Mondeléz repurposing chocolate tech to make PPE for frontline workers

An innovative partner of ParalympicsGB is manufacturing vital equipment to protect front line NHS staff battling the Covid-19 pandemic.

Mondelez International has joined forces with engineering company 3P innovation to help produce thousands of urgently needed medical visors every day to protect doctors and nurses on the front line.

The food manufacturer is repurposing its 3D printing technology which is normally used to make chocolate sculptures at Bournville, the home of Cadbury, to help print the medical visors.

Louise Stigant, UK MD at Mondelēz International, said: “The NHS and other frontline services are doing an incredible job and we want to support them wherever we can.

“I’m extremely proud that our research and food engineering teams have come up with a creative way to repurpose our chocolate making skills and technology, so we can make and print parts for the medical visors. By working in partnership with 3P and other businesses we can scale our operations and help protect those who are working so hard to protect us and beat coronavirus.”

Mondelēz International is a long-term supporter of ParalympicsGB, initially supporting the Paralympic movement through The Cadbury Foundation funded ParalympicsGB ‘Sports Fest’ - a series of free events giving people the chance to try a wide range of Para sports.

During the build-up to the Rio 2016 Paralympics special edition Cadbury ‘Wini Eggs’ were created to celebrate the Games.

Mike Sharrock, Chief Executive of the British Paralympic Association, said: “As an organisation which has a number of NHS staff within its team at every Paralympic Games we are acutely aware of the vital roles Doctors and Nurses are playing in facing this crisis.

“This brilliant initiative to manufacture vital PPE for healthcare workers makes us proud to count Mondelez among the long-term supporters of Paralympic sport in this country.”

The scheme builds on a fascinating history of Cadbury’s Bournville factory stepping in to help the nation in times of need, having set up Bournville Utilities Ltd in the 1940s to help make gas masks, jerricans, service respirators and aeroplane parts for Spitfires and Lancaster Bombers during WWII.

3P recently launched an industry wide initiative to bring together businesses and individuals who can help produce, assemble and distribute the visors to hospitals, doctors’ surgeries and clinics across the UK.

Mondelēz is helping to produce the hard-plastic bands which connect the top and bottom of the visor. It has also invested money into the project so 3P can buy injection mould technology, which will mean the visors can be mass produced.

3P have already delivered the visors across the UK and will be scaling up their operations, with the aim of making and delivering up to 10,000 units every week.

Mondelēz is also contributing over £2m in the UK to help local communities, charities, foodbanks and people working in the NHS and other frontline services.