THE BCMPA has revealed that demand for personal care products continues to thrive – and is predicting this to remain the case for the foreseeable future.
The association for contract manufacturing, packing, fulfilment and logistics, said enquiries to the BCMPA for personal care items rose by over 500% shortly after the Covid-19 lockdown period started, while enquiries across all sectors in April increased by 60% compared with 2019.
In the same month, interest in the production of hand sanitiser and antibacterial products represented 90% of enquiries for personal care items.
While the proportion of new hand sanitiser enquiries fell slightly in May, the BCMPA said figures remain ‘unseasonably high’, while there is also a new requirement for members to collate and contract pack sanitation ‘kits’ containing items such as hand gel sachets and face masks as schools, shops, airlines and businesses open again.
The BCMPA said it has been ‘hugely impressed’ by the speed at which members have changed filling lines to cope with the increased volumes and different requirements and specifications, altering their production to supply much-needed PPE.
Rodney Steel, chief executive of the BCMPA said, “The Covid-19 situation has created an inevitable shift in production and enquiry trends, right from the beginning. Although some sectors have obviously suffered, personal care has gone through the roof, and we believe that trend is here to stay.
“Not only have enquiries shot up and remained high, but the size of production orders has seen a massive increase. Orders that were typically for 20 or 30,000 units are now in the hundreds of thousands or millions.”
Mr Steel added that one BCMPA member had to take down its website after struggling to cope with the high demand for hand sanitiser.
“The increase in enquiries, membership and the positive trend towards outsourcing is a reflection of changing consumer behaviour,” he commented. “The excellent relationship we have with our members means we are fortunately in a very good position for matching new enquiries with the right suppliers, and so easing the whole supply chain process at a time when it’s most needed. The manner in which our members have responded, demonstrating incredible flexibility and quickly adapting to new lines while prioritising staff safety, has been exceptional.”
