SC Johnson Converts Line at Largest Global Manufacturing Plant to Produce Hand Sanitizer for COVID-19 Health Workers and First Responders
RACINE, Wis., April 22, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Responding to a shortage of hand sanitizer nationally that is leaving those on the front lines at risk for COVID-19 infection, SC Johnson is building new capacity to manufacture up to 75,000 bottles of hand sanitizer per month. One hundred percent of the hand sanitizer produced will be donated to health workers, first responders and the company's own production employees.
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SC Johnson, a global manufacturer of household and professional cleaning and disinfecting products, has converted a line typically reserved for testing new products to produce hand sanitizer. The line is at Waxdale, the company's largest global manufacturing facility, located in Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin.
"As doctors, nurses and first responders work hard to protect their communities and save lives, we want them to know that all of us at SC Johnson stand with them and are here to help," said Fisk Johnson, Chairman and CEO of SC Johnson. "I am glad to be able to work with Dow to help meet the needs of people on the front lines at this challenging time."
To help create the supply, SC Johnson is partnering with Dow (NYSE: DOW), the global materials science company. Dow will make a one-time contribution of bulk sanitizer to produce 25,000 eight-ounce bottles. Once the bulk sanitizer from Dow is packaged into bottles, SC Johnson will return approximately 12,500 bottles to Dow, for distribution to Dow's production sites to help protect employees and ensure safe manufacturing operations. SC Johnson will manufacture the remaining amount of hand sanitizer needed to reach 75,000 bottles per month.
"Ensuring those on the front lines of the pandemic remain healthy is essential to society's ability to help flatten the curve," said Jim Fitterling, Chairman and CEO of Dow. "We commend SC Johnson for converting its operations to produce hand sanitizer for health care professionals in need and are grateful for the opportunity to partner together to enable this effort."
SC Johnson team members, who have been working from home and typically don't staff production lines, volunteered to help make this project happen. They are working the line with appropriate social distancing and other safety precautions in place. As a special thanks to those on the front lines of this public health crisis, the volunteers are including personal notes of thanks and encouragement in the cases being donated.
SC Johnson will work with the CDC Foundation – a nonprofit that supports the CDC's critical health protection work and a longtime SC Johnson partner – to determine who will receive the sanitizer to ensure it is distributed to the health workers and first responders with the greatest need.
SC Johnson has committed $10 million to support urgent public needs and those battling the virus on the front lines. The company's efforts include:
- $1 million donation to Save the Children to support personal hygiene education and awareness.
- $1 million donation to the CDC Foundation's Emergency Response Fund.
- 80,000 SC Johnson product care packages donated to hospital workers and first responders in the United States, distributed by the CDC Foundation.
- $1 million to support various COVID-19 response efforts in Asia, Europe and Latin America.
- Support for the local medical response to COVID-19 in the company's backyard by providing meals, snacks and books to school children and care packages to first responders.
About SC Johnson
SC Johnson is a family company dedicated to innovative, high-quality products, excellence in the workplace and a long-term commitment to the environment and the communities in which it operates. Based in the USA, the company is one of the world's leading manufacturers of household cleaning products and products for home storage, air care, pest control and shoe care, as well as professional products. It markets such well-known brands as GLADE®, KIWI®, OFF!®, PLEDGE®, RAID®, SCRUBBING BUBBLES®, SHOUT®, WINDEX® and ZIPLOC® in the USA and beyond, with brands marketed outside the USA including AUTAN®, BAYGON®, BRISE®, KABIKILLER®, KLEAR®, MR MUSCLE® and RIDSECT®. The 134-year-old company, which generates $10 billion in sales, employs approximately 13,000 people globally and sells products in virtually every country around the world. www.scjohnson.com.
SOURCE SC Johnson
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