Rising to the Ventilator Challenge with our Partners MAC Valves

Just as lockdown began, we rose to the Government’s “ventilator challenge” of producing 30,000 ventilators, a project which we, as part of the bigger team of Dyson and MAC Valves, managed to complete in just 6 weeks from blank canvas to working solution.  PSI’s part, as the UK distributor for MAC valves, was to design a valve to ‘fit’ the oxygen regulators, akin to a stepper motor driven valve and which was difficult to replicate with existing solenoid valves.  While the remit was readily available parts for speed, this just wasn’t possible.  What was possible though was designing a workable valve still within the timescale. The new valves were then in continuous production and shipped in their 1,000’s, all during lockdown.

While the demand for ventilators was not as initially envisaged, it was an exercise that demonstrated speed, agility, brainpower and tireless energy; from all the teams involved.  Rising to the challenge, completing the challenge and learning from the challenge is an experience that we’ll never forget.