When news of the rapid spreading of the COVID-19 virus broke, the TSC immediately started with the production of hand sanitisers to be distributed to staff and to be placed at strategic points on campuses for students and on-campus communities to stay safe. The first 1 500, individual hand sanitiser units (15 ml), were distributed to campuses on Friday, 20 March.
Although the TSC has capacity to produce up to 5 000 of the 15 ml containers per day, the current shortage of raw materials countrywide, has slowed the production of sanitisers down. Within these limitations, the TSC staff is hard at work to source as much raw materials as possible and once available, they will continue to produce 5 000 of the individual (15 ml) containers per day or 2000 x 500 ml or 1 000 x 1 litre per day, depending on the needs and requirements of users.
The TSC’s plan is to produce enough sanitisers to be handed to every staff member upon their return after the lockdown period and subsequently for every student as well.
The production of hand sanitisers will be an ongoing project until the crisis is over, with the TSC also investigating ways to assist vulnerable communities, like old age homes, with sanitising and staying safe. The TSC team is highly committed in joining hands with the country and world in fighting the virus.
The TSC has an important role and function in terms of research, innovation and taking a project from a concept to an implementable solution.
The TSC is one of eighteen technology stations in the country and one of three such stations within the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment (FEBE). These technology stations form part of the CITSIs at the University.
The TSC deals primarily with product and process development, manufacture of chemical products, technology and demonstration, training of enterprises and students, and consulting with clients on their chemical technology needs.
The TSC identifies needs and initiates research, receives the majority of its projects directly from industry clients or the Technology Innovation Agency (TIA) refer them to TUT.