Bengaluru emerges hub for coverall production

Bengaluru has emerged as the manufacturing hub for coveralls, a key component of the personal protective equipment mandatory for health workers leading the fight against Covid-19.

Industrial units in and around the Karnataka capital have been producing 50% of the one lakh coveralls being manufactured every day after the government moved in to promote domestic production to overcome the shortage of the protective gear.

Since the Centre eased norms for coverall production, Indian manufacturers have stepped in to set up production capacity of one lakh coveralls per day.

“Bengaluru has become a major hub for PPE coverall production in the country to combat Covid-19 cases. Nearly 50% of the coverall production in the country is from Bengaluru,” a Textile Ministry statement said.

Besides Bengaluru, PPE Coveralls were also being manufactured by approved production units in Tirupur, Chennai and Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu, Ahmedabad and Vadodara in Gujarat, Phagwara and Ludhiana in Punjab, Kusumnagar and Bhiwandi in Maharashtra, Dungarpur in Rajasthan, Noida in Uttar Pradesh, Gurugram in Haryana, Kolkata and Delhi.

As Covid-19 pandemic spread across the world, international suppliers of coveralls had expressed their inability to keep up with the supplies, owing to global demand.

The Health Ministry finalised the technical requirements on March 2 based on the indigenous availability of materials, clearing the way for domestic production of coveralls.

Utilising the opportunity, Indian manufacturers have come up with quality raw materials that were approved by South Indian Textile Research Association (SITRA) that deals in textiles used in medical equipment.

HLL Lifecare Limited, the designated single-window procurement agency for hospitals and healthcare organisations under the Health Ministry, published the specifications on March 5, inviting manufacturers to participate in the procurement process.

Tests & certification

Besides SITRA, three more laboratories have the Synthetic Blood Penetration Resistance Test facilities as well as necessary approvals for conducting tests and certification for Body Coveralls.

These are – Defence Research and Development Establishment (DRDE), Gwalior, and two laboratories under Ordnance Factory Board – Heavy Vehicles Factory, Avadi and Small Arms Factory, Kanpur.