Ricardo’s Technical Centres in the UK are being repurposed as assembly lines and logistics centres for the face shields.
The face shield is being produced to a Ricardo design, leveraging its design, engineering and manufacturing expertise. A prototype was delivered by the company’s in-house rapid prototyping team and facilities. To speed up production Ricardo used its manufacturing supply chain expertise to engage with an injection moulding partner, to create a tool capable of high-volume manufacture.
Using this bespoke tooling, and its engineering design expertise, the team took the opportunity to refine the original rapid prototype design of the face shield for enhanced comfort over extended periods of wear, inviting local NHS doctors to test the new face shield design for comfort and wearability. Tooling and the first batch of units is already in progress and Ricardo will make its first donation of face shields to NHS staff and key frontline workers shortly after Easter.
Ricardo is also looking to make similar initiatives at its facilities in Europe and the US.
Steve Dyke, Managing Director Automotive and Industrial said: “Ricardo is known for its expertise and capability in innovating, adapting and bringing products to market at pace. The team has worked tirelessly to enable us to go into production in a matter of days, and we are proud to be in a position to use our engineering capabilities for this essential task.”
