Update Impact COVID-19-virus PPE business

Hereby we give you an update on the consequences of the outbreak of the Corona COVID-19 virus on the delivery of various Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in Europe.

Where in first instance the outbreak had the most impact on production in the Far East, in particular China, we now also see major consequences for production and distribution within Europe.

On one hand, we still see a sharp increase in demand, especially for dust masks, disposables and, to a lesser extent, glasses. On the other hand, we see a stagnation in the supply. Production in China in particular is initially used for the home market and was no longer shipped to Europe. European production cannot cope with the demand that has arisen and is also difficult to scale up. We now see that production and delivery for a part of the products are starting up again in China, although in relatively smaller batches and by no means for all items.

In addition, the German government announced on March 4th, an export stop on Corona related PPE. This not only concerns dust masks, but also disposable clothing, goggles and some types of disposable gloves. Some major manufacturers such as 3M, uvex, Dräger, KCL and Moldex are based in Germany and have to deal with this export restriction. Although we immediately started purchasing items outside of Germany, we also cannot avoid longer delivery times for these alternatives.

The effect of the decision by the French government on March 4 to claim stocks of FFP2 masks in France is not yet clear. This leading to additional capacity problems seems insurmountable.

All this results in the fact that we have to deal with longer delivery times and unconfirmed purchase orders, despite daily contact with our suppliers about current and future needs. We do everything to provide you with the regular quantities of products and where possible we will also offer alternatives from our extensive assortment. Although we understand that you also urgently need confirmation of your orders, we cannot always give them directly.

We ask for your understanding of this emergency situation and ask you to have a good coordination with your regular contacts at Intersafe.

We will regularly send you an update on the situation.