WALL PROTECTION AND IPS UNITS


Mental health specifiers targeted by IPS specialist


BioClad, which manufactures and supplies bespoke IPS units, and also supplies hygienic and antimicrobial cladding to the healthcare, pharma, education, retail, hospitality, and commercial sectors, has established its first in-house IPS manufacturing unit in a new York facility, and – to ensure a more efficient supply – brought under one roof distribution of its wall cladding at a new Harrogate depot. As The Network’s editor, Jonathan Baillie, discovered from Sales director, Claire Redhead, the company is also looking to extend its reach into acute mental healthcare.


BioClad was established in 2008 as a company in its own right by Lindsay McKenzie, the current CEO. At the time its main focus was supplying ‘hygienic’ wall cladding to customers throughout the UK and Ireland. Today this is still a key part of its activities, but to its product range it has since added antimicrobial wall cladding, integrated plumbing systems (IPS units, for short), antimicrobial safety flooring, antimicrobial heavy-duty doors, and antimicrobial wall and door protection worldwide. As you would expect given that its wall cladding systems are heavily targeted at healthcare facilities, among the cladding’s key properties are ease of installation and cleaning, chemical resistance, and a robust construction. Prior to concluding a ‘partnership’


agreement with BioCote – which has been established as a supplier of antimicrobial silver-ion technology supplier for over 25 years – and with which BioClad has a licence to embed the company’s silver- ion additives into its wall cladding during manufacture, Lindsay McKenzie had run a separate business supplying more ‘standard’ PVC cladding since 1995. The BioClad website states that the integration of BioCote silver-ion technology into products and surfaces during manufacture provides ‘integral protection’ against microbes including MRSA and E. coli, even ‘deactivating’ Influenza H1N1 by up to 99.99% within 24 hours. Laboratory tests and real-life studies have verified that the technology, which ‘works 24-hours-a-day’, eradicates 80% of microbes within 15 minutes, and ‘up to 99.99%’ within two hours.


Simplifying cleaning and maintenance With the ever-greater focus on hygiene and infection control in healthcare, BioClad says these properties not only help minimise cross-contamination, but also simplify maintenance and cleaning of a range of surfaces and products found in medical environments without the use of harsh chemicals. Once integrated, the


THE NETWORK | MAY 2023


An anti-ligature, en-suite, fully welded and thermoformed ‘around the corner’ wall panel.


additives will continue to function as a long-term defence against microbes in the treated product or coating. By way of context, BioClad explains


that while antibacterial technologies are only effective against bacteria, an antimicrobial combats a wide spectrum of microbes – including bacteria, mould, fungi, and even viruses. Currently, there are four main types of antimicrobial additive in widespread use, based on silver-ion (as in the case of BioCote additives), copper, zinc, and organic technologies. The silver-ion additives reportedly kill even antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria such as MRSA, VRE, and CRE, but also mould such as Aspergillus, which, in addition to being unsightly and unpleasant, presents a considerable health hazard to those exposed to it. The technology destroys


the microbes by damaging the proteins on which they rely to exist, and the cell membrane, causing oxidative damage, interfering with DNA replication, and promoting the formation of reactive oxygen species.


‘Hygienic’ cladding Alongside its antimicrobial wall cladding, BioClad also supplies what it dubs its ‘hygienic’ PVC cladding – based on a standard white wall panel compatible with standard trims and details. It says the ‘advanced’ PVC hygienic cladding panels ‘do not harbour bacteria like tiles do’, and ‘can be wiped clean in seconds’. They are also resistant to the chemicals typically found in the medical, healthcare, and food production industries, and available in a range of colours and designs. BioClad says


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