DSM wants to do everything it can to help combat COVID-19

Like many other companies in the Netherlands, DSM wants to do everything it can to help combat COVID-19, or the coronavirus.

The company’s initiatives range from deploying its own expertise and knowledge in research and development, production and technology in food, health and high-quality materials to bringing together parties from the extensive DSM network of suppliers and companies in the Netherlands and worldwide. This is to help large scale production of personal protective equipment for health workers in the Netherlands, for example.

At the request of the Dutch government, DSM has released additional capacity at its production location in Waalwijk, for the production of disinfectant to prevent a shortage in stock for healthcare workers.

DSM has donated the first 130,000 litres of disinfectant to the government in the fight against the coronavirus. As of May 7, DSM will produce another 260,000 litres – a group of 15 to 20 colleagues will voluntarily produce extra for this. The disinfectant is supplied to the government at cost in 520,000 half litre bottles. DSM will not earn anything from this. The disinfectant is being distributed by the National Consortium for Aids (LCH) to hospitals and care institutions in the Netherlands.

Masks

To protect healthcare workers from the coronavirus, DSM has taken the lead in coordinating efforts by a Dutch consortium consisting of AFPRO Filters, Koninklijke Auping and DSM, to produce approximately one million FFP2 medical masks per week. This large-scale production on home soil was set up in a record time of less than three weeks and meets about 25% of the acute need for medical mouth masks for healthcare in the Netherlands.

On April 28, the first mouth masks were handed over to Minister Martin van Rijn of Medical Care. The National Consortium for Aids (LCH) takes care of the distribution to health care workers, and the mouth masks are being supplied at cost.

Additionally, DSM has started production of 2.8 million corona nose test tubes, to prevent a shortage of corona test kits in the Netherlands.

DSM will produce enough test bars to meet the total needs of the Netherlands for the next three months. DSM will donate the material, 11,000 kilos in total, needed to make the test bars and will also make its process expertise available to the government free of charge in an effort to help fight the coronavirus.