Member Article

North Yorkshire chemical workers make over 250,000 bottles of hand sanitiser to help battle pandemic

Cod Beck Blenders, the Thirsk-based toll and contract manufacturer which began producing hand sanitiser in mid-March in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, has now manufactured over 100,000 litres on behalf of customers in a matter of weeks.

The company, that employs 100 staff outside Thirsk, had not previously manufactured hand sanitiser, but received derogation from the HSE to produce it during the current pandemic. Cod Beck Blenders was determined to manufacture effective and compliant product from the outset and used the World Health Organization formulation for the 70% alcohol-based hand rub.

Robust regulation around production required Cod Beck Blenders to create the correct safety data sheets and also to ensure compliant labelling was used which had to be reviewed by an external regulatory expert. The company, along with many others, also faced the challenge of managing the very tight supply chain to source all of the relevant materials and packaging.

Packaged in 450ml and 500ml bottles, the hand sanitiser is destined for hospitals, care homes and local government services in Yorkshire, and Cod Beck Blenders has also been supplying its own customers in order to help them to continue their vital operations.

“The opportunity to produce the hand sanitiser came about via a connection of one of our existing customers who recommended us,” explains Steven Meyer, managing director of Cod Beck Blenders. “The business, like many others, had a massive supply problem as its usual routes had stopped. Fortunately, as a third party processor, working with some of the leading names across a wide range of sectors, we had the expertise and technology to help out very quickly.

“As a company, we are committed to being a trusted partner to our customers, acting as an extension to their operations. While ensuring that we keep our 100-strong team safe, we are proud that we have proved able to support some of the valuable initiatives our customers have been undertaking – as well as dedicating a significant part of our operation to hand sanitiser production, we have also been manufacturing larger volumes of disinfectant than ever before.”

Established in 1988, Cod Beck Blenders, which serves blue chip clients in the pharmaceutical, agricultural, agrochemical, horticultural and fine chemical industries, has a purpose-built eight acre site and last year processed 27,000 tonnes of material for a wide range of uses.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Emma Kilmurray .