Bailey Print Group secures contract with QLD Health to supply 20 000 face shields

Pre-COVID-19, visual branding specialist, Bailey Print Group partnered with Queensland major events, sports teams, entertainment agencies, government stakeholders and charities. The company specialises in event banners, corporate branding and vehicle signage and recently began to produce COVID-19 Health & Safety signage, but due to Australia’s closing of nonessential businesses, were nearly forced to stand down staff.

Just after the New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian asked Australian businesses to retool to help assist with the critical shortfall of PPE in Australia, the team at Bailey Print Group collaborated to devise what PPE they could produce in-house using the company’s manufacturing expertise.

Over the ensuing days the team researched, designed, and prototyped various types of face shields using the company’s in-house technology and machinery. They worked with a local doctor for further input and trialing. After retooling its manufacturing line, the company’s cutting machine was soon running with the business operating 22 hours a day, six days a week to fulfil demand.

The team believed that their Bailey Protection Gear face shield had potential, but just needed to get it into the market. After hitting the phones and using their network, the company got their first order for 400 shields within three days. This was quickly followed by an order of 1000 shields for a Queensland Public Hospital.

“Delivering our first shipment to the ICU department at one of Brisbane’s largest hospitals was incredibly emotional as the staff were so thankful to have locally produced shields supplied so quickly. One staff member said they are ‘as precious as gold.’ It was an amazing feeling to be able to help protect those assisting critically ill COVID-19 patients, says Business Development Manager, Samantha Bailey-Jensen.

This meant the company had to ramp up production while ensuring that all health and safety precautions and guidelines were being meet, including all staff wearing protective gloves, remaining 1.5m apart at all times and ensuring that hand sanitiser was enthusiastically used at all times.

Peter Bailey, General Manager says: “We have two teams running day and night to ensure that production can continue in case a team member falls ill and to meet our social distancing obligations.”

While demand for the face shields across all sectors of healthcare (including dentists and aged care facilities) kept growing, the team fine-tuned their lean production process.

“Their output quickly increased daily as hundreds of shields were produced. Team members from all departments within the company are stepping up in various roles to aid in the fulfillment of orders,” explains Samantha.

Bailey Print Group secured a contract with Queensland Health to supply 20,000 face shields. They have also been shipping face shields to healthcare workers and hospitals throughout New South Wales and Victoria for the past three weeks. Their face shields are TGA approved and have a patent pending on the design.

“Never ever would I have thought that our printing business would be producing medical face shields. However, extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. Not only have we managed to provide an essential service, we have managed to keep our workforce gainfully employed plus we have all learnt an incredible amount throughout this trying time.

“Producing face shields for our front-line healthcare workers through this crisis has been some of the most rewarding work we have ever done. It’s been fantastic to be part of the push to bring manufacturing back to Australia. If that means in the future our machinery, creativity, and ability to produce protective gear for medical professionals is part of our business, we will run with that,” concludes Samantha.