Sidel is joining the fight against Covid-19, transforming its international centre of excellence for PET packaging development in France into a production centre to make bottles for hydro-alcoholic gel.
An initial batch of 5000 PET bottles for the disinfectant has already been sent to the Hospital of Dijon and another batch has been sent to Le Havre, Normandy for the city's pharmacies and hospitals.
Presently, there is a high demand for hydro-alcoholic gel for sanitation in France and around the world. The French government recently issued a plea for assistance in producing the product. Several industries have taken up the call, but there has been difficulties in distribution, as the gel is normally produced in large containers.
Vincent Le Guen, vice-president packaging at Sidel, said, “With collaborative skills and agile and creative work, our engaged employees were able to transform our centre of excellence into a small production centre in only two days.”
A first request was received from the Hospital of Dijon in mid-March asking to provide small size containers in order to package the hydro-alcoholic gel.
Sidel responded and found the right raw materials and co-operation partners to produce the bottles. The bottles are made from an existing Sidel 500ml mould and the preforms were provided by a key beverage player, while the sport caps were supplied by a cap manufacturer. The sport closure allows controlling the gel flow and keeping it safe.
In the meantime, other similar initiatives have begun.
“We got in contact with a local deputy in Normandy and discussed how Sidel could support local health players in these challenging times,” Le Guen said.
“The deputy informed us that also pharmacies are facing difficulties in gel distribution, therefore, in addition to the 500ml bottle for hospitals, we quickly designed a smaller – 200ml – bottle format, which is more user-friendly for individual use to be distributed in the local pharmacies. In total, more than 1000 bottles were delivered to the local pharmacies on 1 April, all 100 per cent recyclable and potentially refillable after sterilisation."
Le Guen said the initiative is a gesture of solidarity with healthcare workers.
“It will help us make a difference in overcoming the supply shortages that have arisen due to the current situation,” he said.
“Flexibility has long been a centrepiece of our solutions and services. By working in this mode, our weekly production capacity is up to 20,000 bottles and we can handle more requests of this kind. Sidel appeal to the generosity of any business partner in providing additional preforms and caps to keep the business continuity.
“Moreover, we are also prepared to support other companies who would require moulds to produce bottles on their packaging lines, wishing to take over extra responsibility in the common fight against the virus.”
