Two Irish companies – SL Controls and SteriPack – are working together to bring swab testing kits for COVID-19 to the US and global market.

The companies are also supporting each other to ensure the delivery of quality Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) into the Irish and global markets.

SL Controls and SteriPack had been working together on other projects but when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, SteriPack started packaging nasal swab kits at its Lakeland Florida operations to meet the overwhelming demand from multiple US and global healthcare agencies.

Project management and procurement

SL Controls assisted in project management, procurement and delivery of automation and packaging solutions to increase the speed of the swab manufacturing output at the Florida plant.

In Ireland, SL Controls are supporting SteriPack Ireland (Mullingar) with the procurement, delivery and validation of equipment for the production of PPE.

SteriPack, which was established more than 25 years ago in Ireland, is a contract manufacturer of medical devices and pharmaceutical products.

SL Controls, which was set up in Ireland almost 20 years ago and is an Enterprise Ireland client, delivers equipment system integrated solutions to a range of industries including medtech and pharma.

SL Controls Business development manager Shane McLaughlin said: “We engaged with SteriPack a number of years ago at their operations and clean room in Mullingar and also in Poland where we worked with them to automate some of their systems. However, on the back of the COVID-19 pandemic, the focus broadened to the generation of nasal swabs which were in urgent need.

'Triple speed of swab manufacturing'

“The swabs are used for COVID-19 testing and the project will triple the speed of swab manufacturing on several lines. Aspects of the project include automation to feed swabs at very high speeds, as well as case packing and cartoning of packaged swabs.

“In Mullingar, SL Controls brings its experience of project management and particularly vendor management to this project to enable rapid project delivery in 2020. This critical project which involves the creation of surgical masks supports SteriPack customers’ COVID-19 and related needs.”

Gary Leonard, SteriPack Group operations director, said: “When COVID-19 hit, we decided to utilise available capacity and the highly skilled capabilities of our team in order to help supply the global market, in an accelerated time frame, with essential equipment needed to fight the pandemic.

"While we are continuing to produce our usual medical devices and pharmaceutical products, we felt it was important to expand our capabilities and add various forms of PPE and nasal swabs to our offerings as they are so essential across the world right now.

“We have worked with SL Controls for a number of years now and their input into these crucial projects has been invaluable to ensure we are able to ramp up output and ensure the products meet all the required safety standards.”