Sanitex steps up with IVECO Daily

While many industries have been adversely affected by COVID-19, Melbourne-based face mask and sanitiser specialist Sanitex has, perhaps unsurprisingly, powered ahead. But it hasn't simply been a case of the firm being in the right place at the right to meet a surging need – the company was born in late 2019 from a fashion and streetwear house, 3rd Chapter, its founders 'pivoting' to meet what would soon become unprecedented demand.

"With the onset of COVID, we saw the opportunity to diversify and help out locally and across Australia, supplying Melbourne-made face masks and sanitiser to meet the massive growth in demand," said Sanitex General Manager, James Fatone.

"Our knowledge in bringing products to market through our experience with 3rd Chapter gave us the background and resources we needed to make a fast impact but, as you can imagine, supplying vital PPE has meant that our workload has grown exponentially.

"We did have to adapt the way we delivered our products and how we went about moving goods within states, but this was quickly adjusted."

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To facilitate that adjustment, Sanitex purchased two new IVECO Daily 50C vans through Melbourne IVECO dealership, ADTRANS. One is powered by a 170hp 3.0-litre turbo-diesel and has a load volume of 12 cubic metres, while the other has a 205hp twin-turbo-diesel and a capacity of 18 cubic metres. Both vans features an eight-speed automatic transmission.

"We've used the Dailys for all kinds of deliveries, for metro, urban, regional areas and to even more remote locations," said Mr Fatone.

"They've stood up to the task every time, they're easy to drive and the fact that they can be driven on a normal licence is an added bonus.

"I've personally driven both vans and like the comfort – especially the heated and air suspension seats – and the ease at which they drive is amazing. Long journeys are a breeze and the engine power is a bonus as well."

Mr Fatone said that the pandemic had highlighted the need for Australians to support one another.

"Aussies have really pulled together in recent months and we'd encourage every person, whether they're from local or federal government departments, from small business to large conglomerates, to continue to support Australian owned and operated businesses, and especially during these tough times," he said.

This year Sanitex has donated over $1.2 million worth of masks and sanitiser to a diverse range of charities including Australian Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, Salvation Army Melbourne and Geelong, Geelong Football Club Charity Foundation (distributed to Aboriginal communities), City of Sydney and City of Brisbane charity arms for the homeless, Geelong Mums, Melbourne Mums, Miracle Babies Foundation and Good Shepherd.

Mr Fatone said the donations were made during a critical time in the pandemic and that the recipients were grateful beyond measure.

"Having the Daily vans ensured that we could deliver our products in a timely manner as Australia Post and other logistic companies were inundated and under pressure due to the sharp increase of online ordering," he said.

The Sanitex range spans face masks, hand sanitisers, sprays and wipes, and touch-free dispensers, with additional products soon to be added to the mix.