Indonesian textile factories are making changes to their production line by producing protective gear for medical personnel and a local start-up is producing test kits to support the nation’s battle against the COVID-19 pandemic. However, producing medical-grade supplies comes with major challenges.

Textile companies have been racing to mass-produce masks and protective suits for medical workers, said PT Pan Brothers deputy chief executive officer Anne Patricia Sutanto. The company agreed to produce 20 million washable masks and 100,000 suits by April, as ordered by the government and retailers to meet the skyrocketing demand for personal protective equipment (PPE).

“The workers were initially shocked by our decision. They asked me, ‘Bu, we are a garment exporting company, so how can we produce masks and hazmat suits?’ but I told them this is a humanitarian emergency and we did it,” Anne told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

Pan Brothers ordered nine of its factories to produce protective gear.

There is a global shortage of PPE, test kits and ventilators, all of which are crucial in slowing the spread of COVID-19. The Indonesian Medical Association (IDI) announced on March 23 that five doctors had died of the disease, in addition to a nurse who died on March 12.

Pan Brothers does not have a license that would allow it to test for biocompatibility, which means its products are not officially medical-grade.

“There was not enough time for us to obtain medical-grade status as we are in an emergency,” Anne said, assuring that the company’s masks and suits had the same specifications as medical-grade products.

Indonesia is searching for companies that have the capacity to produce PPE, test kits and ventilators to help the nation’s health workers, who had been treating COVID-19 cases since mid-February with inadequate protection, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said on Thursday.

“In Indonesia, we are taking steps to support companies that produce healthcare equipment. We will list them and see to their needs in increasing their production capacity,” Sri Mulyani told a teleconferenced media briefing after a virtual extraordinary Group of 20 Leaders’ Summit.

Textile company PT Sri Rejeki Isman (Sritex) has been producing protective suits for medical workers since late January and began to deliver the products in the first week of February, said spokesperson Joy Citra Dewi.

“We use a specified waterproof and antimicrobial material that we developed for the PPE,” Joy told the Post in a written statement without disclosing the number of suits the company produces.

Both Sritex and Pan Brothers are facing shortages for medical-grade raw materials, as local producers have been overwhelmed by demand. A limited number of companies can produce medical-grade materials as they require strict standards and certification, Joy said.

“Other companies face the challenge of not having the materials to produce safe PPE. There is PPE currently circulating in the market that lacks the proper specifications, which could endanger medical personnel.”

While basic PPE can be quickly produced by textile companies, local factories are still unable to produce more complex medical equipment such as ventilators and hospital beds.

A lack of technological capability became a major hurdle for factories looking to shift their production line, Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) deputy chairwoman Shinta Kamdani told the Post in a separate interview.

Shinta said factories across Indonesia faced a decline in production capacity by an average of 30 percent due to disruptions to their supply chains as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Not many factories are able to produce medical equipment, especially in this kind of situation. Maybe big corporations have better technology that could be used to produce ventilators or hospital beds, but it's not possible for mid-sized companies,” she said.

Carmakers around the world are also shifting gear, producing hospital ventilators and respirators using 3D printing. Ford, General Motors, Ferrari, Nissan have joined conglomerates General Electrics and 3M Co. in the race to meet rising demand for medical equipment.

In Indonesia, PT Toyota Motor Manufacturing Indonesia, a subsidiary of Toyota Indonesia, is in talks with the government to produce ventilators.

Meanwhile, Indonesia-based start-up Nusantics is preparing to make 100,000 COVID-19 test kits in partnership with state pharmaceutical holding company Bio Farma, the Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT) and the Indonesia International Institute for Life Sciences (i3L).

A prototype will be complete within three weeks, according to the company’s investor East Ventures, which will lead crowdfunding with a target of Rp 10 billion (US$ 620,155) to produce the test kits and finance a genome sequencing project. The public can join by accessing indonesiapastibisa.com to donate money or equipment starting on Sunday.

“Right now, it is difficult to get tested for COVID-19 as it keeps spreading throughout the nation,” East Ventures cofounder and managing partner Willson Cuaca told the Post. “That is why we want to help the start-up achieve this goal.”

Nusantics, a technology company established in 2019, focuses on advancements in genomics and microbiome research. Microbiomes are complex ecosystems of microorganisms, such as bacteria, viruses and fungi.

The number of COVID-19 cases in Indonesia exceeded 1,000 on Sunday with 1,285 cases and 114 deaths, spreading to at least 30 of the country's 34 provinces. Globally, the pneumonia-like illness has infected more than 575,000 people with over 31,000 deaths. (mpr)

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