36 hours after the call from the Danish Medicines Agency, a Grundfos team had made a visor prototype. On Friday 3 April, full-scale production is set to begin. Up to 5000 visors, or face shields, will – according to demand – roll out every day, so that employees in the health and care sector can protect themselves and patients against corona infection.
The delivery of aids also includes other countries in areas, where Grundfos has production facilities.
For instance, 2500 visors will be delivered to a local French hospital on Monday 6 April.
”I am incredibly proud of our skilled colleagues, who have established this so quickly. It is imperative that everyone contributes with solutions in any way possible, so we can support our health and care staff in the fight against coronavirus. We are ready to do everything within our power,” said Morten Bach Jensen, Group Vice President, HVAC OEM, Grundfos.
A key factor in developing the visor was making it easy to manufacture and easy and convenient for staff to use. The mask consists of a normal sheet of A4 foil attached to a plastic frame, which was 3D printed in the early stages of the project but now ready for production in a regular plastic tool.
“We have applied a standard product like A4 foil, so the visor is easier to produce. You simply make holes is the foil with a regular hole punch and then click it onto the frame,” explained Torben Buch Rasmussen, who leads the team behind the visors made for mass production.
“It is very important for our company to take social responsibility. We can help produce something, which is
a deficiency, and this is not something we have to make money from. It’s just an attempt to help,” he added.
It is planned that Grundfos will join a taskforce coordinated by the Confederation of Danish Industry. Within this framework, several large Danish companies will develop parts for pharmaceutical equipment that may be missing from the Danish healthcare system. Lars Frelle Petersen, Deputy Director General of the confederation, is impressed with the efforts.
“We have now receivedinquiries from 170 companies that will attempt to assist with protective and medical equipment. Grundfos and other private companies display a truly unique commitment to society. Many are already squeezed by the crisis on liquidity and staffing, and we all face an uncertain financial
future, yet these companies are stepping up,” he said.