The demand for disinfectants has currently reached unprecedented heights. Though adequate resupply is assured, many institutions are receiving this in large-size containers, which in practice are difficult to handle. For this reason, Krones is supporting hospitals, government agencies, police stations and fire brigades with its expertise, and is providing not only PET containers but also the appropriate filling options.
In mid-March, Krones was already supplying Regensburg University Clinic (UKR) with 5,000 half-litre PET containers for transferring disinfectants from large-size containers into these. But since manual filling is not only very time-consuming but also labour-intensive, Krones once again demonstrated its expertise in terms of filling technology, and designed what is so far the smallest filler in the firm’s history. The UKR’s in-house pharmacy can now use this filler for transferring the resupply of disinfectants more quickly, thus substantially reducing the workload of its own staff and the clinic as a whole.
Because the demand for containers for antiseptic liquids of this kind was high not only at Regensburg University Clinic, of course, but in many other institutions as well, Krones produced at its plant in Neutraubling more 500-millilitre PET bottles. By the beginning of May, 400,000 containers with closure had already been made available to hospitals, police stations and fire brigades all over Germany, at cost. A second batch of 500,000 bottles is currently being produced.
However, not only institutions from the surrounding region, but also the Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs got in touch with Krones, requesting support. Krones and its clients do not produce and bottle disinfectants themselves. So Krones’ subsidiary KIC Krones was commissioned to bottle and package the disinfectants concerned. In the field of contract production of cleaning agents and disinfectants, KIC Krones has a long-standing cooperation arrangement with a paint and varnish manufacturer. The disinfectants bottled and packaged on behalf of KIC Krones are then distributed by the Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs to institutions in the state. “Since disinfectant is based on high-strength alcohol, it is classified as a hazardous substance. For this reason, special safety measures apply during transport and storage and in bottling and transfer operations but KIC Krones, as the Group’s consumables expert, is thoroughly familiar with these. In the current situation, particularly, we are benefiting from our broad network and our corporate knowledge of how to handle hazardous substances. What’s more, we were able to establish the requisite contacts for supporting the medical institutions concerned swiftly and unbureaucratically,” to quote Stephan Maschke, Managing Director of KIC Krones.
Support initiatives on the part of Krones have not been confined to Germany itself: the Austrian subsidiary Kosme, for example, has produced PET bottles for the local fire brigade while Krones Inc. in the USA has supplied a local pediatric hospital.
