Putting up barriers — in the right way! As a specialist in the use of PVC, Harkness Screens was uniquely placed to support the international effort to combat CV19. Here CEO Mark Ashcroft tells CT how his company is lending support globally.
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V19 HAS PLACED HUGE pressure not only on cinemas but also on the various technology companies that support cinemas. One such company is Harkness Screens, which, in the middle of its 90th anniversary year, realised that it was in a
unique position to help those in need the best that they can. Rather than close its doors and potentially put staff out of
“Better still, we have a group of employees extremely well
work, the Harkness research and development team promptly
skilled with PVC — and we have been able to keep them in
developed a product range of Personal Protective Equipment
employment throughout this uncertain period. We were able
(PPE) with various applications to help those on the frontline.
roll out specifications to our sites worldwide and now our staff
“What I was told quite early on is that no one was really
create PPE worldwide for those that need it.”
prepared for anything like this,” explains Mark Ashcroft, CEO at
Since launching the Harkness Protect line, Harkness
Harkness, “Turning on the television, that became abundantly
Screens’ PPE has been issued widely. It is in use with the
clear. You saw nurses and volunteers at drive-in testing centres
Bangalore Police, the Indian Navy, various care homes in the UK as well as at some pop-up hospitals
with aprons that looked just like bin bags and masks that didn’t have the capability to be reused.” Ashcroft has been with the company for the past seven years, coming to the screen manufacturer with a wealth of experience in the chemical, party retailing
“Turning on the television, it was clear that aprons in use looked just like bin bags.”
and optical industries. The Lancashire
that have been established to cope with the influx of CV19 cases.
Meanwhile in cinemas... What of Harkness’s core market? Ashcroft explains: “These will have fantastic application in cinemas. Over
native says he was quick to see how best Harkness could use
the past five months or so many cinemagoers will have
their expertise. “I contacted our head of R&D, Laurent Espitalier,
scarcely been in an environment with more than 20 people, so
to see how easy it would be to create various pieces of PPE that
to go from that to an auditorium is a concern for some. We
would be durable, reusable and still lightweight. Quickly he
believe that if our exhibitor customers are looking to make
and the rest of the team had specifications for aprons, barrier
movie-goers as comfortable as possible, we can help.
screens and face shields available for review. The key to the
“Barrier screens can be deployed at any contact points —
whole thing is that we were using materials we already had
the concessions stands and ticket booths, even in hallways to
readily available.
separate arriving and departing customers. We are also able to
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Harkness has seen demand for its PPE screens from all quarters, notably from the hospitality trade, as here at Barge East, a restaurant in Hackney Wick, London
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