North Yorkshire chemical company launches its own sanitiser to fight COVID

Another Yorkshire company has joined the battle against coronavirus by producing its own range of hand sanitising rub.

Thirsk-based toll and contract manufacturer Cod Beck Blenders, which began producing hand sanitiser during lockdown on behalf of clients, has joined forces with infection prevention specialist Hampton Healthcare to launch the CoClens alcohol-based hand rub.

Made to the WHO formulation and complying with the relevant standards for efficacy (EN 1500 and EN13727), the product will initially be available in 100ml, 250ml, 500 mls and 5 litre packs, along with a 750ml hard surface disinfectant spray. The 70% alcohol-based hand rub kills 99.9% of bacteria.

“We began manufacturing hand sanitiser early in the pandemic and have since produced literally thousands of litres for some of the leading names in the UK hygiene sector,” explains Steve Meyer, managing director of Cod Beck Blenders. “With demand continuing, we have now partnered with Hampton Healthcare, which has 25 years of combined infection prevention knowledge, to offer our own CoClens range.

“Bringing together Hampton Healthcare’s specialist technical expertise with our skills in the manufacture of complex products and the benefits of our very flexible production facility, is a great fit. We have already begun production and will initially focus on the healthcare and life science sector, before rolling out the hand sanitising rub more widely.”

Andy Newsome, consultant at Hampton Healthcare, added: “Partnering with a respected and experienced manufacturer like Cod Beck Blenders is really exciting. We are currently working to develop a number of other infection control products to complement the CoClens hand sanitising rub, and, together, we will be able to offer a range of highly technical, infection prevention solutions to suit the needs of customers in a wide range of industries.”

The range will be manufactured to the requirements of medical practitioners and tested to the latest microbiological standards to support NHS tenders and government contracts.

Established in 1988, Cod Beck Blenders is a trusted partner serving blue chip clients in the pharmaceutical, agricultural, agrochemical, horticultural and fine chemical industries. It employs 100 staff at its purpose-built eight acre site outside Thirsk and last year processed 27,000 tonnes of material for a wide range of uses. The manufacturing facility operates to GMP standards and holds ISO 9001 accreditation as well as having a veterinary licence and FEMAS.