Merchants pivot with new PPE offerings

Premier Paper: new Welfare Products range includes social distancing tape
Premier Paper: new Welfare Products range includes social distancing tape

Paper merchants are diversifying their ranges to meet growing demand for PPE-type products that are becoming part of everyday life, and are essential to firms adapting their businesses to the new Covid-secure workplace guidelines.

At the beginning of the month Premier Paper launched its new ‘Welfare Products’ range, and Antalis has just launched a new selection of ‘Protective Solutions’ products.

“We started with floor graphics and sneeze screens and it’s developed from there,” explained Premier Paper group marketing director David Jones.

“We also had customers making visors for the NHS and we were supplying them with materials, and then we had demand for the visors so we started selling the product.

“It’s about making workplaces safe and the response from customers has been very, very positive,” he said.

Premier has put the new range into a standalone brochure, and Jones said the intention was to build upon the items available as demand developed.

It includes infra-red thermometers, foot operated sanitising stations, hand sanitiser, face masks and gloves, as well as social distancing tape and sneeze screens.

“We are trying to source as much as we can locally in the UK, but it is difficult with some items such as nitrile gloves,” Jones added.

Antalis announced its new product range today (18 May). This includes PPE items such as visors and face masks, disposable aprons, anti-bacterial wipes and protective barrier film.

“The full range of personal protective solutions available is designed to minimise the risk of infection across all environments including solutions offered in line with NHS recommendations,” the firm said.

Antalis said that its range of rigid substrates could also be used to form booths, screens and for other items to promote shielding and separating in the workplace.

“For example Xanita – which is made from recycled cardboard boxes – and Stadur products can be fabricated into three-dimensional shapes to create temporary structures such as sanitising and testing stations or protective barriers.”

The merchant also offers a Xanita cut file service that is suitable for the production of items such as testing stations.

The government published guidance on how to work safely in different types of working environment last week.