Having mobilised to assist UK Government efforts to combat Covid-19, a Port Talbot company specialising in the manufacture and global distribution of precision instrumentation, has now become the UK’s first safety goggle manufacturer.
British Rototherm Group
British Rototherm Group’s expansion into the production of personal protective equipment saw nearly two centuries of manufacturing heritage and expertise applied to the creation of face shields and face masks that were desperately needed by the nation’s front line healthcare workers.
The result has been more than 1 million visors and 10 million face masks created per month and a company headquartered in Wales, with further operations across the globe, that now has its sights set on the global life sciences market.
Over the past 175 years, British Rototherm Group has grown to become a global leader in the provision of temperature, pressure, level and flow measurement solutions, working in the defence, beverage, oil and gas sectors, among others. The organisation exports to over 90 countries worldwide, with exports doubling in size over the last 5 years.
The establishment of its RotoMedical division and diversification into personal protective equipment (PPE) began with a collaboration with UK Government to develop urgently needed face shields for the NHS.
Since the pandemic’s arrival in the UK, the Port Talbot manufacturer has increased production capacity of plastic face visors from a 1,000 per day to 250,000 every week. That rapid success has catalysed further expansion into the life sciences sector, as Rototherm has progressed to produce BSI-certified Type IIR face masks, which are surgical grade and designed for use by healthcare professionals.
A partnership with the international safety company, Bollé, which has its European headquarters based in Lyon, has secured RotoMedical as Bollé Safety’s exclusive UK manufacturer of PPE eyewear for the healthcare industry.
With RotoMedical fast emerging as a leading Welsh manufacturer of PPE and medical equipment, the company has ambitions to double its workforce as it bids for a series of UK and European Government contracts, as well supporting Bolle’s distribution of the Goggles across its European channels. It now has the capacity to produce over three million safety goggles each month.
As a commitment to Welsh innovation and partnership, the Bollé face shields and goggles will use locally sourced raw materials. As well as for the UK marketplace, which is where over 90% of their PPE sales currently sit, they will also be exported to a number of other key global markets.
The company will continue its instrumentation manufacturing alongside PPE and is set to further its proliferation into the international market with a recently formed partnership with another global leader in the instrumentation industry, Emerson.