One of the largest manufacturing companies in the world says it will build a hand sanitiser factory in 10 days near Middlesbrough to fight Covid-19.
Ineos says it will produce one million hand sanitisers per month to help with the European shortage. These will be produced according to World Health Organisation specifications and be specifically designed to kill bacteria and viruses.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe, founder and chairman of Ineos, said: “It is becoming increasingly clear that hand to mouth infection is a significant cause of Coronavirus contagion and Ineos is Europe’s largest manufacturer of the core ingredient of hand sanitiser. We will build two factories in the UK and Germany in 10 days to produce very substantial supplies.”
“INEOS is a company with enormous resources and manufacturing skills. If we can find other ways to help in the coronavirus battle, we are absolutely committed to playing our part”
The UK factory will be built at an existing Ineos site at Newton Aycliffe, near Middlesbrough.
The company intends to produce both standard and the increasingly popular ‘pocket bottle’ hand sanitisers and is already talking to retail outlets across Europe. Supplies to NHS hospitals will be free of charge for the period of the crisis with the public being able to purchase bottles through retailers.
Ineos www.ineoshandgel.com
