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Buckle Up

"To be aware of our social responsibility” is one of our corporate values. Especially in these difficult times for all of us, it is important to Schmersal to contribute to the fight against the corona virus.

The use of masks or the wearing of proper facial coverings is now part of everyday life in many places around the world. Good for those who are skilled in handicrafts or who have the possibility to make a self-sewn temporary mask with the support of friends or family. However, not everyone has so much luck or the time available to dedicate to creating their own masks to use as well the sometimes poor availability of masks for purchase and in the middle of the daily stress of everyday life it is not always easy to have an adequate facial covering at hand.

Like all of us, the colleagues in our innovation garage know the subject from their own experience and have therefore been thinking about how to meet this challenge pragmatically. On closer inspection, the problem is quite complex: Facial coverings should not contain any materials that are (currently) difficult to obtain - ideally, all the necessary "building blocks" should be available in every average household. In addition, no special skills or knowledge should be required for "assembly". The facial covering should be quick and easy to assemble, so that even in a car in a supermarket parking lot, for example, assembly is not a problem.

Against this background, a clip has now been developed leveraging the proven Schmersal teamwork. The newly designed Schmersal clip along with a normal piece of fabric and two elastic bands or standard household rubber bands can be converted into a face shield in a few simple steps. The plastic material used is FDA-approved and thus approved for direct skin contact. Of course, the clip is produced in our own plastic component production and packed together with a small instruction manual as part of our usual logistics processes - the clip is a genuine Schmersal product.

The DIY-facial covering can then be used in all situations where the necessary distance to other people cannot be maintained. Particularly in areas of the world where access to masks is much more difficult than in Europe and where people live together in confined spaces, such a DIY mask can be an important aid.

To date, several thousand pairs of clasps have already been produced and sent to companies of the Schmersal Group, among others, where they could be distributed in the respective regions.

Help to stem the spread - it's time to buckle up!