Corona pandemic: consequences for the supply and price of protective equipment
The corona crisis is also having an impact on the market for medical protective material, which is usually expensive and in short supply or, in the worst case, not available at all. Dealers of cleanroom products generally have no choice but to pass on the increased purchase prices to customers. However, there is also hope by taking alternative paths, which is what the online retailer for cleanroom and ESD products abovo is doing in the case of clip and non-woven hoods , for example.
Price increases in the multi-digit percentage range
Since January 2020, shortly after the start of the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak in China, prices for personal protective equipment (PPE), cleaning products and disinfectants have risen drastically in some cases.
For some products, such as certain pre-impregnated wipes, the price increase is only ten percent, but for nitrile gloves it is already around 50 percent in some cases and other cleanroom products are even seeing price increases in the three-digit percentage range.
For example, the market price of the handmade CELOS fleece hood has risen by more than 300% since January 2020 due to the coronavirus crisis.
In addition to the price increases, however, there is another problem: certain cleanroom articles are currently not available at all or only in small quantities.
Reason for the supply bottlenecks and price increases
The price of a particular product is usually determined by supply and demand. Accordingly, prices are low when a lot of goods are on offer and demand is normal. If, on the other hand, there is increased demand, such as now during the coronavirus pandemic for personal protective equipment (PPE), and there are also supply bottlenecks, i.e. reduced supply, prices understandably rise sharply.
The reasons for the supply bottlenecks and price increases in the PPE sector are as follows:
- Restrictions on production (e.g. due to COVID-19 cases among employees or their quarantine)
- Transportation problems
- Cost increases for air and sea freight due to decreasing capacities
- Switch from sea freight to more expensive air freight
- Extreme demand (additionally fueled by hoarding purchases)
- Export restrictions
- Delays in order processing due to high demand
- Scarcity of raw materials
It is also important to remember that the majority of protective equipment used due to the COVID-19 outbreak is produced in China. What’s more, the Chinese city of Wuhan is the center when it comes to the production of protective equipment; the very city that was first affected by the coronavirus outbreak and was quarantined for weeks.
But not all protective equipment products come primarily from China. Disposable gloves are primarily manufactured in Malaysia. But here, too, there is a shortage due to the extreme increase in demand, as various governments are building up stocks of this item to be prepared for further waves of COVID-19.
Read our report: Shortage of nitrile gloves
Particularly affected products
The market for cleanroom products is tense overall due to the coronavirus pandemic. However, there are items for which the situation is particularly problematic, i.e. there are either supply bottlenecks or there have been massive price increases in some cases, or even both:
- Sterile mouth and nose protector (MNS)
- Wide range of designs from MNS
- Hoods
- Disposable cleanroom clothing (such as protective overalls or lab coats)
- Nitrile gloves
Due to the high demand for normal MNS and FFP2 masks in particular, the production of special MNS versions used for cleanrooms has been neglected by manufacturers. These include sterilized masks or masks with a special width. Therefore, although the prices for normal MNS masks have fallen again due to increases in production for these masks, the prices for the cleanroom versions have not fallen due to their neglected production.
The same applies to disposable clothing and thin-film gloves. The production of higher-quality designs that meet cleanroom standards has been neglected.
Case study: Clip hood vs. fleece hood
To counteract the problem of supply bottlenecks and price increases, online retailer abovo has adjusted its product range. Previously, the abovo online store for cleanroom and ESD products offered, for example, the handmade CELOS non-woven hood. In view of the massive price increase for this product, abovo has now also added the machine-made
Both hoods are made from the same high-quality raw material. However, thanks to the machine production of the alternative product, the CELOS clip hood, it has been possible to achieve the usual price level. Production times have also been normalized thanks to the use of machines.
Despite being manufactured by machine, the CELOS clip-on hood performs the same as the CELOS non-woven hood. What has changed is the donning process, as the clip hood is supplied in a gathered form. You can choose between white and blue for the colors of the CELOS clip-on hood. And as far as the dimensions are concerned, you can choose from sizes 53, 58 and 61 cm.
Ask abovo about current developments
If you would like to know which cleanroom products are particularly affected by supply bottlenecks and price increases, please contact our experts at abovo. We will be happy to provide you with information on current delivery times and advise you on possible alternative products to avoid price increases and delivery problems.
