Pre pandemic Tecman manufactured and converted advanced materials, developing smart solutions and components for a wide range of industries, including automotive, wind energy, and healthcare. Our expertise in material selection and product design had already led to several ground-breaking developments including being awarded funding from Innovate UK for the ongoing development of a new adhesive technology.
As the Covid-19 crisis rapidly unfolded and the slowdown in the economy had affected 60% of our business, this sudden capacity presented us with an opportunity to support the healthcare sector and the NHS during an unprecedented time.
Already expert in innovative product design, with over 25 years’ experience of developing components and services for the healthcare, medical, and life science sectors including ventilator gaskets and components for diagnostic equipment, we set about ways to most efficiently support the NHS.
With alarming shortages of PPE and the shocking effects of ill-fitting products on the faces of healthcare workers, we found an obvious need for safe, effective, and comfortable PPE and developed our flagship face shield, which was to become the first in a new line of face and eye protection.
Design for high volume manufacture and with a CE-certification fast tracked we partnered with a network of medical distribution partners closely aligned on values and ethics, who were instrumental in ensuring the flow of face-shields to the frontline. Following this our face shield was listed on the NHS supply chain network and in May 2020 we set up our new company - Tecman Advanced Healthcare Products Ltd, with the vision of becoming a global leader in the development of face and eye protection products.
In May 2020 we expanded our facility with a huge investment in new production lines, machinery and an automation system that increased our available capacity to over 1 million units a week. Furthermore, this enabled our product to be manufactured at a cost that competes with imported products from low cost regions.
A design team was recruited by July 2020 to focus on the continued development of our product portfolio, with a focus on responsibly sourced and biodegradable materials in addition to improved performance and comfort for the wearer.
In September 2020 we developed our 4 Pillars of Comfort, a set of principles that we build into our product development process:
Underpinned by our 4 Pillars of Comfort, our range of face and eye protection uses materials that provide the best comfort, with the whole design based around user experience – be comfortable:
Every product is designed to feel comfortable to wear and provide optimal fit for the customer.
We consult healthcare workers on their comfort issues and concerns and include their feedback within our product design and continuous improvement processes.
Our material selection, product design and engineering processes ensure optimal performance and user experience.
The materials and components selected for our range of face and eye protection products are carefully researched and sourced from sustainable supply chains to provide first class performance.
Our British made advanced materials provide technically superior performance and a high level of user comfort.
All our face and eye protection products are certified by the toughest certifying body - SATRA Technology.
We continually invest in a comprehensive R&D programme to develop and source materials that are both sustainable and biodegradable where possible.
We are currently working in partnership with a range of Universities to develop next generation sustainable and biomaterials, with a selection currently being tested by certified bodies.
Our state-of-the-art automation systems and machinery manufacture high quality, British made face and eye protection products at the lowest possible cost.
Our product development process is designed for smart manufacture to ensure we are delivering a range of comfortable, high-performance, sustainable products at costs that compete with imported products from low cost regions.
