Automotive accessory manufacturer EGR Group has shifted its Queensland operations from automotive accessories to protective face shields for front-line medical staff and retail workers.

EGR’s Salisbury factory will produce the products at the rate of hundreds of thousands a day from later this month for domestic and international use, removing the need for Australia to import the products from overseas.

EGR group director Rod Horwill said EGR was the only company in Australia that manufactured this type of material on a mass scale.

“We already produce thousands of tonnes of plastic sheeting a year for the automotive industry in Australia and globally,” Horwill said.

“We have dedicated resources to move quickly, adapting our extrusion division operations to fill this critical need for health workers.

“But we also see benefits beyond coronavirus to first responders and are looking to create a new personal protection equipment division to supply the local health industry into the future.”

“With the automotive industry slowing as a result of the pandemic, this innovative approach of fast-tracking our research and development into this much-needed health product means we’re able to provide job security for up to 800 Queenslanders.

“The face shields are designed, developed and manufactured right here in Brisbane with export opportunities in the US, New Zealand, South Pacific and Papua New Guinea.

“We’ve already received inquiries from the health sector in the US as they too face this ongoing global health crisis.”