The COVID-19 may have posed serious challenges to the industry, but the units in Sri City are quick to grab the opportunity in adversity. In view of the lockdown, workers in several manufacturing units in Sri City are slogging it out to produce quality healthcare products such as Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) kits, life-saving drugs, emergency hospital beds and medical oxygen cylinders.
Pals Plush India which manufactures soft toys and accessories started producing PPE kits for medical fraternity and other frontline warriors. The company produces the kits using seamless metal detection machines with the Acceptable Quality Limit (AQL)-based in-house testing facility that makes the product safe for end-users. The entire production line has been dedicated to manufacturing PPE kits, which includes coverall and face shield.
VRV Asia Pacific, one of the two companies in India to design and manufacture cryogenic equipment, has swung into action to make liquid cylinders and storage tanks for liquid oxygen. The diversification became imperative in view of the rise in demand for medical oxygen, after the spike in the number of positive cases.
Emergency beds
Vital Paper’s packaging division in Sri City has conceptualised and developed unique kraft paper-based corrugated board beds, which can be used as emergency beds in hospitals. The flexible, recyclable, movable and easy-to-assemble bed, measuring 2x7 ft and weighing 16 kg, can take a load of up to 200 kg, thus addressing the shortage of beds in isolation wards.
TIL Healthcare, an arm of the Jhaver group, produces several medicines and life-saving drugs at its pharmaceutical formulation facility at the special economic zone. The company, which is now licensed to produce Hydroxy Chloroquine Sulfate (HCQS) tablets, is all set to start production upon receiving the raw material.
Overcoming hassles
On overcoming lockdown-related hassles to reach raw material to the units, R. Muthu Raj, Development Commissioner of Sri City SEZ, said they would coordinate with State government officials to facilitate smooth running of the units, which are permitted to work with skeleton staff. He also had a meeting recently with the police of Chittoor, Nellore (Andhra Pradesh) and Tiruvallur (Tamil Nadu), which share the border with Sri City.
Sri City Managing Director Ravindra Sannareddy thanked the units for volunteering to join the cause of ridding the country of the pandemic.
