Companies, such as steel fabricator JF Equipment, are reworking their current products and systems to cater to the need for readily available sanitary and hygiene products to assist in combating the spread of Covid-19.

Such developments include the company’s foot-operated dispenser, which allows for sanitiser or cleansers to be dispensed without the user coming into direct contact with the unit.

The units, being manufactured using 304 stainless steel, can withstand environmental conditions and high levels of use.

The hands-free, standalone unit comprises a 1-m-high dispenser that is operated using a foot pedal instead of the hands.

The quality-approved sanitiser solution is also housed in a 1 ℓ, stainless steel container that is fixed to the frame to ensure longevity and increased public usage.Upload

The units are in production and available to the market.

“As the concept for the unit already existed, the company simply adjusted the unit to be more stable and robust for mass use and durability,” says JF Equipment business development manager Freddy Schade.

He points out that hygiene forms a large part of the products and services that the company – which normally specialises in the supply of sanitary products to the food processing and manufacturing sector – manufactures.

Schade adds that making the transition to ensuring its products are available to a wider market was an easy one.

The Covid-19 pandemic made the company realise that many businesses dealing with consumers and/or the public would need to implement stringent sanitation procedures.

Consequent developments include the company’s Sani Tunn, which was conceptualised and created during the lockdown period.

“Each unit is specifically designed to cater for the environment in which it will be used,” says Schade.

The walk-through mobile unit can be set up at the entrance to any public area and can sanitise an individual, as well as whatever he/she is carrying or pushing into a public place.

He explains that stainless steel piping installed inside the tunnel carries an approved sanitisation solution, which is dispersed through a spray system that is operated by sensors and comprises a high-pressure pump and nozzles.

The solution works with all fabrics and synthetics, such as trolleys or pushchairs,  and is hypoallergenic for sensitive skin and facial use.

The unit will include a volume-dependent high-pressure pump and reservoir tank of between 50 ℓ and 1 000 ℓ, depending on capacity requirements. Pricing will vary depending on the materials used in the manufacture and size requirements.

Schade concludes that the company believes that, with the limited number of industries that have been permitted to operate during the higher levels of lockdown, those that can, should