HeiQ praises partners for role in responding to high demand
23/04/2020
In the case of Viroblock NPJ03, the supply chain has included Wacker Chemie, FHNW School of Life Sciences (University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland) and Alchemie Technology.
As HeiQ pointed out, the international textile supply chain, from raw materials to chemistry to finished goods, has been disrupted by the covid-19 pandemic. The company said it “would not have been possible to serve the sudden and urgent hike in demand without a few close partners for a seamless supply chain that is intact, even during pandemic times.”
Wacker Chemie has been a partner for the past decade for providing raw materials as silicone fluid and cyclodextrins; as demand surged and resources became more scarce, Wacker “was able to go out of their way to secure the supply of its cyclodextrins for what was needed”, HeiQ said.
Once supply of raw materials was secured, FHNW School of Life Sciences developed protocols for initial pilot trials and provided first production batches to serve demands in nearby countries, such as Italy, where material for medical textiles was urgently needed.
With production secured, Cambridge-based Alchemie, which dyes and treats medical textiles with their process technology Novara, applied Viroblock NJP03 together with their Endeavour waterless smart dyeing of the required colour by the UK’s National Health Service.
Having “strong relationships with our partners” allowed HeiQ to “seamlessly procure raw materials, produce technology and apply product in a quick and efficient manner. Once again, we see the various parts of the supply chain come together in a united effort when needed to develop and produce products for every front-line worker that are more resistant to pathogenic viruses and bacteria,” said Carlo Centonze, HeiQ co-founder and group CEO.
Share this story:
