A KEIGHLEY-based company has invested in new folding equipment to speed-up production of personal protective equipment.

The move, by PFF Group, comes after the firm was awarded a Department of Health and Social Care contract to produce 360 million aprons for frontline NHS and healthcare workers.

PFF – which has its head office in Royd Ings Avenue and a plant at Washington, Tyne and Wear – had already invested more than £2 million in bespoke machines and created 100 new jobs after securing the contract.

The latest equipment will operate alongside recently-installed manufacturing machinery.

Lee Wilkinson, PFF Group supply chain manager, said: “Machine speed is critical to enable us to hit production targets.

“We were already using 100 tonnes of pre-folded sheet but needed a minimum of an additional 30 tonnes of folded film sheet per week to deliver on the contract.

“Investing in the new machinery and further staff training has enabled us to fold the sheet ourselves, speeding-up production as the new machines are running much faster – with output currently at 50 tonnes a week.”