Leicestershire-based JRE Precision Ltd (www.jreuk.com) is hard at work in the fight against COVID-19 producing vital equipment needed for NHS hospitals.

With many years’ experience in the design and manufacture of regulators under its PRESREG brand, particularly in the healthcare sector where strict health and safety guidelines must be adhered to, the company is manufacturing two key products to help the NHS through the coronavirus pandemic.

Its oxygen regulators, which are fixed to a panel and attached to the main oxygen supply, feed the main circuits in hospitals, which feed through to the ventilators.

This allows 3,000 litres of oxygen to be delivered per min through one regulator — on larger installations more can be added. The new hospitals being constructed in London and Birmingham could require 24 tonnes of oxygen every 7hr.

The demand for the oxygen regulators is usually around 100 units per year, but the current crisis has called for 70 units to be manufactured in just two to three weeks for NHS hospitals as admissions accelerate.

JRE Precision is an approved regulator supplier to BOC, the UK’s largest provider of quality medical gas products and services.

In addition, JRE Precision has been approached to produce a prototype of a unit to go into the regulator itself.

The demand for ventilators has increased enormously and the successful product once tested and approved will require 30,000 units as soon as possible.

While following its own social distancing procedures — the company designed and prototyped a product which passed tests in just four days last week and it is currently working on a second prototype under the same tight timescales.

JRE Precision says it has been overwhelmed by support from other businesses, offering additional machinery and free factory space, should it be required.