Melbourne-based engineering and technology commercialisation company Grey Innovation led an Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre (AMGC) industry consortium, supported by a $500,000 Victorian Government grant, to design and produce 2,000 Notus Vivere emergency invasive ventilators to support the fight against COVID-19. By Carole Goldsmith.
“The project started in June last year and took four months to complete,” advises Jefferson Harcourt, Executive Chairman and Founder of Grey Innovation. “The ventilators were urgently needed for Australian COVID patients and the project retained or created 350 jobs.
“Initially we had approached the Victorian Government with the hypothesis that we would design the ventilators and there would be an overseas manufacturer involved. Then I went to Gavin Smith, President of Bosch Australia, explained the project and asked if Bosch would participate.
“Gavin said ‘Yes’, and by 9am the next day, we had arranged a meeting with the Victorian Government. A budget was approved for a working group to make the emergency ventilators around the clock. We then started calling every manufacturer in Victoria that could make ventilator parts.”
Harcourt negotiated a licence agreement with Smiths Medical in London for a certified ventilator design based on Smiths’ Pneupac Transport Ventilators. The licence agreement allowed a minimum of 2,000 ventilators to be produced by the Grey Innovation consortium of AMGC manufacturers.
At that point, Harcourt advises that the Federal Government came on board with a $32.1m contract for an additional 2,000 ventilators. He says that 2,000 TGA-approved ventilators were sold to the Federal Government, and 200 were sold to the Victorian Government.
The AMGC’s site reveals that it matched the Victorian Government’s $500,000 investment to support Grey Innovation to manufacture sufficient Notus Vivere Emergency Invasive Ventilators, patient circuits and other consumables suitable for TGA approvals.
Among the many AMGC companies involved, ANCA and Marand manufactured and assembled thousands of critical parts, while Bosch manufactured the test equipment required to verify the ventilators. Harcourt lists the AMGC’s consortium of companies and organisations participating, revealing many of Australia’s leading manufacturers:
- Key Suppliers: ANCA CNC Machines, Bosch, Braemac, Brandwood CKC, Circuitwise, Dolphin, Fairmont Medical, Hosico Engineering, Hydrix, Marand, Markerry Industries, Medmont International, MOR Industries, MO Milling, Planet Innovation, Romar Engineering, Shotton Group, Smiths Medical, Stug Australia, and Swinburne University of Technology.
- Support Partners: Abbe Corrugated, Australian Calibrating Services, Brand Services, BOC, Depth Logistics, EMC Technologies, Esco Industries, Gascon Systems, Hydraulic Seals, Jehbco Silicone Specialists, Kenelec Scientific, Laerdal, Luna Nameplate Industries, National Industries, Novaline, Sutton Tools.
Harcourt has more than two decades of experience in the development and commercialisation of cutting-edge technology as well as the creation and operation of several technology companies. Although Harcourt describes himself as an energetic business entrepreneur, he also attributes part of his success to having a Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering from Swinburne University, before he started the company.
“You couldn’t do this job without engineering qualifications.”
Harcourt is a Director of Tali Digital Limited, and Executive Chairman of GreyScan. TALi, a leading, ASX-listed health business, provides digital attention training for early childhood. GreyScan uses capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE), a technique used for the separation of proteins, peptides, and nucleic acids, to create technology within the security, defence, pharmaceutical and medical industries. Both companies were initially developed by Grey Innovation and Harcourt is very proud of their global progress.
“TALi recently did a partnership deal with The Times Group in India, which has a readership of 400m,” he says. “We will be building the program into the Times online newspapers which has a potential of 50m families to use the TALi program.
“GreyScan was originally designed for explosive detection and we are now pivoting it to see viruses. We are working with CSIRO and the Doherty Institute on a large project where GreyScan can detect the COVID virus (SARS-CoV-2) in people’s breath in just three minutes. This means that we will be able to test people quickly for the COVID virus before they get on the plane, which could be a global break-through for testing COVID and other viruses.”