(Update: Tuesday 14/04/2020 - 10h00)
Stay informed about the actions taken by Vandeputte to guarantee the availability of critical products, for hospitals and government departments, but also industrial companies.
In late March, export restrictions were lifted within Europe for most personal protective equipment (masks, overalls, goggles, chemical gloves, etc.). However, this meant that the stocks from most of our European suppliers (Moldex, Uvex, 3M, etc.) were delivered to regional companies. Therefore, we continue to receive only a trickle of supplies of all corona-related items.Meanwhile, the export ban in China was only effectively lifted at the end of March. Given the fact that many private labels are made in China, this market cannot immediately cope with all the demand.
Furthermore, other importing countries (including India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Tunisia) are currently in lockdown or semi-lockdown, which means that the production capacity has dropped or even come to a complete standstill. The measures are currently in place until mid April, but are likely to be extended.
We are also taking into account the enormous increase in demand for corona-related products due to the outbreak of the coronavirus in the United States. We would like to give you a summary of the different products and the extent to which these are or are not affected:
Mouth masks
High-quality FFP2 and FFP3 dust masks are almost impossible to find worldwide.
We are therefore only receiving very limited deliveries. New suppliers are screened and contacted on a daily basis.
Most of these are no solution due to a lack of quality or valid certificates. The supply of surgical masks is better.
The simple production process means that many more companies are suddenly offering this kind of mask. However, the prices are artificially high. Given the fact that these masks are generally used to protect others from the coronavirus, but do not offer protection to nurses or when used for industrial purposes, this product is often unsuitable.
Gloves
We are struggling to keep up with the demand for disposable gloves with our usual brands and suppliers.
For this reason we are turning to other suppliers who supply an equivalent alternative.There is currently no shortage of gloves offering chemical protection. We anticipated that this might become a problem, so we already took action to increase our stock of such products.
Hand gels, sprays and soap
We have plenty of stock of disinfecting gels, sprays and soap available. This includes both products for personal use (e.g. hands) and also for the disinfection of surfaces (e.g. working environment).Disposable clothing
We expect that the supply of disposable clothing will continue to be disrupted until the autumn and that this will apply to both A brands and to GSA, as our private label.
A search is underway for alternatives, but it is challenging to find reliable suppliers.
Face protection
A strong increase in demand for overspectacles means they are hard to find.
These may be replaced with close-fitting safety glasses or goggles. Despite the increased demand we have sufficient stocks of these products from our usual suppliers.
Face protectors are also much in demand. For these, we are able to guarantee a slower, but stable supply.
The tremendous demand for dust masks, aprons, overalls and gloves means that we risk a shortage of raw materials, which can also affect the supply of other products.
For example, increasing demand for ethanol used in the production of hand gels or the growing demand for polypropylene used to produce masks and aprons.
The market is now flooded with products of dubious quality (mainly FFP2/FFP3 masks) that have not been tested, have false certificates or do not meet the appropriate standards.
The most important thing to remember is that the only masks to provide sufficient protection for industrial use are those with EN149 certification. The more relaxed rules apply only to the protection of staff from COVID-19. These masks do not provide sufficient protection in the case of industrial activities.
Since it can be hard to distinguish certified from uncertified masks we would like to offer you a helping hand:
Doe een beroep op onze experts om ze voor je na te kijken. Dit kan via mail rebecca.delanghe@vdp.com of WhatsApp 0032 486 57 11 19.
At the moment, everyone wants a fast delivery. However, air transport is scarce, which not only makes it difficult to organise, it also means that the prices have rocketed.
The daily rates are fluctuating around the $15 per kilogram. This has an enormous impact on the cost of disposable items, such as masks, disposable gloves, etc.
Sea freight from China is just starting up again. The price increases are more limited in this case, but you will have to wait patiently for about 6 weeks until the goods arrive in Europe.
We are noticing delays in the transport of all personal protective equipment due to export restrictions and other lockdown measures.
Measurements
In order to guarantee the safety of your and our employees, we have decided to halt all measurements for corrective safety goggles, otoplastics and shoes for the time being.
This applies to measurements carried out by our service staff and by our service partners (vouchers).
At the moment, appointments are being scheduled for Belgium from 2 May 2020. In the Netherlands, we will start making appointments from 1 June 2020.
Face fit tests
We are not carrying out any face-fit tests at the moment in light of the current shortage of all types of mask. We have chosen to use all of the available masks to protect persons.
Would you like to schedule one of our services?
You can arrange for an appointment as from 2 May (Belgium) or 1 June (Netherlands) by completing the application form on the website. We will contact you to select the most suitable date.
If you have any questions... Please don’t hesitate to contact us on customsafety.support@vdp.com