Michelin UK volunteers produce 1,000s of pieces of PPE

Pop-up manufacturing centre at Stoke-on-Trent Michelin Athletic Club helps protect colleagues, customers and wider community

Stoke-on-Trent’s Michelin Athletic Club was converted into a temporary PPE manufacturing facility

Michelin staff have produced thousands of protective face masks at a temporary manufacturing centre in Stoke-on-Trent. The masks have been used to keep colleagues, customers, and the community safe in the Covid-19 pandemic. The Michelin Athletic Club, close to its factory and office, housed volunteers and furloughed staff producing the masks following extensive training.

The initiative has allowed Michelin UK to donate more than 13,000 face masks to the wider community, including some Stoke-on-Trent care homes and charities.

Face mask ‘self-sufficiency’

A team of seven were given extensive training to carry out the work. Victoria Shirley, who works in logistics at Michelin, said: “I volunteered for the role because I had started making masks myself, for family and friends, as well as a donation of 500 to a local care home. I thought some of these skills might be useful and came in a week beforehand to help start setting up production. We are working in a really good atmosphere and keeping morale up.”

Fellow team member, David Clarson, also works in logistics at Michelin. He said: “It feels good to be doing something to help make people safe.”

The mask production facility operates to stringent safety operating protocols, overseen by Michelin Stoke factory manager, Francois Levert. He said: “The factory is back in production and it is important we are self-sufficient in face masks. Safety is our number one priority and people from different parts of Michelin UK have worked together on this project – it has been a great team effort from everyone.”

The masks have been used by factory, sales and logistics employees. They have also been used by tyre technicians who have been keeping vital services such as ambulance and truck fleets on the road throughout the crisis.