News / Factories switch production to boost medical supplies to fight Covid-19

© Artur Szczybylo

Growing numbers of companies are changing tack, shelving production of normal wares to make hand sanitiser and other medical products.

Some forwarders, meanwhile, are offering to ship them.

French luxury group LVMH has switched its luxury perfumes for sanitiser, while small gin distilleries across the UK and Ireland and France’s Pernod Ricard have also stepped in as alcohol supplies in Europe dwindle.

Flow Water Technologies has offered to supply the Cyprus government with disinfectant free of charge, after it ramped up production of disinfectant compound sodium hypochlorite. It is now capable of making five cubic metres of high-concentrate a day, the equivalent of 60 cubic metres of sanitiser.

“We have taken the joint decision to put aside our immediate commercial objectives and help assist with the national fight against Covid-19 infection escalation,” said chief executive Mark Hadfield.

“Cyprus imports chemicals, but it will soon run out. As Flow Water Technologies BWMS solution holds a Cyprus biocide licence for the emergency services, the moral obligation was clear.”

But it’s not just manufacturers looking to help the fight against coronavirus.

Flexport.org is to export thousands of coronavirus test kits from Asian suppliers to the US west coast, but added that it had “limited resources to pay for all of these and other urgently needed supplies for the healthcare system”, and called for donations.

It said: “It’s time to punch back, join humanity’s counterattack by making a tax-deductible donation. 100% of your money will go toward buying and shipping critical products for the world’s healthcare systems in this time of need.”

Another forwarder, on LinkedIn, commented: “I proudly work for a rival company, but I absolutely applaud these efforts as we all need to work together, especially in the logistics/supply chain community.”

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