Coronavirus: Detmold to begin manufacturing PPE masks

An Adelaide company that normally makes packaging for KFC and McDonald’s is the latest to join the coronavirus effort.

Detmold director Sascha Detmold Cox and CEO Alf Ianniello with a surgical mask the company is about to begin manufacturing. Picture: Roy VanDerVegt

A South Australian Company that produces food and drink packaging for major brands such as KFC and McDonald’s is the latest manufacturer to join the effort to stop the spread of the coronavirus and will begin producing surgical and respirator masks to bolster national supplies.

Detmold – the parent company of Detpak – will produce 100 million masks for the National Medical Stockpile and 45 million to boost South Australia’s supplies after reaching an agreement with the federal and state government this week.

Industry Minister Karen Andrews on Monday said Detmold was among a number of Australian companies rising to the challenge of COVID-19.

“This is a fantastic example of how our strong manufacturing base in Australia puts us in a position to be able to make more of the medical supplies we need during the outbreak of this virus,” she said.

“We have a sufficient supply of masks at the moment but this work will ensure we sustain that supply over the months ahead.”

South Australian Premier Steven Marshall welcomed the partnership, declaring it would help protect medical professionals across Australia.

“This is part of the Government’s strong plan for securing South Australian jobs and protecting our healthcare workers and the community against the spread of COVID-19,” Mr Marshall said.

Detmold machine operator Toby Burt with the products the company normally manufactures. Picture: Brenton Edwards

“Through this partnership we can be confident we will have an uninterrupted supply of respirator and surgical masks to provide our doctors and nurses working on the frontline.”

As part of the initiative Detmold will employ up to 160 additional staff and will invest over $1 million in local supplies to support other Australian businesses.

Ms Andrews said it was important to remember that while increasing the production of masks and other essential medical supplies would help contain the outbreak, Australians still needed to play their part by adhering to strict social distancing measures.

“We need all Australians to play their part and follow our strict social distancing rules to help slow the spread and ease demand,” she said.

It comes as Pet Company Greencross, which operates Petbarn and over 150 general practice vet clinics across Australia, announced it would donate 35 human grade ventilators to hospitals across the nation to help them treat an expected influx of coronavirus patients.

Detmold Managing Director Alf Ianniello said his company was extremely proud to be assisting the government during the unprecedented health crisis.

“Detmold is a South Australian Company with a long history of employing locals, so to be able to assist with both flattening the curve in this time of crisis and helping keep South Australians in work is immensely rewarding,” he said.

“We expect to have the capacity to manufacture over 20 million masks per month by June, and the facility will produce both surgical masks and respirator masks.”

Masks will start being produced at a Detpak facility in Adelaide by May.