The Croatian company ”Galeb” from the ”pirate town” of Omiš has organised the 24-hour production of reusable cotton protective masks to reduce the spread of coronavirus. Production began very recently, and more than ten thousand pieces are produced daily.
As Marija Crnjak/Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 21st of March, 2020, the Galeb masks, like all of this particular company’s products, are made from health-friendly and raw materials, which was confirmed by the Oeko-tex standard 100 certificate, to which all products are subject.
Galeb’s protective masks can be used multiple times and are washable at 95 degrees celsius, and on top of that, it is working to preserve domestic production and jobs during these exceptionally trying times.
”The period we’re going through is a big challenge, and the textile industry in Croatia, as a labour-intensive industry, is generally being hard hit by the relocation of production to other countries and a lack of educated staff,” said Jasmina Matisa of of Tekstilpromet d.d. (of which Galeb is a part) noted.
She added that due to global flows and the priorities for maximum profit, textile production has been relocated to parts of the world with cheaper labour, but the epidemic affecting those areas has suspended the supply chain.
Galeb from the Dalmatian town of Omiš is a Croatian company which was initially founded back in 1951. It boasts a total of 384 employees and has been a part of the aforementioned Tekstilpromet Group for over twenty years, which itself employs 903 employees and has been operating for over seventy years.
Galeb manufactures and markets knitwear and is the largest vertically integrated manufacturer of such products in the area. Their vertical integration is reflected in the fact that the entire production process, from the production of knitting, finishing, design, and tailoring, to the very sewing and packaging takes place right there in Omiš. It is this kind of vertical integration that enables Galeb to respond quickly and make adjustments in business.
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