Appeal for funds as Sandwell firm starts visors production line
More than £2,000 has been donated to a Sandwell industrial machine company which is making thousands of face shields for frontline workers.
Mantech UK in Newfield Road, Oldbury, normally sells machine tools across the UK and Europe but due to the coronavirus pandemic normal trading activities have ceased.
The company has so far spent £6,000 and handed out almost 3,000 visors for free, but has the material to make 10,000.
Lee Moss, one of the directors, said: "We sell machinery and became aware that people were using our lasers to make face shields.
"We thought, we've got a lot of stock why don't we set up a production line and see if we can start making them.
More Covid-19 coverage:
"So we started very slowly and got a couple hundred handed out in a week.
"We've spent quite a chunk of money and have a little army of people helping.
"We've bought enough material now to make 10,000 and so far we've delivered 2,867 to 209 different organisations, such as care homes, hospitals, care workers, paramedics and prisons.
"We just need to balance it as there's only so much money we can put in personally as our business is shut down at the moment.
"We've put around £6,000 of our own money in at the moment and we're going to continue to do so.
"We set up a Gofundme page which is going well to keep buying material.
"So far we have requests for 5,500 visors."
For more information, or to donate, visit gofundme.com/f/visors-for-frontline-staff
