Shield Guard from Healthguard Hygiene Ltd has been officially certified effective against the novel coronavirus, one of the first two products in the UK to be EN 14476A:2019 tested and approved.
Healthguard Hygiene Ltd was born out of the InnuScience Group, both owned by the Bothongo Group. Shield Guard is Healthguard’s range of quality sanitising products manufactured in the UK under strict ISO9001 conditions.
Nick Winstone, director of InnuScience UK and Healthguard Hygiene Ltd explains the story behind the launch of the new company: “We responded to the urgent need to provide protection through hand sanitiser, to hundreds of thousands of frontline workers and feel a responsibility to continue to provide these products as Britain slowly emerges from its lockdown. We needed to do this in a way that does not conflict with our mission within InnuScience, hence the launch of the brand of Shield Guard and Healthguard Hygiene Ltd, focused on the protection of human health through the use of sanitisers, as a separate company within the Bothongo Group.”
The creation of Healthguard Hygiene Ltd is an example of how an established operator has been able to demonstrate agility by serving a rapidly growing market segment. “We identified the immediate hygiene need and thus developed a product specifically for COVID-19,” explains Asheen Dayal, Head of Group Marketing at the Bothongo Group. “Our focus is on providing a complete range of disinfection products to eliminate pathogens and support a strong cleaning regime.”
Shield Guard’s hand sanitiser contains 70% raw material alcohol sourced from Scotland’s finest distilleries. The initial range includes hand sanitiser in a quick-drying gel formulation, a surface sanitiser, and a virucidal all-purpose degreaser and cleaner. The surface sanitiser is safe for food contact items, biodegradable, and can be used on any water-washable hard surface.
Shield Guard is certified ISO EN 14476:2013 and importantly ISO EN 14476A:2019 which confirms that both their hand sanitiser and surface cleaner kill SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. It was tested early in May 2020 at Blu Test Labs Glasgow.
Shield Guard has been very well received by the market and has exceeded sales expectations. Healthguard Hygiene Ltd, based in Milton Keynes, is creating six new full-time jobs and expects to sell over 20 million units in the coming year. More than 500,000 units were sold in the first three weeks after the Shield Guard brand’s launch.
Shield Guard’s success is an indication that decision-makers know a good and effective product when they see one. Because trust and credibiity matter so much when it comes to hygiene products, Healthguard Hygiene Ltd is launching with a complete 360 degree marketing kit designed to help B2B businesses communicate trust and confidence to both staff and external customers in key industries, notably HoReCa.
“The plan is to continue to develop and produce products to assist customers in short-to-mid term as well as the “post-Covid era”, with a view to establishing HealthGuard Hygiene Ltd as a leading UK manufacturer of hygiene and cleaning products within the next 3-5 years,” adds Asheen Dayal. “I’m confident that we have the right mix of brand credibility, sales track record and customer service to be a heralded British company.”
Healthguard Hygiene Ltd is the new health and hygiene brand of the Bothongo Group, which is also the controlling shareholder in InnuScience UK – a leading manufacturer of biotechnology cleaning products. Shield Guard from Healthguard Hygiene Ltd is a range of quality sanitising products manufactured in the UK under strict ISO9001 conditions.