Background information

After the state of alarm decreed in 14 March and given the deficit of disinfectant gel, Repsol, the fossil fuel multinational company based in Spain, adapted its production facilities for motorbike competition lubricant in its Technology Lab (Mostoles) to produce hydroalcoholic gel to donate to hospitals and health centers together with protective material for health personnel.

Content of measure

The Repsol Technology Lab is one of the most important centers of the company in Europe, becoming a technological benchmark in which all kinds of products and lubricants are conceived for the most important motor racing competitions in the world. After the initial impact of the pandemic, the Lab adapted its activity to generate 3,000 liters of hydroalcoholic gel per week to donate to hospitals and health centers. Likewise, Repsol delivered machinery to the Hospital de La Paz (Madrid) to carry out 500 PCR tests as well as protective material: more than 500,000 masks and more than 2,600 protective suits, mostly to the Ministry of Health.

Use of measure

250 of the 400 workers of the Repsol Technology Lab adapted their tasks to reorient their activity to the production of hydroalcoholic gel. According to the manager of the Center's Technological Support and Experimentation Area at the head of the initiative, the experience and predisposition of the workers was essential for this rapid reconversion process.

Contents

• Work organisation

Target groups

Workers	Businesses	Citizens
Does not apply to workers	Does not apply to businesses	Applies to all citizens

Actors and funding

Actors	Funding
Company / Companies	Companies

Social partners

Social partners' role in designing the measure and form of involvement:

	Trade unions	Employers' organisations
Role	Unknown	Unknown
Form	Not applicable	Not applicable

Social partners' role in the implementation, monitoring and assessment phase:

• Unknown
• Main level of involvement: Company level

Involvement

No involvement of social partners.

Views and reactions

CEOE, the largest Spanish EO, held an event in June with some of the main Spanish companies, including Repsol, to highlight the commitment of all companies to the health and economic recovery of Spain.

Sectors and occupations

This case is not occupation-specific.

Sources

• 25 March 2020: MÓSTOLES/ El Centro Tecnológico de Repsol produce geles hidroalcohólicos para Sanidad (www.noticiasparamunicipios.com)
• 29 March 2020: Repsol cambia su fabricación de lubricantes por geles hidroalcohólicos para donar a los hospitales (www.abc.es)
• 30 March 2020: El Repsol Technology Lab inicia la fabricación de gel hidroalcohólico, que dona a hospitales (www.interempresas.net)
• 13 April 2020: Repsol cambia la gasolina de competición por gel hidroalcohólico (noticias-renting.aldautomotive.es)
• 17 April 2020: Marc y Álex Márquez producen su propio gel desinfectante (www.boxrepsol.com)
• 10 May 2020: Repsol, una empresa esencial para la economía del país (www.lavanguardia.com)
• 14 May 2020: Reinventar... las empresas se vuelcan para luchar contra el coronavirus (www.xlsemanal.com)
• 15 June 2020: La receta de los empresarios para salir de la crisis del coronavirus: plan de reformas y creación de empleo (cadenaser.com)