Innovative disinfectant and sanitation company, AWS, has signed an exclusive sales, marketing, and distribution agreement with specialist healthcare company Pharmaco after forging a partnership over video calls during lockdown.
A virtual introduction from a mutual contact during Level 4 lockdown led to the agreement when Level 2 started.
AWS produces a range of unique antimicrobial and cleaning chemistry with an emphasis on sustainable, alcohol-free disinfectants and cleaning products.
The New Zealand based partnership aims to change people’s reliance on alcohol and traditional chemical-based sanitation products, in a market estimated to grow by around 30 percent globally by 2023.
Innovation is nothing new to Pharmaco and AWS but building a relationship during a pandemic over video calls was entirely different.
“We built the relationship online after we realised that working together could give Kiwis more access to an eco-friendly and sustainable way to disinfect and sanitise, at a time when there is a growing need,” explained Chandra Selvadurai, Pharmaco’s Managing Director.
“There is an assumption that sanitation has to be alcohol or bleach-based to be effective and we are going to challenge this. The AWS product suite will allow us to promote a clear point of difference in the market. Having these products developed and tested in NZ promotes absolute confidence. There is huge potential for AWS’s products, so we are also considering entering Australia and exporting beyond the trans-Tasman region.”
For some time now, ANK Neutral Anolyte has been a flagship product for AWS as an eco-alternative to products using bleach, hydrogen peroxide and sodium hypochlorite. ANK Neutral Anolyte belongs to a new class of products based on electrochemistry, which has been known about for a long time but only understood by a few specialists.
Protected intellectual property lies behind the production of the ANK Neutral Anolyte provided by AWS, which delivers a further point of difference. AWS has a comprehensive range of products that have been AsureQuality assessed and have multiple MPI approvals in New Zealand.
“We pride ourselves on presenting better hygiene solutions to the industries we serve and must give credit to our client base for adopting our new eco-friendly technology. These alternatives have been independently validated and establish us as a leader in our field, with a growing portfolio of customers,” said Richard Hanna, Group General Manager of AWS who added that the partnership has been a truly positive outcome during what has been a challenging time for New Zealanders and many businesses.
“With a significant increase in demand for high performing sanitation products in all areas of life, coupled with the desire for eco-friendly products, there was an opportunity to extend our business into other sectors,” Hanna noted.
“AWS has the manufacturing and technical know-how and Pharmaco provides the channel and expertise to customers in healthcare, emergency services, pharmacy, education facilities and Government.”
The technology is set to play an important role in the widespread control of pathogens in this newly hyper-sensitive world.
“ANK Neutral Anolyte and other electrochemical products provide a simple, effective and environmental solution to the need we all have for constant hygiene. Over many years electrochemical products have been shown to be exempt from the growing bacterial resistance shown by many traditional chemical products,” said Dr Ian Calhaem, Scientific Advisor to AWS.
“This technology has been available and used in niche markets for many years, but it’s taken recent events to highlight the immense potential of electrochemistry.”
One example of the benefit of ANK Neutral Anolyte is the significant reduction in downtime when fogging buildings or facilities. While traditional fogging chemistry requires people to be out of the area for significant periods of time (and cost), using a dry mist of ANK Neutral Anolyte kills airborne pathogens and sanitises hard surfaces quickly, allowing people to return safely in minutes.
The AWS product range includes ANK Neutral Anolyte, Elite Sanitiser, and Q-Bond and MicroClear Plus antimicrobial paints to name a few. These will be distributed through all Pharmaco sales channels.
Pharmaco (NZ) Ltd is a New Zealand owned and operated company that was established in 1967. It provides a full range of sales and marketing services to over 20 international pharmaceutical, medical, diagnostic and scientific companies requiring representation in New Zealand and Australia, and a portfolio of over 2,500 products. Its service combines local knowledge with global expertise, to bring life-enhancing and life-saving products to this market.
The roots of the AWS Group Limited (or AWS as it is known in the industry) go back to 2006 in New Zealand when Envirolyte NZ Limited first introduced ANK Neutral Anolyte to the New Zealand market.
Since then the company and its product offerings expanded to a point where a change of name was necessary to better reflect the products and services offered. The AWS Group name was born in 2018 and the acronym AWS refers to the Air, Water and Surface sanitation products the company produces from its base in Penrose, Auckland.
AWS is a specialist in developing and manufacturing innovative and environmentally-friendly sanitation, cleaning, and hygiene solutions.
