Personal care product manufacturer, Zidac Laboratories, has announced a £5m investment into expanding its facilities and creating up to 80 new positions at its Portsmouth factory.
The investment follows increased demand for Zidac’s antibacterial and sanitising products during the COVID-19 outbreak, and will expand the factory’s capacity to produce 15 times more volume – equating to 50m litres a year.
The business is also deploying an extensive programme of support to the NHS and other key sectors during the COVID-19 outbreak, and has pledged to donate £1m of antibacterial products to organisations in need.
Roles created to support Zidac’s expansion include chemical and mechanical engineers, production line operatives, financial controllers, administration and quality control personnel, as well as Research & Development (R&D) staff to create new and innovative products for the disinfection and personal care markets.
Luigi Jurica Weissbarth, Zidac’s Managing Director, said: “The COVID-19 outbreak has caused demand for our products to surge, with the World Health Organization forecasting 35bn litres of sanitiser will be needed globally for 2020 – 10 times more than what was produced globally before the pandemic.
“This investment is essential for us to keep supplying high quantities of vital, hospital-grade hand sanitiser and help meet this essential demand, particularly as businesses start bringing staff back into the workplace.
“In a challenging economic climate, we’re glad we can provide opportunities for new, skilled jobs in Portsmouth. With this expansion, we’ll be able to increase our capacity to support through the pandemic and beyond, innovate to create new products and continue our donations programme to those that need it most.”
