Touted as a simple but effective shield against coronavirus infections, transparent screens have sprung up at supermarket tills and pharmacies across Germany. For plexiglass manufacturer Claus Mueller, business has never been better — but no one is celebrating. The Plexiglas Riesner processing plant in Wiesbaden is abuzz with activity as owner Mueller and his workers race to get out the next batch of orders, cutting and bending acrylic sheets to size while the phone rings off the hook.
It’s the busiest time in the small company’s 114-year history, with requests coming in faster than the supply chain can handle. “We have endless work but the reason is very sad, so we can’t be euphoric about it,” Mueller tells AFP.
Demand for “sneeze guards” has surged as companies scramble to protect employees from a deadly virus that is transmitted through droplets from an infected person’s mouth or nose, putting at risk those whose jobs don’t allow them to keep the recommended two-metre (six-foot) distance. In the space of mere weeks, German shoppers have become used to the sight of plexiglass barriers separating them from cashiers in grocery stores, among the few retailers that remain open.
Elsewhere too, supermarket chains are opting for the relatively affordable and easy to install screens, from Carrefour in France to Walmart in the United States. Mueller says his sales have doubled in March compared with pre-virus times, boosted by business from hospitals, pharmacies, hotels, banks, and doctors’ offices.
The company is also working on a large order destined for local Aldi supermarkets, with the jovial Mueller regularly rolling up his sleeves to pitch in with the three employees on the workshop floor.
While plexiglass is often used as shorthand for any acrylic sheets, Mueller points out that the high-quality Plexiglas (spelled with a single “s”) that he mostly works with is a registered trademark. And his Plexiglas wholesaler has warned that deliveries of raw materials are grinding to a halt as the virus disrupts global production lines, with many factories shutting down or putting workers on reduced hours.
According to research firm 360 Market Updates, the global market for acrylic sheets was worth $5.3 billion (4.8 billion euros) in 2019 and is forecast to grow to $7.1 billion by 2024.
Source: DJ
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