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Alpha Solway secures £53m contract creating 200 new jobs
Dumfriesshire-based Alpha Solway, part of the Globus Group, has secured a major order to manufacture 232 million surgical masks and two million visors for NHS Scotland.
The £53m contract will meet the demand for Scotland’s health and social care sectors until summer 2021. Furthermore, the order will enable the creation of around 200 new jobs, in addition to the 50 already created at Alpha Solway since the start of the pandemic.
The company will also be producing six million FFP3 respirator masks, which will meet around 87% of Scotland’s health and social care needs. FFP3 masks offer the highest level of protection against fine particles, including viruses and bacteria.
Alpha Solway has secured a £53m contract to supply PPE to NHS Scotland that will create 200 extra jobs at its Annan factory / Picture: Globus Alpha Solway
Alpha Solway moved its respiratory PPE manufacturing to the UK earlier this year to reduce the disruption to the global PPE supply chain caused by the coronavirus.
Alpha Solway director Steven Binnie, said, “Alpha Solway is proud to be awarded this order to further support NHS Scotland during this incredibly challenging time. We are also delighted to announce that it allows us to create two hundred new jobs.
“NHS Scotland’s commitment to purchase critical PPE from local manufacturers sends positive signals to businesses such as ours and gives us the confidence to continue investing in the local area. Put simply, it enables us to do more in the fight against the impact of Covid-19, but in a way that lays positive, sustainable foundations for the future.”
Ivan McKee, minister for trade, investment and innovation, said that the order is “fantastic news for Dumfriesshire and for NHS Scotland.”
“It delivers significant savings to the NHS as well as supporting vital jobs – both at Alpha Solway and at other Scottish businesses in their supply chain – and demonstrates that Scottish business is cost competitive on a global stage.
“The order also highlights that the proactive work undertaken during lockdown to bolster the Covid-19 supply chain is continuing to deliver real benefits in the form of higher employment, increased manufacturing activity and savings for our NHS.”
The £53m NHS Scotland order was awarded to Alpha Solway through a regulated procurement framework with Arco – a major national distributor of PPE.