COVID-19 forces big changes

One sector that has seen an enormous hit from the pandemic, states MiniTec, is aviation, with flights cancelled across the world, almost overnight.

“This situation has obviously had a knock-on effect for airports, which are now working at very low capacities," it adds. "As an example, Heathrow Airport passenger traffic for January 2021 was down 89%* on the same period last year.”

For the airport, social distancing screens are at the top of the list is for the safety of millions of travellers each month, as well as the staff working in the terminals.

Safety guard solutions

In early April 2020, MiniTec was approached by the team at Heathrow Airport to look at safety guard solutions that could be integrated into areas where significant interaction between people takes place, including bag search areas, baggage carousels and security lanes.

The safety screens needed to be incredibly robust, with a framework to fit existing desks, clear polycarbonate screening, as well as stations that would need to allow for document pass-over between staff and passenger.

Fast prototyping

“Due to the flexibility of the MiniTec profile system and ease of the design capability, we created prototypes for the safety screens within two weeks, working with the on-site engineers to design, create CAD drawings and produce initial solutions for testing,” reports the company.

“Even through the difficult circumstances for all involved, we remained incredibly responsive, supplying six prototypes and delivering over 80 units for installation at the airport during the same month.”

As a result, MiniTec has been rewarded with Tier 1 Supplier status for Heathrow Airport and says it looks forward to working more with the airport in the future as things gradually return to normal.

* https://www.heathrow.com/company/investor-centre/reports/traffic-statistics