Paper straws firm exporting PPE face visors across the globe

The manufacturing company that produces straws for McDonald’s has switched its focus towards producing face visors during the coronavirus pandemic.

Transcend Packaging, which is based in Ystrad Mynach, has so far produced nearly three million visors and has received orders from across the globe.

So far, more than 1.5 million visors have been received by NHS Wales and the UK Department of Health and Social Care agencies from the company, which has also supplied visors to councils, care homes, retailers and factories across the UK.

Transcend has also distributed its visors across Europe and is in talks to supply the United States and Japan.

Lorenzo Angelucci, managing director of the firm, said: “Transcend is a proud part of the Welsh business community and when the Covid-19 outbreak began we saw the critical need for personal protective equipment and wanted to do what we could to help.

“We quickly realised that we could adapt our digital printing equipment to create face shields and with the help and guidance of Life Sciences Hub Wales, we were able perfect the design and produce products that were fully certified and met the right standards.

“When it came to designing the shields, we thought carefully about the needs of today and those of the foreseeable future.

“Frontline services are of course a priority right now, but in the months to come, once restrictions are lifted and businesses resume their operations, other people will require protection. We wanted to create a product that could be used across the population.”

Mr Angelucci added: “Our face shields are an effective, inexpensive CE marked alternative to other PPE items and provide an extra level of protection that is suitable for medical settings, employees returning to work and the general public as they go about their daily lives and see loved ones.”

The company, which employs just under 200 people, is producing thousands of visors each week, but has the capacity to increase production to two million a week.

Cari-Anne Quinn, CEO of Life Sciences Hub Wales, said: “Transcend’s quick thinking and innovative approach to developing PPE for the national effort is an example of the fantastic commitment, creativity and hard work that we have here in Wales.”

Welsh Government’s deputy minister for Economy and Transport, Lee Waters, said: “Transcend Packaging is an important business in Caerphilly County Borough and I applaud the way it has changed its way of working to develop a vital product, which is helping to protect many people.

“The company is part of an impressive number of businesses who are standing up and making the equipment we need to help beat coronavirus, and I also thank them for all they are doing in rising to the challenge posed by this pandemic.”