Background information

Lithuanian company Lesta, which is the manufacture of operational fluids (windscreen cleaning liquids, cooling fluids, vehicle oils, etc.) and care preparations for vehicles, started producing disinfectant liquids for hands and surfaces after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. The company decided to start such production when the general public and especially the medical staff faced with a dramatic shortage of disinfectant liquids in the circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic. Such a transformation during the quarantine period allowed the company to enter a new product group with almost no costs for advertising.

Content of measure

As soon as the COVID-19 pandemic erupted in the world and many countries started facing shortages of disinfection products, the company decided not to wait for the virus to spread in Lithuania and start producing disinfectant liquids. This option was considered because the company had all the technical capabilities to produce such liquids, i.e. production lines adapted to dispense large quantities of chemical liquids, own laboratory and chemists able to ensure the quality of the new product. Moreover, the main raw material, ethyl alcohol, has already been used in the company’s products for vehicles.

The company took the risk of ordering large quantities of basic raw materials, containers and caps even prior to being issued a permit from the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Lithuania (MH) to produce disinfectant liquids. Yet, the risk paid off, and the company was one of the first to start producing disinfectants as soon as permission was obtained from the MH. Moreover, the company managed to save money, because the price of neutral spirits soon grew significantly and there was a shortage of containers and caps on the market, but the company had them in place because it had purchased the materials in advance. In order to urgently meet the need for disinfectants in Lithuania, the plant worked two shifts on weekdays and weekends.

The liquid was first supplied to state institutions (hospitals, clinics) and then to retail chains, pharmacies and gas stations.

Use of measure

As the product was highly demanded, the company entered a new product group with almost no advertising costs. In addition, the launch of the new product during the pandemic increased the awareness of the Lesta brand, which became known not only in the category of automotive liquids, but also in the category of cosmetics and hygiene products.

Contents

• Solidarity
• Work organisation

Target groups

Workers	Businesses	Citizens
Employees in standard employment	Does not apply to businesses	Applies to all citizens

Actors and funding

Actors	Funding
Company / Companies	Employer

Social partners

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

	Trade unions	Employers' organisations
Role	No involvement	No involvement
Form	Not applicable	Not applicable

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

• No involvement
• Main level of involvement: Company level

Involvement

Social partners were not involved.

Views and reactions

No information available.

Sectors and occupations

This case is not occupation-specific.

Sources

• 21 May 2020: The other side of the pandemic: transformations have opened up new opportunities for businesses (Kita pandemijos pusė: transformacijos verslui atvėrė naujas galimybes) (mita.lrv.lt)