Berry bpi, one of the UK’s leading manufacturers of polythene film, is adapting its existing manufacturing facilities and investing in new equipment in order to provide localised production and supply of much needed PPE (personal protective equipment) for NHS workers.

In just three weeks, the company has equipped four of its UK factories – in Heanor, Derbyshire, Stroud, Gloucestershire, and Greenock and Dumfries in Scotland – and by early May will be manufacturing around 200,000 special fluid-resistant, long-sleeve apron-style gowns and over six million standard disposable aprons every week.

Berry bpi is a long-standing supplier to the NHS, currently producing the majority of clinical waste sacks used in UK hospitals. The company’s extensive experience and manufacturing excellence made it an obvious choice for the NHS procurement team seeking a reliable UK-based supplier for the creation of the apron-style gown, which provides a higher level of all-round protection for use in more critical situations.

Although it has not made an apron-style gown before, Berry bpi was able to create a design, produce the film, and cut out and fabricate one within two weeks, for an initial sample run of 2,000. These first apron-style gowns were manufactured at the Heanor factory and all were then donated to local hospitals and hospices, where there was an urgent need for immediate supplies.

For the standard aprons, Berry bpi has sourced and shipped to the UK specialist machines for their manufacture. These have now been installed at the Greenock factory, where production is due to begin within the next two weeks.

Berry bpi has successfully and flexibly delivered against tight timelines to enable this, and this vital aprons pipeline has been secured through a supply chain established by a cross-government team including the Scottish Government, Scottish Enterprise, NHS Scotland and the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland.

Berry bpi has made a substantial investment in the new equipment and technology in order to set up a highly efficient operation that can produce both style of aprons, which are manufactured in low-density polyethylene (LDPE), cost competitively. The ultimate aim is to establish a sustainable domestic supply route for these types of healthcare products.

“We have deliberately taken a long-term approach,” explained Berry bpi Chief Executive Andrew Green.

We were able to call on our extensive resources and experience, as well as the flexibility and commitment of our workforce, to produce the aprons within an extremely fast turnaround to help make up shortfalls in the current supply chain.

“At the same time,” he continued, “we intend to scale up production so that after the immediate needs of the coronavirus crisis, we can continue to offer a cost-effective local supply solution that will be able to meet as much as possible of UK demand.”

Berry bpi’s fast response to the project was supported by several of its key suppliers – XPO, its logistic provider; Promopack Digital Solutions, who assisted in the apron-style gown design; and Auria Solutions, a tier 1 automotive car parts supplier, who cut out the gown templates.

“I am extremely grateful to colleagues both inside and outside our organisation who embraced this complicated project with such urgency and a can-do attitude,” said Andrew Green.

“In particular, I am hugely impressed by the skills and agility of the Berry bpi teams in establishing an entirely new product and manufacturing process from scratch to the point of supply within two weeks. It is inspirational to see these products now out there and in use by the front-line medical staff who were so much in need of them,” he concluded.

Scottish Minister for Trade, Investment and Innovation Ivan McKee said:

Our health and social care system is facing unprecedented demand and protecting staff working on the frontline is an absolute priority.

“This is yet another example of a business quickly diversifying their product line by adapting their manufacturing facilities and investing in new equipment to support the national response to COVID-19. I thank them for their efforts to help us deliver what is needed, when it is needed.

“In these incredibly challenging times the Scottish Government will continue to do all it can to make health and social care staff feel as safe as possible in their workplace.”