for Perspex acrylic to help protect key workers and keep essential stores open and will continue to work closely with our customers and suppliers to do all we can to fulfil this critical demand,’ said Keith Piggott, managing director, PDL.
‘The health and wellbeing of our staff remains a priority and PDL will continue to apply the latest government workplace health guidelines. Procedures are in place to ensure all employees adhere to the recommended social distancing and hygiene advice in the workplace and remote working has been implemented where possible.’
