In a bid to contribute its might to the war against COVID-19, Brandix India Apparel City (BIAC) has launched production of personal protective equipment (PPE).
As BIAC had closed all its units on March 21, ahead of nationwide lockdown due to the pandemic, now PPE production is made with about 100 executives, 90% of them Sri Lankan nationals who stay in quarters located on the campus of BIAC.
BIAC, India’s largest apparel park employs about 22,000 strong workforce, of which 18,000 are women from villages in the vicinity.
“Now we are making 2,000 to 2,500 per day. Once we get permission from the local authorities to bring some of the operators from nearby villages, we will scale up production to 10,000 to 20,000 per day in the next three to four days,” BIAC India Partner P. Doraswamy told The Hindu on Monday.
Executives who have joined the task to overcome severe shortage of PPEs are working in turns to continue production 24x7.
All the PPEs made at Brandix would be given to the State government at cost price, Mr. Doraswamy said.
The material for making PPEs like zips, buttons, helmet and cap and others accessories have been obtained from various parts of the country with the support of the State government.
Mr. Doraswamy said their aim was to supply one lakh PPEs to the State at the fastest possible time. They would also simultaneously make masks and gloves for supply to frontline workers and medical professionals fighting COVID-19.
He said they had received requests for making PPEs and other material using their expertise and infrastructure from several countries, the Union government and several States. “Being located here our first priority is Andra Pradesh,” Mr. Doraswamy said.
