Parry switches from catering kit to COVID-19 response

News

A Derby company has switched from manufacturing cookers and serveries for the catering industry to healthcare equipment to support efforts against COVID-19.

Catering specialist Parry has responded to the national call to support key workers by increasing its output of stainless steel mobile wash basins, glove/mask dispensing units and knee operated sinks.

MORE ON THE ENGINEERING RESPONSE TO COVID-19 HERE

The decision was taken after discussions with its 65-strong workforce, and staff worked over the Easter period to produce orders for NHS Nightingale in Manchester, care homes, prisons and supermarkets.

Production is said to be being carried out in accordance with government regulations on social distancing and the firm has also introduced a supply of PPE, staggered lunch breaks and more wash stations to ensure its staff remain safe.

In a statement, Mark Banton, MD at Parry, said: “As a lean and agile manufacturer, we were able to immediately switch our production from catering products to essential healthcare equipment, including vital wash basins that could be installed quickly in supermarkets, temporary hospitals or transport interchanges.

catering equipment
Parry employs 65 people at its factory on Town End Road in Draycott

“One of our key strengths is our ability to customise designs to suit specific applications and our design engineers are currently talking to a number of clients about modifying products to help prevent the possibility of contamination.”

He continued: “We have value engineered our products so that they can be manufactured quickly and often despatched within a few working days. The work we have done in designing, manufacturing and delivering 14 drug dispensing tables for NHS Nightingale Manchester is a prime example.”

Parry had been developing its healthcare products over the past twelve months and has quickly expanded its range to meet the demands of the COVID-19 crisis.

“To be able to respond to the current situation whilst keeping the safety and welfare of our staff a priority is very important,” Banton said. “It is an overused phrase, but our employees are genuinely our greatest asset and I am very grateful for their continued support in allowing Parry to play a small role in helping to save lives.”