The COVID-19 pandemic has rapidly swept across the globe, affecting the lives of billions of people worldwide, and having a negative impact on many industries. However, for some there have been opportunities to continue working under careful conditions and turn their expertise to tackling the societal effects of the virus. International manufacturing and engineering company TRB Lightweight Structures is one such company that has continued operating in Peterborough and Huntingdon, as well as in its US facility in Kentucky, and has maintained production and supply for its customers – including Hitachi Rail, CAF and Elekta – despite some of its own suppliers closing.
From the start of the pandemic, the demand for TRB’s solutions has continued to rise above and beyond expectations, with all office and shopfloor staff pooling resources and pitching in to help where they could. 16 extra temporary staff were hired in May to help with the increasing workload, and more will be required in the coming months in order to complete contracts for the rest of the year. The company has also taken the opportunity to join the fight against COVID-19 by adapting one of its machines to produce vital personal protective equipment (PPE). This has helped to combat the shortfall in PPE in the NHS, and TRB is proud to be now making one face visor every 50 seconds.
TRB’s flexible approach to combatting many of the problems presented by COVID-19 has included all office personnel working from home, and those on the shopfloor adhering to the appropriate social distancing guidelines. Added protective measures such as increased cleaning, hand sanitiser stations and temperature checks were also put into place, as well as the company working at 20 % reduced capacity.
Richard Holland, Managing Director at TRB, said: “Our goal was to keep the company stable, safe and contributing during the pandemic, providing a much-needed boost to the economy. We especially appreciate the efforts that our staff have made in these difficult times.”