INOX Air Products

The COVID-19 pandemic began its onslaught in India in the month of March 2020. The 1st wave peaked in the month of September 2020 with 1 million active cases. In the month of February 2021, the active case count came down to 136K.

Beginning March 2021, the country witnessed the 2nd wave with an unprecedented and steep case growth trajectory in a number of daily cases. In a span of one month, daily new cases went up from 12K to 400K, a jump of 33 times in a short span of 30 days.

At the peak of the second wave, there were more than 900K people on Medical
Oxygen support.

Mismatch of Demand & Supplies

As on March 2021, India had a total Liquid Medical Oxygen (LMO) production capacity of 7200 (Tons Per Day) TPD being produced from 70 ASUs. The situation was characterized by a geographical mismatch in demand and supplies. While Northern India produced barely 13% of the country’s oxygen, it consumed 26% of the country’s total available oxygen. This was substantiated by the 35% production capabilities of Eastern India, which required only 10% of the total oxygen available in the country.

LMO production In India

LMO demand In India

LMO Supplies by INOX Air Products during COVID

INOX Air Products manufactures oxygen in 16 States/UT of the country, and services the entire country, through its 29 medical oxygen manufacturing Units. These Units operated 24×7 and were being manned by a 2000 strong workforce to ensure continuous capacity production.

INOX Air Products ramped up its daily supplies of LMO from 400 TPD in the pre- COVID levels to 2700 TPD to cater to the increasing demand of LMO in the country due to the surge of COVID cases.

700+ Brave Drivers

INOX Air Products owns and operates the country’s largest fleet of 405 Cryogenic LMO Transport Tankers engaged in the mission to serve the Nation.

There are 700 brave drivers, who were hailed as super heroes across the country, who performed the task of delivering medical oxygen to the last mile in a timely fashion.

The Hon’ble Prime Minister of India himself took note of the effort made by the drivers, and therefore included his interaction with one of our drivers, in his monthly Radio event Mann Ki Baat

Playing a decisive role

In the first wave, India was successful in curbing the spread of COVID-19 cases by February 2021. INOXAP played the major role in contributing the supplies of Medical Oxygen to the hospitals to the tune of 1600 Tons per day during the peak of 1 st wave in the month of September 2020, where the countries total demand stood at 2800 Tons per day.

In the second wave, India witnessed the initial surge in the Western and Northern region where INOXAP is the major supplier of LMO to Hospitals. Looking at the demand exceeding the supplies, INOXAP took a brave and challenging decision to mobilize the trunking of LMO from the Eastern and Southern regions, from distances as far as 1500 KM.

As the largest manufacturer of Medical and Industrial Gases in India, INOXAP supplied more than 570000 Tons of LMO to more than 800 hospitals across India during the entire COVID period (Apr 2020 to Apr 2021) out of which 86,000 Tons and 90,000 Tons of LMO has been supplied in the month of April and May 2021 respectively.

INOXAP pioneered and collaborated with various Government led logistical initiatives like RO-RO service by Indian Railways called Oxygen Express & Air Lifting of empty Cryogenic Oxygen Tankers by Indian Air Force.

In the 14 months during COVID lockdown period, INOXAP installed more than 130 Medical Oxygen storage tanks at various Hospital premises and COVID-19 facilities at an unimaginable speed. This augmented the overall LMO storage capacity in the country by 8 Lakh Ltrs.

MEDIA GALLERY: INOX AIR PRODUCTS COVID-19 RESPONSE