Think hygiene, say BioCote

 

 

 

 

"Proven, permanent protection". If hygiene is important, there is a British company that has made it their mission: BioCote, a company founded in Coventry in 1994 that, in just a few short years, has become the world leader for antimicrobial solutions for all surface types. As regular readers of this blog will remember, Savio has worked with BioCote for some time now, researching and developing a special antimicrobial paint used on all Savio's panic bars in the Juvarra and Brunelleschi lines.

We met Guy Charteris, Partner Development Manager, to find out a more about the company's vision and the prospects for developing this technology in our sector.

Could you tell us briefly how your business started?

BioCote® was established in 1994 having secured a patent for antimicrobial powder coatings. In only a few years BioCote had become a pioneer and global provider of antimicrobial solutions, providing additives not just for paint but a wide range of materials. We now and help manufacturers around the world produce an increasingly diverse selection of antimicrobial treated products. Not like your average supplier BioCote also support customers from a technical, regulatory and commercial perspective doing all we can to ensure every BioCote customer is able to fully realise the potential of their investment.

What's the relationship between lack of microbes and hygiene?

Hygiene can be considered as the process by which things are kept clean. Perhaps more accurately, hygiene or hygienic can be used to describe cleaning systems which have an impact on microorganisms, reducing their numbers. Although not all microorganisms are harmful those that are need to be controlled by hygienic measures. Reducing microorganisms in an environment will therefore have a positive hygienic benefit, that is, improve the overall hygiene of an environment or surface.

Do you think the windows market is an interesting field of development for your technology?

Absolutely, the one part of a window (or door) that you can guarantee that will be touched on a regular basis is the handle. We also know that the kind of bacteria that could make you ill are often transferred by means of cross contamination, in this case from the hands of person A via the window or door handle to person B after they touch the handle. Interestingly this is also not a product that receives particular ‘cleaning’ attention even when cleaning windows themselves.

One of your claims says that “you can make anything antimicrobial”: what's the most incredible/funny/unusual thing you've had to deal with in this years?

We have very many customers who make all sorts of products from all sorts materials – hence the claim we can make anything antimicrobial. These range from the obvious such as Door handles, school furniture or mobile phone covers to some more interesting or unusual products. These include artificial grass, wrist watches and hair brushes.

What's the next challenge for your company?

There is a challenge facing not just BioCote, but everyone around the world this is the demise of antibiotics. Antibiotic resistance is one of the biggest threats to health security facing the world today. Whilst not the complete solution, the introduction of products, materials and surfaces that will prevent that growth and survival of bacteria that are no longer treatable with antibiotics. This is our challenge, partnerships with market leading companies such as Savio are a fundamental step in the right direction.