A Huntingdonshire-based company has said the fall-out of the COVID-19 pandemic has presented it with opportunities to innovate.

While it acknowledges that coronavirus has affected the lives of billions of people worldwide and had a negative impact on many industries, it says there have been opportunities to continue working under careful conditions and tackle the societal effects of the virus.

International manufacturing and engineering company, TRB Lightweight Structures, has continued operating in Peterborough and Huntingdon, as well as in its US facility in Kentucky, and has maintained production and supply for its customers – including Hitachi Rail, CAF and Elekta – despite some of its own suppliers closing.

From the start of the pandemic, the demand for TRB’s solutions has continued to rise above and beyond expectations, with all office and shopfloor staff pooling resources and pitching in to help where they could,” said a spokesperson for the company.

And 16 extra temporary staff were hired in May to help with the increasing workload, and more will be required in the coming months in order to complete contracts for the rest of the year. The company has also taken the opportunity to join the fight against COVID-19 by adapting one of its machines to produce vital personal protective equipment (PPE). This has helped to combat the shortfall in PPE in the NHS, and TRB is proud to be now making one face visor every 50 seconds.

TRB’s flexible approach to combatting many of the problems presented by COVID-19 has included all office personnel working from home, and those on the shopfloor adhering to the appropriate social distancing guidelines. Added protective measures such as increased cleaning, hand sanitiser stations and temperature checks were also put into place, as well as the company working at 20 per cent reduced capacity.

Richard Holland, managing director at TRB, said: “Our goal was to keep the company stable, safe and contributing during the pandemic, providing a much-needed boost to the economy. We especially appreciate the efforts that our staff have made in these difficult times.”

TRB Lightweight Structures (TRB) is a leading international manufacturing and engineering company, specialising in lightweight and durable composite products for a range of industries.