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Schib is located in northern Italy, an area hit hard by the coronavirus, and because the manufacturer has been designated as an essential supplier to both food and non-food industries, its factory has been running at full production to keep up with demand.
Around the world, manufacturers have been stepping up to produce personal protective equipment, even refitting existing production lines for this new task. When Schib's leadership team learned a local business was manufacturing much-needed face masks for the global market, everyone wanted to help.
“During a call with Fharid Peron, our Italian sales executive, we learned that there was a contractor near Malo, Italy, where we are based, that was converting his production of textile-finishing products to the production of face masks,” said Alessandro Stiffan, Schib’s General Manager. “He contacted Fharid to understand if it was possible to package the face masks. His intention was not to purchase the machine, but he wondered if there was anything we could do to help.
“Knowing the huge need for masks in Italy at that time, I didn’t think twice,” Stiffan continued. “We already had the availability of a Schib CO-50 machine—a good fit for packaging face masks.”
Peron reached out with a loan for use agreement that provided the flow wrapper free of charge. The equipment currently is installed and running in the Italian production facility.
“I’m so happy that we could lend one of our packaging machines to support a local initiative in the production of face masks,” said Peron. “And, I’m proud to be part of a team that is trying to make a difference during these very difficult times.”
“This was a chance for us to contribute to our community during this unprecedented time,” Stiffan emphasized. “This also was a clear application of Barry-Wehmiller’s Guiding Principles of Leadership and our Global Safety Vision, which call upon us to foster caring and safe practices within our families and communities, and measure our success by the way we touch the lives of people. It is a tiny contribution, but every bit helps when there is an emergency.”
