“Pivoting business operations” to produce hand sanitizer and disinfectant

09 Apr 2020 --- As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, vital medical, health and hygiene products are in short supply. In a tactical pivot from their usual business operations, a number of manufacturers and suppliers within the F&B industry are adapting production lines in order to meet demand for hand sanitizers and disinfectants. Among them are alcohol brands, chemical and ingredients companies. FoodIngredientsFirst examines the role these businesses have to play in these unprecedented times.

Dow Chemicals Company has adjusted its manufacturing role to produce hand sanitizer at its global facilities, “with the majority of it being donated to local health care systems and government agencies for distribution,” a company spokesperson details. Meanwhile, as the shortage of hydro-alcoholic disinfectant gel hits many countries around the world, Roquette has adapted one of its pilot lines at its site in France to support healthcare workers on the front line. 

During a time where hand sanitizer is needed the most, a Dow company spokesperson details that “a large portion of the required raw materials are readily available at company sites,” but underscoring that the company “does not typically produce hand sanitizer,” they tell FoodIngredientsFirst. 

After assessing the company’s capability to manufacture hand sanitizer at its facilities around the world, Dow recently revealed that its manufacturing sites in Auburn, Michigan; South Charleston, West Virginia; Seneffe, Belgium; and Hortolândia, Brazil possess the necessary raw material handling, mixing and packaging capabilities and will produce hand sanitizer. These locations join Dow’s site in Stade, Germany which has already produced hand sanitizer for donation.

Dow’s existing production capabilities are critical to supplying many of the most vital hygiene and medical products and technologies to help address the COVID-19 pandemic, such as disinfectants, sanitizers, cleansers, plastics used in the production of disposable personal protection equipment (PPE) for medical professionals, to name a few. 

“The hand sanitizer we are producing is not for sale and, therefore, is not being used as a business opportunity. All hand sanitizer we are producing is allocated, with the majority of it being donated to local health care systems and government agencies for distribution,” the spokesperson comments. “Some will also be used at our production sites to help protect our employees and ensure we continue to run our operations safely,” they add. 

Meanwhile, Dow continues its normal operations to produce critical raw materials for a host of hygiene and medical applications. “Our asset flexibility allows for a meaningful volume of sanitizer to be produced with little to no impact to normal operations,” the spokesperson notes. 

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, health and hygiene products are in short supply. A number of manufacturers and suppliers within the F&B industry are adapting production lines in order to meet demand for hand sanitizers. Dow’s Auburn site has the capacity to produce approximately 15,000 pounds (7 metric tons) of hand sanitizer per week, which equates to nearly 30,000 eight-ounce bottles. Similar or greater volumes are expected to be produced at the other Dow locations. When all of these locations are at full production, Dow’s collective output is expected to reach more than 440,000 pounds (200 metric tons), or the equivalent of more than 880,000 eight-ounce bottles. Production of hand sanitizer will occur for approximately four weeks in the four Dow sites, after which time Dow will assess extending production based on raw material availability and market need, the company highlights. 

As supply shortages intensify in the fight against COVID-19, brewing giant Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev)’s breweries around the world have begun using technology from its non-alcohol beer brewing process to create disinfectants from the surplus alcohol. Working with local partners, AB InBev is able to either package the disinfectant alcohol alone or transform it into a hand sanitizer gel. Collectively, we will be donating both disinfectant alcohol liquid and over one million bottles of hand sanitizer around the world, not for purchase or resale, to hospitals and frontline workers in some of the most impacted areas, the company reports. 

“In today’s unprecedented times, our purpose remains unwavering, even when we are temporarily at a distance. We have a long history of supporting our communities and this time is no different,” the company comments. 

The brewer also said that it would also repurpose facilities and its supply chain to make and distribute hand sanitizer.

NutritionInsight recently reported that major personal care players are making charitable moves to help ameliorate the COVID-19 crisis. After the US Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) guidance allowing alcohol companies to produce hand sanitizers, a slew of brands joined the bandwagon. Personal care organizations such as the Personal Care Products Council (PCPC) are maintaining that the situation is well monitored and that industry is coordinating efforts.

Roquette’s hydro-alcoholic disinfectant
Meanwhile, the shortage of hydro-alcoholic disinfectant gel is hitting many global countries. In response to this, earlier this month Roquette adapted one of its pilot lines at its site in Lestrem, France, to manufacture a hydro-alcoholic disinfectant solution.

The company will produce 5,000 liters of hydro-alcoholic disinfectant solution per week to support healthcare workers on the front line. The first shipment has now been sent to the Lille University Hospital Center, to the French Blood Donors Organization and to other local health facilities, in coordination with the Hauts-de-France Regional Health Agency and local authorities.

In the context of global pandemic, Jean-Marc Corpart, head of the project from the Roquette R&D team, tells FoodIngredientsFirst the company is “making every effort to ensure the safety of our employees and the continuity of our operations in order to continue to serve our customers in the food and pharmaceutical markets.”

“The health and safety of our employees remains our top priority,” he continues. “We have taken all necessary preventive measures, in accordance with company procedures and recommendations from the authorities, to protect our employees.”

“As a key player in the Food, Nutrition and Health markets, we have a social responsibility, we must continue to meet the demand for our products. This requires us to ensure the production and delivery of our food ingredients, excipients and active pharmaceutical ingredients,” Corpart explains. 

Formulations recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) for the manufacture of hydro alcoholic solutions contain raw materials that Roquette was already using for the production of certain pharmaceutical or industrial ingredients, and the company’s internal teams have been mobilized within a very short period of time. “We quickly adapted one of our R&D pilot lines to produce this hydro alcoholic solution and respond to the needs of healthcare workers,” Corpart adds. 

In light of the rapid developments related to COVID-19, FoodIngredientsFirst has launched a new daily news feed for the coronavirus-related information and insights you need to guide your business through this challenging period.

By Elizabeth Green