The deal will see the Blackburn based company become Bollé Safety’s exclusive UK partner for plastics needed for PPE for the healthcare industry. The partnership, which will see a £4 million investment in the latest state-of-the art plant equipment and create 35 new full-time jobs on site, will give the capacity to produce over 2 million PPE items each month.
This new production approach will see a range of Bollé Safety face shields and goggles designed, manufactured, and assembled in the United Kingdom, using locally sourced raw materials that will be sold in the UK and Ireland and exported to a number of other key global markets for the company. With an emphasis on sustainability, the majority of the new Bollé Safety CURA range is reusable, economical, and environmentally friendly and unlike competitor models will come in a range of sizes to deliver optimal protection while suiting all face types.
Peter Smith, CEO of Bollé Brands Group and President of Bollé Safety said: “At Bollé Safety, our mission has always been to protect the eyesight of healthcare professionals across the world even in the most challenging environments, all while enhancing their ability to do important frontline work saving and protecting lives. Our new range builds on that expertise, with every piece of PPE certified to the highest safety standards to protect frontline workers from injury and any airborne infections and viruses like COVID-19 entering through the eyes, nose and mouth.”
“With a UK heritage dating back to 1964, at Bollé Safety we are proud to have played our part in protecting workers in the NHS, Department of Health and Social Care, and other leading organisations that demand the highest quality safety equipment for their people, building our brand on a genuine desire to use the best available technology to create quality products that those on the frontline love to wear.”
“We take great pride in playing our part in protecting British manufacturing and healthcare workers and we are equally proud that going forward we will have “Made in Britain” emblazoned on some of Bollé Safety’s most innovative new products. Bollé Safety brings over 120 years of innovation and 70 years of research and development, compliance, and certification expertise in the design and development of market leading PPE safety eyewear, constantly refining our trademark combination of performance, fit, technology, and comfort to deliver some of the most technologically advanced safety eyewear in the industry.”
“With sustainability increasingly at our core, the new Bollé Safety CURA range is multi-use and recycled in conjunction with Recycling Lives, a British recycling and waste management company that supports and sustains charity programmes for offender rehabilitation, residential support, and food redistribution.”
Kate Hollern, Labour MP for Blackburn, said: “I’m delighted that Bollé Safety and MGS Plastics are investing in Blackburn and its people, bringing more jobs to the local area. With our industrial heritage, Blackburn is one of the best manufacturing centres in the country. Personal protective equipment has saved millions of lives over the course of this pandemic, so it’s great to know that Blackburn and MGS and now Bollé Safety will continue to play a big part in making more life-saving equipment.”
MGS Technical Plastics Managing Director John Sturgess said: “We are delighted to announce this new partnership with Bollé Safety, continuing our 45-year tradition of delivering excellence through technically-led, quality assured plastic injection moulding that delivers peak performance for every project. Through this partnership with Bollé Safety, MGS Plastics will play its part in supporting healthcare workers in Britain and across the globe, leveraging the latest in manufacturing technology to develop products that will be vital to protect millions of professionals, from our plant in Blackburn to the rest of the world.”
“This partnership was built on mutual respect and admiration from both our teams, who worked tirelessly during the past months to ensure the new range of face shields and goggles delivers to the best standards of performance. While many of us were confined at home, our teams went above and beyond to finesse and elevate every possible aspect in the production process to deliver a best-in-class product that sets a new standard of excellence for the industry. I am very proud of our team at Blackburn, who everyday bring their talent, commitment and passion to innovate and drive technological advances that will change the face of manufacturing towards locally sourced, ethically-led, positive plastics.”
Ian Walbeoff, Vice President of Sales at Bollé Safety said: “At the core of all that we do is an ambition to create protective eyewear that delivers greater everyday comfort, ergonomics, performance, and safety for those that need it most at the frontlines. Having worked across the UK and Ireland for the past 30 years, I can say that today’s announcement is a new step for us and one that I am very proud to play a part in. We have a proud history providing PPE across the UK for South Wales Fire & Rescue, the UK border Force, The Royal Mint, Thames Valley Police and many leading companies like Western Power Distribution, Valero Energy, and Cabot Carbon.”
“The new partnership with MGS plastics will bring the best of what we do internationally at Bollé Safety to Lancashire, leveraging the combined technical excellence of both our organisations to deliver a best-in-class range of innovative products with sustainability at their core and proudly boasting the ‘Made in Britain’ stamp of excellence.”
