The company behind Purell hand sanitizer is making a big bet that America’s fixation on clean hands will outlast the global Covid-19 health crisis.
Gojo Industries Inc. added both a factory and a warehouse—the family-owned company had just one of each before the pandemic—and restructured its supply chain, all with the expectation that demand for hand sanitizer will remain exponentially higher than before the pandemic.
The Akron, Ohio, company’s investment is an unusual move in the consumer-products world, where the majority of players deluged by Covid-fueled demand have stopped short of building new factories or making other major long-term investments that could backfire after the health crisis eases.
Behind Gojo’s confidence that demand for sanitizer will stick: the dearth of flu cases this season amid Covid-19 precautions.
