Many British industries have turned their attention to the fight against the spread of the novel coronavirus pandemic, in what’s described as a ‘wartime effort’ to produce protective masks, hand sanitiser and medical ventilators, according to The Guardian.

Companies such as Airbus, Ford, and Rolls-Royce are all using their engineering expertise and resources in the effort to manufacture 30,000 medical ventilators, and distilleries are using their knowledge of alcohol production to produce hand sanitiser, including BrewDog, the British Honey Company, 58 Gin in London, and Verdant Spirits in Dundee.

Across Europe, fashion houses such as Italy’s Armani and Prada, the Spanish chain Zara and Yves Saint Laurent are all making surgical masks. The over-50s holiday firm Saga has offered two dormant cruise ships as floating hospitals, while Brompton Bicycles said it would donate 200 of its foldable bikes to NHS workers trying to avoid the risk of infection on public transport.

In the North of England, UK chemicals giant Ineos is constructing a factory solely to manufacture hand sanitiser, and claim their new facility will be operational within ten days. They have plans to rapidly build a second-hand sanitiser factory in Germany.

Ineos aims to produce one million bottles of hand sanitiser per month in the fight to mitigate the devastation of the coronavirus pandemic.

Many companies involved in non-essential manufacturing (including aerospace engineering companies, fashion brands and automakers) have offered to transform their unused factory space into production lines for desperately-needed medical supplies like ventilators, personal cleaning products and masks.

Ineos is in a unique position in that is already manufactures health care products such as saline drops, ventilators and syringes and is Europe’s largest producer of the two main raw materials that make hospital-grade hand sanitiser (isopropyl alcohol and ethanol).

The company plans to produce one million standard (250ml) and pocket (50ml) hand sanitisers every month, which it will distribute to hospitals, schools, essential workplaces, supermarkets and pharmacies.

Ineos also confirmed that hospitals will be issued with hand sanitisers for free.

“Ineos is a company with enormous resources and manufacturing skills,” said Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the billionaire founder and chair of Ineos. “If we can find other ways to help in the coronavirus battle, we are absolutely committed to playing our part.”

The hand sanitiser will be manufactured at a dedicated plant at Newton Aycliffe, near Middlesbrough, which Ineos hopes to complete within 10 days. The company has been planning the factory for approximately a week and has already received fast-tracked regulatory approval. It has stepped up alcohol production in preparation for the facility’s opening.

A similar factory will be built in Germany to help plug hand sanitiser supply shortages on the continent. Ineos said that it is already in discussion with other retail outlets across Europe.

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