Despite challenging times, Beeswift is not resting on its laurels and is continuing to go from strength to strength. Mark Sennett talks to CEO Les Giles about key issues facing the health and safety industry.

What has been your key product focus this year so far?

If you'd asked me any other year, I would have said lots of product development, exciting new ranges including footwear, hand protection and head protection. But this year is very different as your readers will recognise.

During the COVID-19 outbreak, the health and safety community has been talked about continuously, but seldom been represented in the media, so I would like to take this opportunity to thank on our communities behalf all the NHS, Frontline Staff and everyone else looking after us the general public. We are doing everything we can to protect you and we are trying to keep you all safe, whilst preparing for the re-opening of the economy and the need to re fill the supply chain into industry. The demand on a relatively few actual manufacturers as opposed to traders and middlemen has identified real flaws in the spread of production and pricing structure globally.

Focus remains on providing fully CE compliant, conforming and certificated PPE to all that need protecting within the strictures of the current pandemic and the wider sectors requiring protection.

 

Can you tell me more about the Ethical Trade Initiative (ETI) that you are part of?

During normal times, The emphasis on workers’ rights, safety, freedom and conditions is at the forefront of what we do through continues monitoring, auditing, This is what we do. Sadly during this never before seen phenomena we are very conscious of the fact that many workers who have not worked for 3-4 months due to lock down in their own countries are trying to make up lost income by working excessive hours, this combined with Factories running at 100% full capacity 24 / 7 will place enormous pressure on the whole supply chain and the workers within it for many months to come. We are monitoring our partners using the now familiar video meeting spaces as well as using QC personnel and different partners to check on others in the same country as a form of check and balance. My concern is for the countries where order books have been cancelled leaving the whole supply chain, in retail fashion garments for instance without work, or income and the localised stress this must be causing with little or no social welfare safety net.

Essentially our aim is that all workers involved in our supply chain are covered by the 9 pillars of the ETI Base code. Check out ETI Base code to learn more.

 

Have you had supply chain issues in the current pandemic and how have you overcome those?

The reality is that we spotted the signs of the epidemic in Wuhan quite early on – probably the back end of last year – and we took some precautions and ordered as much as we felt we could speculatively expecting future challenges, however, no one could have imagined what has subsequently happened.

As far as the supply chain is concerned, this is a lesson for us all. In the 90s, we all moved our production primarily to the Far East. We have had 20 plus years of mainly good quality and consistent supply and pricing and we need to remember that. But we have lost our ability to react and our ability to manufacture product locally, both in terms of infrastructure, production personnel and raw materials. This is an area we intend to invest heavily in as we move forward.

 

What do you think are the key issues facing the health and safety market at the moment?

At this moment in time it is compliance. Whether it is a hand sanitiser, a P2 mask, a P3 mask, a piece of hand protection, the market is being flooded, but sadly not necessarily with the correct products, everyone has become a C19 expert.
 

Ongoing, I am watching AI very closely as it ingresses into the conventional working environment on one hand, and as a polar opposite am rethinking UK / European production for critical PPE items which in contrast will still have strong elements of labour intensity, premises costs, labour costs, government tax costs, which raises the question that caused the exodus of this very industry and many others 20 plus years ago, will people pay? Ask today the answer is an emphatic yes, Ask in 12 months time for example, the answer could well be, they cost how much?!
 

Can you tell us about Beeswift and the range of products that you offer and what will be on show at the Health and Safety Event?

Product wise we have quite a lot of new innovation to bring to market regarding respiratory equipment. We have a very innovative range of P2 and P3 respirators which have a unique fitting and securing function, taking them to a whole new level of comfort and fit. They will be ready for September and on display at the Health and Safety Event we are also looking to bring some fun to the hand protection market. We have developed a range called Glovezilla. This inventive New range of around 18 styles including hand armour that glows in dark – ideal for night workers, to high levels of heat and thermal protection. You have got to be able to do your job when wearing hand protection, wear ability, and Protection are the major focus for Glovezilla.
 

Much of my recent effort has been focussing on our new purpose designed head office facility, which includes a 120,000 sq ft distribution centre along with a dedicated education wing to house our upcoming training division. Training and education are essential tools for our employees, our customer's employees and the industry in general. We hope to be fully operational by January 4 2021.

 

Why are you exhibiting at the Health and Safety Event on the 22-23 September?

Health and Safety Event's location in Birmingham makes the show so accessible because of the rail, plane and road links. It is so convenient for our European, International and Commonwealth friends, and I've signed up for a three-year deal. We share the event organiser’s and BSIF’s vision of making this the leading show in the UK health and safety calendar. Huge strides have already been made on this front and now  the majority of big brands are all on board and the Health and Safety Event is now the UK's premier show and I believe it will continue to develop year on year to rival and exceed many of its Global counterparts..

For more information on Beeswift, visit www.beeswift.co.uk/

 

Beeswift will be exhibiting on stand K60 at the Health and Safety Event, which takes place at the NEC Birmingham on 22-23 September 2020. To register for your free pass visit www.healthandsafetyevent.com/