JCB reopened its Innovation Centre at the World HQ in Rocester so that tooling and moulding engineers Joe Mumby, 22, and Joe Bagley, 25, could volunteer and make medical grade visors for NHS staff on the company’s 3D rapid prototype machines. Following this, fellow JCB employees, Mike Poxon and Steve Hawkes, volunteered to make deliveries of the visors to local hospitals and NHS Staff.
Deliveries were made to The Royal Stoke University Hospital, the Haywood Hospital in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, and to a team of 16 district nurses in Leek, Staffordshire. The Derby Royal Hospital has also received a quantity after contacting JCB.
Leek District Nurse Karen Hales said: “Our team is going into people’s houses and residential care homes on a daily basis and these visors make us and our patients feel so much safer. We are very thankful for the donation of visors from JCB.”
The project started when JCB principal electronics engineer James Morley, 43, converted the garage at his home in Belper, Derbyshire, to produce vital supplies. Inspired by his efforts, JCB re-opened its Innovation Centre at the World HQ so production could start there on a volunteering basis.
JCB is now awaiting the delivery of more medical-grade acetate so more of the visors can be completed and delivered to the local community.