MTC and Aston Martin manufacture vital medical equipment

Using the British brand’s first ever SUV, the DBX, Aston Martin has been able to help the MTC transport materials between facilities and deliver fully built AGP shields to hospitals across the UK. To date, over 100 units have been delivered with their support, with ongoing future activities planned.

Aston Martin is currently utilising cutting machines at its Gaydon facility to cut out the silicone components that are used during the assembly of the shield, which is designed to minimise the risk of exposure to Covid-19 for frontline NHS staff. These advances will further aid the speed of production and overall ability to meet NHS demand.

Aston Martin Lagonda president and group chief executive, Andy Palmer, said: “We are delighted to be able to help frontline NHS workers and hospitals around the country in their ongoing challenge to protect us from COVID-19. To be able to utilise the first DBX models to deliver the much needed AGP Shields has made everybody at Aston Martin very proud.”

Danny McGee, chief engineer at the MTC, added: “It’s been fantastic to have Aston Martin supporting the AGP Shield project, delivering much needed materials to the MTC facility, and critically getting the fully built, and much needed, units to hospitals.”

“This project has shown how quickly the MTC can provide innovation in manufacturing whilst proving that agility and speed can still be achieved. The MTC’s state-of-the-art facility and expert technology engineers make this whole process easier.”

The project began in response to the pandemic to protect frontline healthcare workers around the world. The idea for the shield came from Dr Ian Renfrew, consultant interventional radiologist at BARTS, alongside Dr Paolo Perella, anaesthetic registrar at Royal London Hospital, and colleagues, who were facing a number of challenges when undertaking operative procedures on Covid-19 patients in full surgical PPE.

MTC engineers, working in collaboration with Rolls-Royce, and supported by Innovate UK, have prototyped, developed and seen operational a fast make AGP Shield for use with ventilators. Wider applications for the shield have also been identified, further aiding the safety of front-line medical staff.

MTC www.the-mtc.org