Raiders of the lost PPE
BONO LAUDS DONOUGHMORE’S ‘MR CHINA’ FOR HELPING TO GET VITAL PPE
THE Donoughmore entrepreneur dubbed ‘Mr China’ has been lauded by none other than U2 frontman Bono for the pivotal role he played in securing essential PPE for Irish frontline workers.
Likening Liam Casey – the founder and CEO of global design and manufacturing giant PCH International – to the fictional movie adventurer Indiana Jones, the enigmatic singer described his efforts to get the vital equipment from Chinese suppliers as being like ‘Raiders of the Lost PPE’.
Bono told RTÉ’s Ryan Tubridy that when efforts by the band to secure PPE met with a brick wall, he turned to Mr Casey, who he said was like ‘Scotty off the Starship Enterprise for his ‘can do’ attitude, for help.
The Donoughmore businessman used his extensive network of Chinese contacts to secure millions of masks and tens of thousands of goggles and gowns, many of which have already been shipped back to Ireland on specially charted flights.
U2 front-man Bono has praised Donoughmore businessman Liam Casey for the key role he played in bringing vital PPE from China to Ireland – likening him to the fictional film adventurer Indian Jones.
Speaking to Ryan Turbridy on RTÉ Radio One last Friday, Bono paid tribute to Mr Casey, for his efforts in helping Bono and band source PPE from Chinese suppliers.
The founder and CEO of global custom design and manufacturing giant PCH International, which has offices in San Francisco and the Chinese city of Shenzhen, Mr Casey has been dubbed ‘Mr China’ for his vast knowledge of the world’s second largest economy.
Bono explained how he and the band wanted to do something to show their solidarity with the Irish frontline workers, turning to Mr Casey who used his vast connections in China to help source PPE.
Describing the difficulties faced in getting PPE, Bono said , “it’s an extraordinary market out there (for PPE). People and countries are being pushed out of the way by a whole manor of vendors.”
Bono said that “everyone was calling everyone” and using their contacts to source PPE for Ireland to “make sure we would not be stuck without these masks and gowns.”
“I thought this is what we can do. I know this guy called Liam Casey,” said Bono, who likened the Donoughmore entrepreneur to Scotty of the Starship Enterprise for his ‘can do’ attitude.
He went on to further liken Mr Casey to Indiana Jones saying his efforts to source the vital equipment was “something like Raiders of the Lost PPE.”
“It was really difficult, but with the help of Liam Casey the band managed to secure 20 million masks, 100,000 goggles and 30,000 gowns.
In truth, its a small contribution,” said Bono.
Some of the PPE fronted by U2 has already been flown into Dublin on specially charted flights, with more deliveries to come over the coming weeks.
Bono said it was the frontline workers that the band “went to work for”.
“Not just about the health care workers. Its the taxi drivers who take them to work and the people who stack shelves in supermarkets,” he said.
“Its a different level of courage and when we surface from this (COVID-19) the whole world will have changed. I hope that one of the things that has changed is the view of who are the most important people in our workforce.”