Synthomer Malaysia, a part of multinational manufacturer and supplier of nitrile latex giant Synthomer, will donate a total of 450,000 medical gloves to the in Bergamo, Italy, to help with COVID-19 relief efforts. Papa Giovanni XXIII municipal hospitalis situated in the heart of the Lombardy region in Italy, which has been hard-hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Our Italian colleagues made us aware of the severe shortage of PPE in the region, and as one of the world’s leading suppliers of Nitrile Latex, we were able to reach out to some of our major customers,” said Derick Whyte, Synthomer President Performance Elastomers and Asia.
Despite being under national lockdown, a number of Malaysian employees worked tirelessly to ensure the shipments were prepared and dispatched to Italy. The first of two shipments arrived at Bergamo airport mid-April and was handed over to the staff of the Papa Giovanni XXIII municipal hospital by Synthomer’s Italian logistics team. Synthomer’s Filago plant, which produces nitrile latex for the medical glove industry, is situated just 17km from the hospital.
While Syntomer is “grateful to all partners and employees who supported this initiative during the crisis” it has also commercially secured medical gloves supplies. Whyte added, “At this time our customers are oversold with lead times of four to six months, so we are extremely grateful for their assistance and swift response to our request, and in addition for the matching donations a number of them made.”