Ricardo named a UK Business Hero for design and manufacture of PPE for NHS

Ricardo has been acclaimed a ‘UK Business Hero’ in recognition of its work earlier this year in designing, manufacturing and assembling personal protective equipment (PPE) for frontline NHS and other healthcare workers.

‘UK Business Heroes’ is a national recognition campaign led by the British Chambers of Commerce to recognise UK businesses who have gone the extra mile to help the local community during the pandemic. Ricardo is one of just a hundred businesses across the UK to have been given this accolade.

Ricardo used its experience of high value, rapid response assembly and supply chain management to design and produce a face shield intended for prolonged use in medical settings. Local NHS doctors helped to optimise prototypes for wearability, and the fast-track approval of the face shield for NHS emergency use was secured via industry-leading test provider SATRA.

The face shield frames were manufactured by longstanding supply chain partner Stephens Plastic Mouldings, using tooling co-funded jointly with Ricardo. Facilities at Ricardo’s Technical Centres at Shoreham by Sea in West Sussex and Leamington Spa in the Midlands were repurposed as assembly lines and logistics centres to ensure the rapid deployment of this PPE, which was much needed.

Stephen Dyke, managing director for Ricardo Automotive & Industrial EMEA Division commented: “The entire Ricardo team is enormously honoured to have been recognised as a UK Business Hero. We were very proud to be able to help to protect those in the front line at care homes and in the NHS, and it has been humbling for us to receive very positive feedback on our efforts to provide PPE to staff in these absolutely crucial roles.”

Martin Starkey, managing director for Ricardo Performance Products added: “As a manufacturer as well as an engineering consultancy, Ricardo was able to work with our procurement teams and link up with our existing suppliers to make a significant contribution to the national effort to supply PPE to frontline NHS and healthcare workers. It is our enormous privilege to have been able to make a difference in our local communities, protecting those who protect us.”