Four thousand liters of fruit wine that was supposed to become cider were repurposed by Carlsberg Croatia into hand sanitizer to donate to its employees and their families, as well as to the City of Koprivnica and the local community in which it operates. It converted the wine into disinfectant because, at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, it could not procure enough disinfectant for its business premises. To turn the mentioned quantity of wine into disinfectant according to a formula designed in Carlsberg’s laboratory, production was carried out at another company because Carlsberg does not have the conditions for such a process. This is just one of many resourceful players in markets affected by the pandemic.
New Lines
The company Spirit in a Bottle temporarily suspended the production of Old Pilot’s gin due to reduced demand and is transitioning to the production of disinfectants, specifically an ethyl alcohol-based hand antiseptic. In addition to saving its business and waiting for better times to resume gin production, the repurposing of production into a currently strategic product is a wise decision by the company’s co-owners Hrvoje Bušić and Tomislav Anadolac. They have certified their new product, but due to the high price of ethyl alcohol, which has increased fourfold during the coronavirus crisis, they are launching test production of concentrated alcohol from a sugar base with a small brewery.
In just a few days, Ina also produced a disinfectant based on a formula developed by experts from Ina Maziva. This is Ina Dezinol, a product that disinfects surfaces and is intended for disinfecting retail spaces of Ina and the cabins of tank trucks; it is also available for retail sale.
Labud has recently launched a new professional line, Labpro, for disinfection adapted for household use. Until now, Labud’s disinfectant products were only available in wholesale, but the high interest from citizens prompted the company to create a household line in a very short time.
From Masks to Respirators
In addition to the high demand for disinfectants with a higher alcohol percentage, protective masks, gloves, and suits are also in demand. Thus, protective masks have become a new product for some textile industries, such as Galeb, which began sewing them in its factory in Omiš.
The textile industry Calzedonia Group has also temporarily reoriented its production to protective masks and suits. In its facility in Varaždin, Calzedonia is currently producing ten thousand masks a day, and they have become new products for URIHO, the Kamensko Association, and many small crafts.
There is also a shortage of respirators in the market, prompting many large global companies to decide to produce them, such as the consortium that includes aircraft manufacturer Airbus, defense contractor BAE Systems, and automobile manufacturer Ford. However, the production of respirators is not exclusive to large companies. A small Croatian company, Bor-plastika from Kneževi Vinogradi, which deals with wastewater treatment devices and ecology, has produced a prototype of a portable auxiliary mechanical respirator.
