In the fight against COVID-19, leading F&B packaging systems innovator Sidel has transformed its international centre of excellence for PET packaging in France into a unit manufacturing bottles for hydro-alcoholic gel.

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A first batch of 5,000 PET plastic bottles for the disinfectant has already been provided to the Hospital of Dijon, with an additional batch distributed to Le Havre (Normandy) town’s pharmacies and hospitals.

 

Sidel’s actions follow a plea from the French government for assistance in the production of sanitising hydro-alcoholic gel – a highly scarce product at present. Several industries as well as hospitals have responded to the call and are producing the gel. However, healthcare players have faced difficulties in distributing the product to their employees, as the gel is generally being produced in large-sized containers. 

 

Collaboration and creativity

 

“With collaborative skills and agile and creative work, our engaged employees were able to transform our centre of excellence into a small production centre in just two days,” said Vincent Le Guen, VP of Packaging at Sidel. A first request was received from the Hospital of Dijon in the middle of March asking to provide small-size containers in order to package the hydro-alcoholic gel. The company responded quickly and found the right raw materials and co-operation partners to produce the bottles – these are made from Sidel’s existing 500ml mould, while a key beverage player provided the preforms, and the sport caps were supplied by a cap manufacturer. The sport closure allows controlling the gel flow and keeping it safe. Within one week, the first 5,000 PET bottles have already been sent to the Hospital of Dijon. 

 

In the meantime, other similar initiatives have started. “We got in contact with a local deputy in Normandy and discussed how Sidel could support local health players in these challenging times. The deputy informed us that pharmacies are also facing difficulties in gel distribution – therefore, in addition to the 500ml bottle for hospitals, we quickly designed a smaller – 200ml – bottle format, which is more user-friendly for individual use to be distributed in the local pharmacies. In total, more than 1,000 bottles were delivered to the local pharmacies on 1st of April – all 100-per-cent recyclable and potentially refillable after sterilisation,” continued Mr Le Guen. 

 

Sidel said it has prioritised its business and “taken a stand to use available resources in order to support the community”. Traditionally, the lab in Octeville-sur-Mer is a packaging development centre dedicated to assist Sidel’s customers’ with their queries about PET packaging design options and their feasibility. The site is usually not dedicated for industrial production. 

 

“This initiative is a gesture of solidarity for our health carers. It will help us make a difference in overcoming the supply shortages that have arisen due to the current situation,” added Mr Le Guen. “Flexibility has long been a centrepiece of our solutions and services. By working in this mode, our weekly production capacity is up to 20,000 bottles and we can handle more requests of this kind. Sidel appeal to the generosity of any business partner in providing additional preforms and caps to keep the business continuity. Moreover, we are also prepared to support other companies who would require moulds to produce bottles on their packaging lines, wishing to take over extra responsibility in the common fight against the virus,” he concluded. 

 

Sidel employees are ready to produce several tens of thousands of bottles for gel for the local needs in the next weeks as much as necessary.