Ocyan donates material to manufacture masks against the new Coronavirus

Ocyan donated acetate sheets, in partnership with the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Macaé campus, to produce masks for the use of health professionals who are at the forefront of the fight against the new Coronavirus pandemic. The equipment will be produced in the University’s laboratory by means of 3D printing – in all, approximately two thousand masks will be produced with this material, the manufacture of which will begin immediately.

“These PPEs will be distributed to public hospitals in Macaé at first, but they may cover other health units in neighboring municipalities and the region. Safety is and always will be a value in our activities and this type of PersonalProtective Equipment will be fundamental, not only for the protection of these professionals, but also for those who will be assisted by them. To protect oneself is to protect everyone,” explains Marco Aurélio Fonseca, Ocyan’s Sustainability Officer.

Ocyan’s partnership with UFRJ is long-standing. Through its Social Responsibility Program, School in Action, through the project #inovareaprender, the company donated to the Management and Research Center of the Macaé Unit of UFRJ technology and innovation equipment, among them, a laser cutter that will now be used to make the masks. The equipment can produce up to 500 masks per week. In addition to these machines, there are volunteers working from home, with their own 3D printing equipment as well, in a joint effort to meet this demand at this time.

“The material came at a great time, as we are in high demand for masks and lack of material. We will start production immediately”, celebrates Carlos Eduardo Lopes da Silva, Municipal Secretary of Science and Technology of Macaé.

Internal campaign

This week,Ocyan also began an internal campaign to encourage donations by members tothe Citizenship Action (“Ação da Cidadania”) social program, an internationally recognized institution in the fight against hunger.

“Many of our members participate in various volunteer actions throughout the year and are, once again, giving another demonstration of the spirit of service by mobilizing themselves to obtain resources and in some way support the most needy, a public that is most vulnerable with this crisis,” concludes the Officer.