Sylatech, a company that traditionally offers casting, radio frequency and microwave engineering, as well as machining, has launched a new product to help limit the spread of Covid-19.
Whilst witnessing dwindling orders in the foundry and machining side of its business and having to put a number of staff on furlough, the management team has implemented an alternate strategy and designed a new product of particular relevance to the coronavirus outbreak.
Copper and copper-based alloys have antimicrobial properties and it is therefore highly effective in killing a broad range of bacteria and fungi, and viruses.
By capitalising on this knowledge and utilising its manufacturing expertise, a team of engineers stepped away from its usual projects to develop a new product called the KeepSafe.
The KeepSafe is a simple personal handheld device which enables users to avoid touching handles, buttons or grabbing items unnecessarily. Whether users are in a hospital, shop, or even using a cash machine, the device can be used as a simple hooking, pushing or finger mechanism.
The challenge facing care workers in the NHS inspired the team at Sylatech to get involved and it is our ambition to donate 20,000 KeepSafe’s to the NHS and key workers in its home county of North Yorkshire.
The aim for the KeepSafe is simple: help limit the spread of Covid-19 and to reduce potential exposure to coronavirus. It has good application use with door handles, light switches, toilet levers, taps and more. The device is not a substitute for regular and thorough handwashing, but an extra weapon in the fight against this invisible enemy.
The new product development pivot won support from the York & North Yorkshire Growth Hub. Andrew Raby, the growth hub manager, said: “We’re keen to support this project because the product helps to protect frontline staff against the coronavirus threat, as well as potentially securing manufacturing jobs and enabling good growth for the business.”
Sylatech has already received strong orders both domestically and internationally from businesses that are actively working on plans for keeping their staff safe upon returning to work. Company branded devices are proving to be particularly popular with business customers in the US.
KeepSafe www.thekeepsafe.co.uk
Sylatech www.sylatech.com
