Category: Uncategorized

Bedfont hosts a virtual launch party to officiate the opening of Bedfont GmbH

On 3^rd September, Bedfont hosted a virtual launch party to open their first overseas office, Bedfont GmbH, based in Salzburg, Austria. Earlier this year Bedfont announced the acquisition of its former distributor, Dr Lahner Medizintechnik, which now serves as the new GmbH headquarters.

Determined to not let COVID-19 halter their growth, Bedfont opted to virtually open their overseas office via a video call. The whole company was present, including the Bedfont Family based in Austria, and their German distributor, newly established by the GmbH office. The launch consisted of a few speeches from Bedfont’s Chairman, Trevor Smith, the Managing Director, Jason Smith, and former owner of Dr Lahner Medizintechnik, Dr Dorothea Lahner, who will be involved in business development and customer relationships for Bedfont GmbH. Complete with celebratory gifts, a sign unveiling, and a mini ribbon cutting ceremony, the launch was well received.

Dorothea comments, “These are very exciting times and they’ve only just begun for Bedfont GmbH. I’m glad we had the launch virtually as it was quite fun to film the sign unveiling for the Bedfont Family to watch. I look forward to helping Bedfont GmbH grow.”

Jason comments, “This is a huge milestone for Bedfont; although we are a small family business, exporting is one of our strengths. Opening an overseas office has always been a goal of ours and I’m absolutely over the moon we’ve managed to achieve this. Despite Brexit, we hope our new GmbH headquarters will strengthen our market positions across Europe. Whilst it would have been lovely to open the offices in person, the virtual launch was very innovative and successful.”

A short clip of the Bedfont GmbH sign unveiling during the Launch can be found on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJKI4G0RxTQ

Medical device manufacturer launches new incentive spirometer, Breathacise®

Market leaders in medical breath analysis, Bedfont® Scientific Ltd. announces a new venture in pulmonary health with the launch of their incentive spirometer, Breathacise®.

Through deep breathing exercises, the Breathacise® can be used to measure lung inspiratory reserve volume (IRV), train, and improve lung capacity for a healthy lifestyle, endurance training and exercise, or to help with recovery after surgery. Easy to use, with a unique visual incentive in the form of a basketball game, the Breathacise® can be used by all ages for a number of beneficial purposes.

Research shows that exercising your lungs with an incentive spirometer retrains them to take slow deep breaths, increasing your lung capacity. This, in turn, helps improve your ability to breathe as it keeps your alveoli inflated. Keeping your alveoli inflated and working properly helps your lungs exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide more effectively.

Jason Smith, Managing Director at Bedfont, comments, “It’s an uncertain time for small businesses right now we’ve got to be adaptable, which is why the launch of our Breathacise® incentive spirometer is very exciting. Not only is Breathacise® a new respiratory venture for us, but it is also a product that can help with pulmonary recovery – something that is much needed at this time.”

The Breathacise® incentive spirometer can be purchased from Amazon.co.uk here.

If you needed a little Monday pick-me-up, have you seen our latest corporate video? Even if you already have, a re-watch of our typical British humour might be just what you need!

This video is a little different from our previous ones; we wanted to add an element of humour to portray the family side of our business, whilst also getting in the key information about who we are and what we do.

Unfortunately due to the world going into lockdown, we didn’t have much of a chance to ‘officially’ launch this video, but we wanted to share our work nonetheless: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=P-h7KpMn5Ds

Today is World Environment Day – an awareness day held annually on June 5th and organised by the United Nations to encourage consciousness and action for the protection of our environment – which is why it is the perfect day to announce Bedfont® Scientific Ltd.’s #EcoResolution.

As the threat of global warming seems ever pertinent and with technology making more people aware of climate change and its devastating effect, more and more people are beginning to think about their impact on the environment and so it only makes sense that as companies we should consider our carbon footprints also, and how to reduce them.

If the past few months during lockdown have proven anything, it is that nature is a wonderfully resilient thing; carbon emissions have fallen sharply and the lower pollution levels and lack of human footfall have allowed for the water in Venice to become clear enough for fish and even jellyfish to be seen swimming in the canals, and for endangered sea turtles to have a rise in population.

While the environment has been able to recover over a short period of time, it makes one think how much of an impact we really have on eco-systems and how we can make changes going forward to not reverse the good that has come about.

At Bedfont®, we’ve always been conscious of our carbon footprint, and today we are proud to announce our #EcoResolution to make all of our consumables eco-friendly by 2025. This not only includes changing the materials our consumables are made of, but also making changes throughout its production lifetime to reduce our climate impact, including sourcing new eco-friendly materials from sustainable resources.

We’re excited to share that our first step in making this happen is by introducing our SteriBreath™ Eco mouthpiece. Whilst the current polypropylene SteriBreath™ mouthpieces are recyclable, there are not many facilities available to break down this grade 5 plastic. Unfortunately, polypropylene also takes several years to break down naturally in landfills, and because it is plastic, when incinerated it results in the release of toxic fumes, which contribute to pollution levels.

It is, for this reason, we have conscientiously sought after a way to provide more environmentally-friendly mouthpieces. The SteriBreath™ Eco is 100% made from paper and therefore it is 100% recyclable and 100% biodegradable, including its packaging. Even better, all the materials are from sustainable sources, meaning we are reducing our carbon footprint in even the production phase. It’s going to be a difficult journey to change the norm of consumables in the medical device industry, but like the story of the butterfly effect, the smallest changes can have the biggest impacts.

The NObreath Fractional exhaled Nitric Oxide (FeNO) monitor from Bedfont is being used in a novel study to see if FeNO levels are affected by COVID-19

Testing has started at the Hospital Policlin São José dos Campos in Brazil to establish what effect SARS-COV-2 (COVID-19) has on FeNO levels, and if measuring FeNO can act as a biomarker of prognosis for COVID-19 patients. The study, conducted by Professor Rodolfo de Paula Vieira, uses the NObreath® FeNO monitor from Bedfont Scientific Ltd. to take measurements during the initial consultation, together with other parameters.

Prof. de Paula Vieira explains, “High levels of FeNO have been associated with bronchial inflammation, remodeling (fibrosis) and hyperresponsiveness in asthmatic patients, and especially asthma severity and prognosis. Thus, due to the nature of the inflammatory and rapid fibrotic process found in COVID-19 patients, we hypothesized that COVID-19 patients could present high levels of FeNO at the beginning of the disease. In addition, some mild and moderate symptomatic patients presenting COVID-19 symptoms have come to the hospital and some of them develop the severe form of COVID-19. The study will evaluate the possible correlation between FeNO levels with the progression of severe COVID-19 patients and if a correlation can be found between FeNO and the progression and severity of COVID-19, FeNO could be introduced to general practice for initial trial of individuals with COVID-19 symptoms, aiming to permit an early medical intervention to avoid the illness becoming more severe.”

Managing Director, Jason Smith, says, “We have been working with Professor de Paula Vieira for some time now and are privileged to have him and his enthusiastic team on our Medical Advisory Board. We have collated as much clinical theory as possible on this subject; some suggest FeNO levels could rise some suggesting it could fall, but as this virus is very new and novel there really is no replacement for targeted testing which we believe will be the first of its kind.”

Smokerlyzer manufacturer urges people to quit Smoking ahead of No Smoking Day 2020

In March 1985, Bedfont Scientific Ltd. launched the Smokerlyzer carbon monoxide (CO) monitor to help people quit smoking. Today, the Smokerlyzer is still used worldwide by Stop Smoking Services and Bedfont are urging people to start their smoke-free journey as No Smoking Day approaches on 11th March.

According to the World Health Organisation, tobacco smoking is responsible for 8 million deaths each year, of which 1.2 million deaths are actually non-smokers being exposed to second-hand smoke. No Smoking Day is acknowledged annually throughout the UK to encourage smoking cessation and raise awareness of the health-related risks brought about from cigarettes.

Jason Smith, Managing Director at Bedfont® Scientific, comments, “No Smoking Day is the perfect opportunity to quit the habit. The UK is already moving towards a smoke-free future and quitting begins by visiting your local Stop Smoking Service and asking for a Smokerlyzer breath test. The monitor works by doing what comes naturally – breathing.”

By analysing a breath sample, the Smokerlyzer can tell how much CO is in your lungs and blood that has been inhaled from smoking. Smoking builds high levels of CO in the blood, which can lead to heart disease, circulation problems, and high blood pressure. The Smokerlyzer is a useful tool for Stop Smoking Services to establish a smoker’s status, whilst acting as a motivational visual aid to encourage patients to quit smoking and to measure their progress whilst doing so, helping to prevent cancer and other smoking related diseases.

To find your local Stop Smoking Service and take a Smokerlyzer breath test, visit https://www.nhs.uk/smokefree/help-and-advice/local-support-services-helplines.

References:

1. Tobacco [Internet]. Who.int. 2020 [cited 9 March 2020]. Available from: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/tobacco

Bedfont Scientific Ltd. is proud to share its statistics for IWD 2020

Every 8th March for over 100 years, International Women’s Day (IWD) celebrates the economic, cultural and political achievements of women as well as building and accelerating women’s equality¹. Local med-tech company, Bedfont Scientific Ltd., is proud to celebrate and share its statistics this IWD.

A small second-generation family business of 48 employees, 46% of Bedfont’s workforce is made up of women and so is 50% of their management team.

Bedfont takes pride in being an innovative and progressive company and have taken many steps to improve their employee welfare over the past couple of years, including establishing Well-being Warriors, training up Mental Health First-aiders, building a break-out room for their employees, and much more.

Niki Carter, Office & HR Manager, comments, “We strive to create a great culture here by defining a diverse and inclusive atmosphere. How we treat our employees has a direct impact on economic growth – happiness leads to increased productivity, creativity, and innovation. It’s really great to see the strides the company are taking to look after us – we see ourselves as the Bedfont Family.”

References:

1. International Women’s Day 2020 [Internet]. International Women’s Day. 2020 [cited 9 March 2020]. Available from: https://www.internationalwomensday.com/

Bedfont has been named as a finalist in 2 categories for the Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce Awards

An annual event, the Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce Awards brings the business community together to celebrate the achievements of local businesses and individuals. This year Bedfont are proud to have been named as finalists for Exporter of the Year and Innovative Business of the Year.

Bedfont, who design and manufacture breath analysis medical devices, have been trading since 1976, and export their products across the globe thanks to their network of carefully selected distributors.

They began with one breath analysis product, which was innovated and developed over the past 40 years to create 8 breath analysis products. This includes carbon monoxide (CO) monitors such as the Smokerlyzer®, used for smoking cessation, and the ToxCO®, used by emergency services, to screen for CO poisoning. The NObreath® FeNO monitor provides accurate analysis of airway inflammation for the control of asthma, and the Gastrolyzer® range aids in the detection of gastrointestinal disorders and food intolerances. Quick and non-invasive, breath analysis is the new blood test.

Jason Smith, Managing Director, comments, “We’re thrilled to make it through to the finals of the Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce Awards; neither achievement would have been possible without the hard work and dedication of the Bedfont Family – our employees and distributors. Just to be named among the top companies in Kent is an honour and we look forward to celebrating everyone’s accomplishments at the Gala.”

The awards are being held at Westenhanger Castle on 19^th March.

Bedfont acquires first overseas office in Austria

Bedfont, based in Kent, has purchased its first European office in Salzburg, Austria from Dr. Lahner GmbH, who was its first distributor when Bedfont began exporting in 1988. Bedfont has been in talks with Dr. Lahner for several months and is pleased to announce that the deal completed on Friday 31^st January 2020.

Bedfont is confident this move will only strengthen its presence in Europe by increasing both brand and product awareness, helping them to gain access to new markets, including, Germany.

Jason Smith, Managing Director, comments, “The plan has always been to branch out with additional offices strategically located across the globe but Brexit has expedited this process to a small extent – regardless, I am very happy to announce that we have acquired our first European office and we’re excited to work alongside Dorothea.”

Dr. Dorothea Lahner says, “As a Managing Director, I have always believed customer satisfaction is the key to success. As a customer of Bedfont since 1988, the dedication that Bedfont shows me as a customer is unfaltering. I look forward to helping Bedfont with the transition to establish their new European office and wish them all the success in the future.”