Tuesday – 17 May 2022
With the New Zealand border back open it was time to get on a plane to visit some key suppliers overseas. First on the list was the team at Malina Safety in the Czech Republic. Malina Safety manufacture the CleanAIR brand of PAPR and Airline respiratory systems. We’ve been representing them in New Zealand since late 2020, but thanks to COVID, we never had a chance to meet them in person. Also, Prague is a city I’ve always wanted to visit, so the decision was an easy one.
After 33 hours of travelling, across three flights we arrived in the Czech Republic and were greeted by Petr Čermák, the sales and marketing manager.
Seeing that we were exhausted, Petr dropped us to our hotel where we got a chance to unwind and see a couple of local sights before an early dinner and off to bed.
Wednesday- 18 May 2022
Today we spent the day at Malina’s HQ and factory in Jablonec nad Nisoua (yes that is how it’s spelt).
They were keen to show us some of their latest products and tell us about the new innovations that are underway. We were particularly impressed with the new “Omnira Combi Air” which is a combination welding hood and grinding shield. It’s hard to overstate how well designed this solution is, they’ve thought about everything to make the switch between welding and grinding simple and seamless.
Flip up welding fronts are not new, but the combination of features they offer is something the market has not seen before. Here’s what I mean…
The autodarkening welding helmet starts with advanced air distribution which you can easily adjust with a lever on the outside of the helmet. When combined with a CleanAIR PAPR system like the AerGO, the user is able to protect their respiratory system as well as their eyes and face from harmful radiation including visible light, ultra violet (UV), infra-red (IR) radiation, hot sparks and spatters.
The True Colour ADF has the highest optical quality 1/1/1/1 and when combined with a CleanAIR PAPR system, offers the highest protection level of respiratory protection TH3.
The flip-up system allows users to switch between welding and grinding without compromising respiratory protection.
For extended non welding jobs, simply remove the welding visor completely, with one click. No screws to remove, no tools needed. Within seconds you have a light weight grinding shield without ever compromising your respiratory protection.
The grind shield itself has an easily removable visor that can be switched out in seconds with no tools required. Choose from yellow, shade 3 or 5 or if you prefer a cylindrical visor with protection film
That’s a pretty impressive list of features right there, but that’s only the beginning. The team have been working with professional welders to address all the areas of annoyance and have worked to resolve them. All replaceable parts are easy to access, the harness is fully adjustable for a comfortable fit, soft padding means wearer comfort is guaranteed. The Omnira Combi Air also comes with free flame retardant head and neck cover, and they’ve even packaged in a belt clip so when you’re on a break you can hang your helmet from your hip, so it doesn’t get left on the ground and damaged.
Needless to say we’ve placed an order for these and they will be arriving in New Zealand in a couple of months. We’ll keep you posted prior to their arrival and will be putting together some early bird specials, so keep an eye out.
For now, we’re off to try some of the Czech Republic’s most famous exports…beer! Or pivo as the locals call it and experience some great Czech hospitality.
For more information please click here to download the Omnira Combi Air Brochure or watch the YouTube Video below:
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If you have any questions about the new Omnira Combi Air, please don’t hesitate to contact any of the team on 0800 323 223 or enquiries@ph7.co.nz
