Eastman helps NHS to make own PPE after landing £300,000 loan

HUDDERSFIELD-BASED Eastman Staples has provided vital equipment to manufacture personal protective equipment (PPE) for the healthcare industry after receiving a £300,000 loan from HSBC UK through the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS).

Eastman traditionally supplies a range of equipment such as sewing machines, fabric and textile tools to clients across the garment industry.

However, with demand for PPE across the UK surging, the company was inundated with requests from the NHS, its suppliers and factories searching for machinery and materials.

The funding package from HSBC UK enabled Eastman to quickly source and supply a range of equipment and machinery to its clients.

Most recently, the company has supported volunteers at the “Scrubs Glorious Scrubs” campaign, who are creating colourful patterned scrubs for doctors and nurses working on the front line; and Northumbria NHS Trust, which has opened a PPE factory to help beat the supply crisis.

To date, Eastman has provided equipment including sewing machines, chairs, garment rails and mannequins to these clients at a time of unprecedented need.

Eastman director Peter Kyprianou

said: “As with many businesses, Eastman Staples has faced uncertain times during Covid-19, which has required us to quickly adapt our business model to clients’ needs.

“We were inundated with requests from PPE suppliers who were desperately trying to meet demand.

“We were determined to help them, but this would not have been possible without the HSBC UK team, including Navin Sharma and Joanne Evenden.

“The funding has enabled us to meet these urgent orders and helped to keep the business trading throughout this challenging time.”