A leading distributor and manufacturer of engine filtration technology and components for the commercial vehicle, rail and automotive sectors, FCL joined forces with Bombardier to develop and produce the anti-viral heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) filters.
Stacy Trewin, group managing director, FCL, said: “In March 2020, as the coronavirus outbreak started to spread across the globe, we turned our attention to measures which could help prevent the spread of the virus. This led to the development and manufacture of the Pathogen Eliminating Particulate Air Filter (PEPA-F®) which is 99.8% effective against SARS-CoV-2 (COVID19). PEPA-F® provides an intelligent upgrade to your existing HVAC filter.”
In September 2020, FCL launched its first version of the PEPA-F® in the UK that is now sold all over the world. Effective as a measure to combat the spread of airborne particles which may contain pathogens and viruses such as SARS-CoV-2, the HVAC filters contain registered silver technologies to attract and eliminate the virus. Used in bus fleets as far afield as Singapore and North America, the PEPA-F® has been approved by various authorities and independent experts from universities worldwide and has attracted attention from the biggest names in bus and rail. It can be customised to be fitted to buildings and other infrastructure.
FCL sales director James Hudson said: “The pandemic raised the profile of air quality. At the beginning of the pandemic, we thought of ways to assist in the safety of transport sectors that we were already involved in which faced the biggest challenges from Covid-19. We set up a working group alongside Bombardier to explore various options and technologies, while examining how, with the input from operators, we could help keep passengers and maintenance staff safe on those vehicles.”
The challenge was to make the product scalable so it could be used by operators across the fleet and remain separate from mechanical issues on board. Due to the evolving nature of the virus, regulations must be revised regularly to offer protection to transport passengers, but FCL has continued to test the product against new specifications.
As social distancing and face masks become lesser favoured measures to limit the spread of Covid-19 as they are often considered intrusive, organisations are increasingly turning to FCL to fit their offices with the PEPA-F®.
In October FCL is sponsoring the Road Transport Engineer of the Year at the inaugural SOE Safety and Sustainability Awards to be held at Jaguar Castle Bromwich. It will be an opportunity to share the positive impact it has had on the industry over the course of the pandemic.
“Our business wants to get technical, support our customers and continue to raise the profile in the engineering community. We are looking forward to it,” added James.
FCL joins DAF Trucks, the headline sponsor, First Bus, MCP Consulting, Atlas Copco and HSB Engineering Insurance as supporters of the event which recognises major achievements, individually and collectively, in the Society membership.