NBAA nominee Softmed combats worldwide shortage of sterilisation wrap

Each year our Northern Business Achievement Awards allow us to recognise and celebrate outstanding businesses within our region. Softmed is one of those businesses.

Nominated by Hume City Council at our June NBAA event, Softmed is playing an integral part in keeping communities safe during the pandemic.

Over three months last year the company established a purpose built, eco safe, medical grade personal protective equipment (PPE) factory in Campbellfield to cater for the complete non-woven needs of the hospital and healthcare sector. They soon expanded production from manufacturing millions of surgical face masks every day to a full range of non-woven products such as surgical and isolation gowns, disposable bed covers and hospital drapes, as well as much needed sterilisation wrap.

Now Australia’s largest PPE manufacturer, Softmed has begun producing 350,000 sterilisation wraps per month in response to a critical worldwide shortage that is impacting hospitals worldwide.

Sterilisation wrap is a critical healthcare product used to wrap and seal surgical trays and instruments. It creates a microbial barrier for instruments, keeping them sterile until they are opened in the surgical theatre. An increase in demand for PPE during the pandemic caused a worldwide decline in the material required to produce sterilisation wrap, leaving many hospitals having to manage without this critical product.

Softmed General Manager Sergiy Tsimidanov said that, due to the complexity of sourcing the base products as well as the high production standards required, only a few companies globally manufacture sterilisation wrap.

“Until now, Australian hospitals have had to rely on imported products where there is a high risk of supply shortage – a situation we are currently experiencing. That’s why Softmed is beginning local production of sterilisation wrap for the Australian medical community.”

Softmed has a goal of end-to-end self-sufficiency for Australia’s medical PPE needs. Sergiy says the company has the capacity to ramp up manufacturing to one million wraps per month, to cater for growing demand.

“It’s a very laborious process – our special formula non-woven SMS materials go through several stages of quality control. Rolls of material need to be cut, then ultrasonically welded before being folded. Every product is inspected twice before being packed into a sealed, highly durable bag.” 

Softmed’s product complies with medical devices manufacturing standard ISO 13485 and has achieved TGA registration.

At every level, Softmed is a unique Australian business, a next generation manufacturer established in the height of the pandemic and now recognised as an industry leader.

To learn more visit softmed.com.au