Hungarian MOL producing hand sanitizer to help fight coronavirus

Budapest, March 25 - Neftegaz.RU. Hungary´s oil and gas company MOL said it has transformed one of its production facilities at Almásfüzitő into a sanitizer production plant as energy companies around the world pitch in to aid the fight against coronavirus.

Lubricants producer and MOL Group member MOL Lub shifted production of a windshield washer production line in just one week to help combat a shortage of hand and surface sanitizers in Hungary brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

MOL said the unit is operating 24/7, in 3 shifts, producing a daily volume of around 50,000 liters. The 1st volumes have started shipping to certain key state institutions (e.g., hospitals, waste management companies, public utilities) as directed by the government, and a new product line will be available from mid-April at MOL service stations under the brand name MOL Hygi.

The formulas for the new products have been created on the basis of WHO recommendations, and have been tested and approved by the National Institute of Pharmacy and Nutrition.

“Extraordinary circumstances require extraordinary solutions,” said said Chairman-CEO Zsolt Hernádi. “We have made the switch at the plant, obtained the necessary approvals and optimized production processes in only two weeks, a record time. We truly hope that the hand sanitizer manufactured at the Almásfüzitő plant will be a meaningful contribution to the fight against the virus.”

MOL said it is also starting production of the sanitizers in Slovakia and Croatia. INA, the Croatian member of the Group, will be producing 50,000 liters of sanitizer for now. In Slovakia, production of the sanitizer was launched at VURUP, also a member of MOL Group.

Hernádi added that MOL will strive to maintain operations amid the coronavirus outbreak. “As long as MOL operates, Hungary also operates. We have a responsibility to ensure the continuity of energy production, refining, shipping and trading at all costs – even in the most difficult of times and often by making sacrifices. But these sacrifices will always be made by MOL.”