While on the one hand the Covid-19 pandemic caused an unprecedented economic crisis, on the other hand, it accelerated the market for masks and personal protective equipment. Factories and individual producers saw the manufacturing of these items as an opportunity to stay afloat with the sudden surge in demand.<\/p>\n
Data from the National Industrial Apprenticeship Service (Senai) indicate that domestic production of masks and protective equipment currently meets 80% of the demand. Before the pandemic, that percentage was 20%. The rest came from abroad. Demand was so high that SENAI, together with the National Confederation of Industry, had to train nearly 400 manufacturers from the north to the south of the country so they could adapt their production lines to manufacture PPE.<\/p>\n
This was the case for businesswoman Olinda Sousa, owner of a lingerie store in Fortaleza, Cear\u00e1. Olinda not only managed to avoid layoffs but also saw a 10% increase in revenue by producing more than 50,000 masks.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt first I was a bit lost. I thought: \u2018my god, what now? What am I going to do?\u2019. You couldn't work, but then I said \u2018I'm going to start producing\u2019. I saw on the news that we could produce fabric masks,\u201d she recounts.<\/p>\n
In Cear\u00e1, the textile industry is one of the strongest in the country, and therefore the trend toward conversion is drawing more attention. Paulo Andr\u00e9 Holanda, regional director of Senai Cear\u00e1, explains how the state's industries managed to recover by producing masks and PPE:<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the beginning, Senai produced them, all for free. We repositioned them (the companies), giving mentorship and consulting so they could produce masks. In the beginning, it was a donation, and now we hand it over for the companies to execute. It's a new business for them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nova Friburgo, in the mountainous region of Rio, is responsible for a quarter of the entire lingerie industry in the country, which also facilitated the adaptation. The Federation of Industries of Rio de Janeiro created free video classes to encourage the sector. It is estimated that the region's monthly production is 11 million masks. And the conversion also pulled other sectors along. Cl\u00e1udio Marqu\u00eas, owner of a sportswear company in the city, decided to jump into the segment to survive the crisis:<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a feeling of despair, because moving your factory like we did was scary. Working in the PPE segment is being very rewarding for us, a challenge and a learning experience. We intend to establish it as a niche to follow within the company, he says.<\/p>\n
Faced with the restructuring of industries, the sector is already beginning to think about the post-Covid-19 era. The bet is that investments in innovation made during this pandemic period will guarantee a legacy and space for the country's factories in the international market for masks and protective equipment.<\/p>\n
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