FORT WORTH, Texas, April 21, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Electrocomponents
plc (LSE: ECM), a global omni-channel solutions partner for
industrial customers and suppliers, and the parent company of
Allied Electronics & Automation has chosen The Washing Machine
Project Foundation as its first global charity
partner, pledging to support the project for three years.
Support will extend to encouraging the Group's employees, customers
and suppliers to contribute through fundraising and volunteering
activities.
The Washing Machine Project was set up in 2018 by British
engineer Nav Sawhney following a
sabbatical in South India, where
he witnessed women and children enduring many backbreaking hours
washing clothes by hand. He discovered that 70% of the world's
population do not have access to an electric washing machine and
for many washing clothes in rivers, lakes and buckets is the only
solution. Handwashing clothes is recognised as being a major
barrier to education for low-income and displaced people around the
world. This repetitive, demanding task, which can take upwards of
20 hours per week, often also leads to chronic back and joint
pain.
This experience led Nav to develop a prototype for an affordable
off-grid manual crank washing machine, the Divya. It is the only
machine of its kind to be developed for humanitarian purposes and
requires no electricity to operate. It uses a flywheel mechanism
with drum-in-drum technology and combines washing and spin-dry
functionality. Designed to be made from reusable off-the-shelf
components and easily maintainable, it can be operated and fixed
anywhere, by anyone. Using the Divya reduces the time spent
handwashing clothes by 75% and requires 50% less water. It can
handle loads up to 5 kg, despite weighing just 12 kg.
Nav and his team at The Washing Machine Project are working to
further improve the design and to broaden its humanitarian,
sustainable and educational impact. With multiple modes of
activation, such as push, pull and foot, the Divya Two will be
easier to use by people with disabilities. It has also been
modified to be used while seated, to reduce muscle and joint strain
and promote better posture.
Following trials last year, 50 Divyas are now in use in the
Jeddah 5 refugee camp in
Mosul, Iraq. By 2023, the plan is
to have at least 7,500 machines available to disadvantaged families
and communities in 10 countries, providing relief to around 100,000
people.
To continue its work the project requires essential funding. The
three-year partnership with Electrocomponents will enable the
charity to alleviate the burden of washing clothes for thousands of
hard-hit families and communities. With an innovative engineering
solution at its heart, the mission of The Washing Machine Project
resonated with Electrocomponents' own, as both organisations share
the ambition of creating a more sustainable world.
"Electrocomponents' support will provide critical funding and
components to develop our future machine and build the capacity of
our organisation so that we can reach many more people in need,"
commented Nav Sawhney, Founder, The
Washing Machine Project.
"At Electrocomponents we are committed to inspiring a more
sustainable world through education and innovative solutions that
improve lives," said Lindsley Ruth,
Electrocomponents CEO. "That's why we've chosen the Washing Machine
Project Foundation as our first global charity partner and will
mobilise our people, customers and suppliers in support of this
fantastic cause."
Support The Washing Machine Project by making a donation at
https://electrocomponents.blackbaud-sites.com.
Video footage available at: https://youtu.be/rlZYj-sl7P8
About The Washing Machine Project
The Washing Machine
Project is a registered social enterprise dedicated to designing,
developing and distributing low-cost, water-saving, manual washing
machines to provide displaced and low-income people with an
alternative to handwashing clothes. The Washing Machine Project is
supported by The Washing Machine Project Foundation which is a
registered charity in England
& Wales (No.1193480)
About Allied Electronics & Automation
Allied
Electronics & Automation is a high-service distributor of
automation and control, electronic, electrical, mechanical, and
maintenance products from more than 500 world-class suppliers. With
sales offices across the Americas, a focus on digital customer
experience, 99 percent ship-to-order accuracy, and more than 3.5
million parts available for purchase online, engineers, designers,
maintainers, and purchasers trust Allied to provide a wide range of
solutions across the entire product lifecycle. Connect with us at
www.alliedelec.com or via social media on Facebook, Twitter, and
LinkedIn.
About Electrocomponents
Electrocomponents plc is a
global omni-channel solutions partner for industrial customers and
suppliers who are involved in designing, building or maintaining
industrial equipment and facilities. We aim to offer our customers
unrivalled choice of product technologies, solve problems with
innovative solutions and deliver a world-class customer experience,
making it easy to do business with us.
We stock more than 500,000 industrial and electronic products,
sourced from over 2,500 leading suppliers. We solve problems and
provide a wide range of value-added solutions to over one million
customers. With operations in 32 countries, we trade through
multiple channels and ship over 50,000 parcels a day.
Electrocomponents plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange and
in the last financial year ended 31 March
2020 reported revenue of £1.95 billion. Electrocomponents
plc has nine operating brands: RS Components, Allied Electronics
& Automation, RS PRO, OKdo, DesignSpark, IESA, Synovos,
Needlers and Liscombe.
For more information, please visit
www.electrocomponents.com.
Editorial contact:
Lynn
Webster-Scott
Head of Group PR
lynn.webster-scott@electrocomponents.com
+44 (0)7796 336499
PR Agency Contact:
Janice
Fenton
Account Director
Publitek
janice.fenton@publitek.com
+44 (0) 7774 725483
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SOURCE Allied Electronics & Automation