Honeywell Converts Facilities to Produce Hand Sanitizer During COVID-19 Pandemic
Honeywell’s hand sanitizer will be donated to government agencies who will then distribute the product to institutions combating the novel coronavirus.
(Image Source: Honeywell)
MORRIS PLAINS, N.J. — Honeywell is temporarily shifting manufacturing operations at two chemical manufacturing facilities to produce and donate hand sanitizer to government agencies in response to shortages created by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The company says its sites in Muskegon, Mich. and Seelze, Germany will produce hand sanitizer over the next two months for government agencies, which will then distribute the product to institutions in need. Both sites are part of Honeywell’s Performance Materials and Technologies (PMT) business group.
Honeywell also recently converted several manufacturing plants that typically make safety glasses and face shields to also produce N95 masks, which are in short supply during the coronavirus outbreak.
The Muskegon plant manufactures high-purity solvents and blends with more than 1,500 products used in high-end applications such as DNA and RNA synthesis, environmental analysis, precision cleaning, pharmaceutical testing and various other laboratory applications. The plant has begun production of hand sanitizer that it will donate to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
The Seelze plant produces more than 500 products, including high-purity solutions for laboratory research and testing applications, inorganic fine chemicals for agriculture and automotive industries, electronic chemicals used in semiconductors, and microchips and authentication technologies used in high security and brand protection applications. This also includes personal protection equipment authentication.
The plant has already fulfilled and delivered an emergency donation of industrial hand sanitizer to the Saxony Ministry of Health, Social Affairs and Equality. The plant plans to ramp up production to enable Honeywell to donate additional hand sanitizer ,according to the company.
The Saxony Ministry of Health, Social Affairs and Equality intends to distribute this product to local hospitals and factories.
“As global citizens, we are honored to be able to answer the call for help in hopes of minimizing the spread of this pandemic,” says Rajeev Gautam, president and CEO of Honeywell Performance Materials and Technologies. “When called upon to help, our team rushed to transform production lines to produce hand sanitizer for areas where it is most urgently needed. I am proud to work with such innovative and dedicated employees who not only care enough to make a difference but have the spirit to make it happen.”
Additionally, Honeywell says its PMT group is supporting response efforts in multiple ways, including prioritizing resources in the following areas:
- Providing industrial facilities around the world with advanced remote operations capabilities to support maintenance of critical operations – like manufacturing, and facilitating life sciences-focused commercial production of medical therapies — while keeping workers safe throughout the pandemic;
- Supporting scientists around the world in their research, development and production of COVID-19 test kits, therapies and vaccines by prioritizing and ramping up production of high-quality analytical products, including reagents, solvents and analytical chemicals that meet their application needs.
- Offering expedited support services to our pharmaceutical and bio-pharmaceutical customers to help facilitate faster healthcare packaging decisions for COVID-19 oral solid medicine.
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