Covestro, DuPont donate medical supplies to battle coronavirus

Materials makers Covestro AG and DuPont Co. have donated medical supplies in China to help stop the spread of Coronavirus, even as both firms have reduced production of plastics and other materials because of the outbreak.

Covestro, which is based in Leverkusen, Germany, has donated 100,000 pairs of goggles made of the firm's polycarbonate resins to hospitals in Wuhan and surrounding areas for use in epidemic prevention, a company spokesperson said in an email to Plastics News.

The firm also has donated 1,200 sets of neck and waist pillows for medical workers at a hospital in Hubei province.

DuPont, which is based in Wilmington, Del., has donated three types of personal protective garments to the most affected areas through the China Red Cross Foundation, to protect health care workers and front-line personnel, a spokesman said.

"Working through our local distribution network, we have supplied large quantities of protective garments, including Tyvek and Tychem suits, to all parts of China including the most affected places such as Hubei province, Shanghai, Beijing, Jiangsu province, Shandong province and Zhejiang province," he added.

DuPont also has contributed probiotic products to help regulate and improve immunity. These donated materials have been allocated by the China Red Cross Foundation to the most needed areas, the spokesman added.

Covestro's production in China is continuing, the spokesperson said, but the firm has reduced production volume to accommodate the impact from travel and transportation restrictions, and all planned business trips to and within China are suspended indefinitely. The firm also "is actively working to ensure the continuity of our business in order to minimize any potential disruptions to customers around the world," the spokesperson added.

Covestro officials "are continuing to closely monitor the situation in China, working in conjunction with our global and local HSEQ [health, safety, environment and quality] departments," the spokesperson said. "The health and safety of our employees is our top priority."

DuPont has 3,500 employees in China at 13 sites. Most of them were on extended outages after the Chinese New Year, the spokesman said. All DuPont facilities in China are up and running, but not all at full capacity due to a combination of limited raw material deliveries and government actions related to the coronavirus, he added.

"We are complying with the guidance from national and local authorities," the spokesman said. "Our global supply network is working to address product needs and logistics as well as contingency planning."

He added that DuPont officials "are reviewing orders and our ability to fulfill them from other production locations, however we expect some delays are possible."

"We have activated our crisis management process to address the need for personal protection products related to the coronavirus," the spokesman said. "A dedicated team is in place to assess new demand requests, evaluate inventory and capacity availability, and prioritize orders to ensure the best response to the needs in China."

DuPont also has increased its manufacturing capacity both inside and outside of China to support the needs of front-line health care workers. The firm is diverting stock from around the world into China, especially in high-impact districts.

"We continue to monitor the situation as it evolves and have issued guidance to employees on travel, as well as other precautions to ensure they stay healthy," the spokesman said.

Covestro is a major producer of polycarbonate, while DuPont is a leading producer of nylon resins. Both firms also make a wide range of specialty plastics, as well as some downstream products.