Label manufacturer to the print trade, Foxcil, has taken up the call by the Australian government to manufacture PPE, and is now producing face shields.

Branded as FacespacePPE, the design is a low cost solution that allows large volume production to meet community demands.

Foxcil managing director Roger Kirwan said the company wanted to meet the expected demand for face shields so reviewed what equipment it had, along with the supply chains it already have in place.

This resulted in the creation of an all PVC design with many advantages.

“The design is lightweight and very comfortable to wear, removing the need for foam inserts. The shield can be lifted up and down by the user when required. The all PVC design also has no fabric or elastic meaning  easy disinfecting through the use of a disinfecting wipes, making them multi-use as opposed to disposable, cutting down on unnecessary waste to landfill,” he said.

“Face shields are a great asset in the fight of COVID-19. The product shields the user from any splash and airborne virus from coughs and sneezes, so when used in conjunction with a face mask (over mouth and nose) provides excellent protection to users. Face shields also limit the user from touching their face, a known risk factor with the spread of COVID-19.”

Each shield is individually packed and sealed in a plastic LDPE bag with a security seal featuring a ‘Laava Smart Fingerprint’, allowing for individual identification of each mask, anti-counterfeiting protection, assurance of being Australian Made (a concern given the proliferation of copycat PPE now entering the market) and interactive information for the end user, including safe usage instructions, emergency contacts and other useful resources.

‘Laava Fingerprints’ is a next generation development over traditional QR codes, developed in Australia in collaboration with CSIRO. When scanned, each individual product can identify itself and provide tailored user experiences.

“Price and volume were key to us. We needed a low cost solution that we can make big volume. Some solutions out there involving technologies such as 3D printing simply cant provide the volume required,” Kirwan added.

“We are able to produce up to 60,000 a week.” 

In order to service any large volume requirements, Foxcil has partnered with Sydney Print Media.

Sydney Print Media national sales manager David Walsh said when approached by Kirwan some weeks ago about the concept and the possible need to ramp up volumes, the company immediately looked at options to support the project.

“Through our partnership with Foxcil, volumes of 60,000 a week is now achievable and we could probably help push more out if needed,” Walsh said.

Foxcil is also giving $0.10 for every branded mask sold to Womens Community Shelter.

“We felt this was an important part of our offering. With this pandemic, domestic violence is expected to increase significantly. Domestic Violence is the biggest cause of preventable death for women aged 15-44, so we wanted to do something meaningful in this space,” Kirwan said.

Foxcil is also offering the face shield design to its print trade partners.

“As a trade printer, selling direct is not usually our thing, but giving the public a face shield option  as soon as possible was important to us to help stop the spread of COVID-19,” Kirwan said.

“We also felt it was important to give our trade customers and partners the option to buying the product unbranded, or own branded, was important to us as well. This extends to the user scanning experience which can all be branded by our trade partners and their clients. We invite all our trade buyers to engage with us to collaboratively design a solution for their clients.”

Foxcil has commenced sales via the website facespaceppe.com.au.  

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