By Mehmet Fatih Erdogdu
ISTANBUL (AA) - Several Turkish municipalities and foreign customers' demand for street disinfection devices increased amid COVID-19 pandemic, the head of a waste management company said.
The production of the company's new disinfection device, named Mikronsis smoke machine, tripled, Kenan Celik, the general manager of Kademe Atik Teknolojileri, a subsidiary of Albayrak Group, told Anadolu Agency.
While the company planned to produce 50 devices weekly, it is trying to increase the production to 150 units per week, he noted.
"Our priority is to meet the demands of our country. We also started to respond slowly to requests from North Africa, South America, and Russia," he stressed.
Mikronsis can be adapted to several vehicles, such as street sprinklers or fire trucks, instead of purchasing a new truck, he expressed.
The device's water consumption is also very low -- 7 liters per minute, he told.
"In this process, we develop vehicles that have a high impact on street and street disinfection," he said, adding: "We have manufactured these kinds of products with research and development (R&D) works and we are working for more advanced products."
He said the new device has an advantage with its small dimensions to transport.
Several companies globally product similar devices, it is the only way to overcome the crisis is R&D activities.
The firm exports machines, vehicles, and equipment for the use of the municipalities to 42 countries currently.
After originating in Wuhan, China last December, COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, has spread to at least 185 countries and regions across the world, with its epicenter shifting to Europe and the United States.
The pandemic has killed over 147,000 people and infected some 2.18 million, while more than 555,000 have recovered from the disease, according to figures compiled by the U.S.’ Johns Hopkins University.
*Writing and contributions by Gokhan Ergocun