Oxygen sensors, manufactured by Servomex’s sensor technology brand Hummingbird, are an integral part of life-saving ventilators.
Amid the pandemic, this local business has joined, not just the national, but also the global effort, to increase production.
Martin Cox, Hummingbird’s Business Unit Director, explained:
Critical care ventilators form an essential part of any treatment for severe respiratory diseases and disorders, and have been vital for patients unfortunate enough to develop the more severe complications of the Covid-19 coronavirus.
Our Paracube sensor is used in the control and safety system of the ventilator, to ensure the oxygen mixture that respiratory therapists select on a ventilator control panel is correctly delivered to the patient.
The company’s Paracube oxygen sensor range is supplied to many of the world’s major critical care ventilator manufacturers.
Hummingbird has received an unprecedented number of enquiries since the pandemic started.
A shift system has been introduced in order to meet increased demand, whilst a number of measures have been introduced to limit potential transmission of the virus and safeguard the health of its own staff.
Martin Cox added:
Our manufacturing processes are both unique and complex, requiring an integrated and multiskilled workforce to ensure safe and reliable production of our products.
Quality and reliability are everything – these parts are used to control the breathing mixture of a very ill patient, and failure in operation is not an option with lives at risk.
Behind the scenes at the clean room manufacturing facilities in Crowborough:
As essential medical devices, ventilators are closely regulated, and so are the production practices at the facilities where they are made. Hummingbird’s sensor manufacturing team receives in-depth training over a period of six months to ensure the highest level of quality and accuracy for each hand-made sensor.
As a result of its innovative technology, Hummingbird was awarded the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in 2016.
