What if you are in the ornamental industry, not producing flowers or plants, but still want to brighten up someone's day with your product during this COVID-19 period? Last week, pot, container and tray manufacturer Desch Plantpak donated a reel of plastic to the University Technical College UTC South Durham in Newton Aycliffe, the UK, to enable them to make more PPE visors.
Reel delivered at UTC. See here the LinkedIn post of the University in which they show their gratitude.
Head bands for 15,000 masks
This voluntary initiative came from Desch Plantpak's Operation Manager in the UK, Martin Shields, after seeing an article about Visors for Victory on social media. "In the post, UTC explained that they were struggling to source Polymer materials and that manufacturers were either shut or charging high prices."
Shields contacted the University to ask what materials they were using and "although not the same as they had been using we suggested the PPCP (Polypropylene Copolymer) as actually better and that we could supply them with more than they would need." The reel was dispatched to them in 1 working day, the material worked well and they are now using the coil - which weighs 850 kg - in full production. "This coil should make the head bands for over 15,000 masks."
COVID-19 and the UK ornamental industry
The UK is in lockdown and shops selling "non-essential goods" like garden centres, florists and DIY shops therefore had to close their doors. It is heavily affecting the UK ornamental horticultural industry with the Horticultural Trades Association (HTA) reporting that an estimated £200 million of seasonal plants will have to be scrapped across the ornamental horticulture industry.
Part of the team of Desch Plantpak at the IPM Essen 2020.
Suppliers affected as well
Not only the growers, but suppliers like Desch Plantpak are also feeling the effects. "In the UK, as well as in Italy, France and Spain, garden centres are closed. Fortunately, they will reopen in Belgium this Saturday, but we also feel that the growers have difficulty selling their plants which has a knock-on effect on the demand for transportation trays", says Kees Waqué, Manager Retail & Marketing at Desch Plantpak.
Also internally, things are different now. "The Desch production at all four locations is still running but of course we are also affected by a higher sick rate than usual so we have to adapt our production accordingly. Supply of products from stock is much easier than products that still have to be made."
So what can you do as a supplier nowadays? "Most of the office staff works from home and from there, we stay in touch with all our growers and wholesalers and support them where possible. In the meantime, we keep focusing on the future and the time after COVID-19, because when the situation stabilizes, we still need to be there with new and innovative products."
More sustainable concepts on the way
Before the COVID-19 crisis, horticulture in Europe was all about becoming more environmentally friendly. At the IPM Essen in Germany, last January, for example, displays at the booths were filled with all kind of sustainable ideas. And even in these hectic COVID-19 times, Desch Plantpak continues working on new sustainable ideas for pots, containers and trays, which they will soon introduce to the market.
For more information:
Desch Plantpak B.V.
www.desch-plantpak.com
