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<ul><li>The founders expect ‘manifold growth’ in the coming years and therefore are in the search for the right talent.</li><li>The current vacancies are in research and technical sales.</li><li>Rossari Biotech is setting up another manufacturing facility at Dahej in Gujarat with a proposed capacity of <a href="https://www.bloombergquint.com/ipos/rossari-biotech-ipo-heres-all-you-need-to-know">132 billion tonnes</a> per annum. </li></ul>The Mumbai-based speciality chemical maker Rossari Biotech is looking to hire more people as it expands its business post the initial public offering (IPO). For the uninitiated, this is a company that makes popular household products like Vim, Rin, and Surf for the brand owners like Hindustan Unilever, Dabur, and many more to name a few. According to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/markets/news/rossari-biotech-ipo-analysis-and-comparison-with-camlin-fine-srf-and-clariant/articleshow/76953016.cms">analysts, the 23-year old company ⁠— which competes with the likes of BASF and Dow Chemicals ⁠— is poised for strong growth</a>. “We are a growing manifold, the need for our company is at the peak. We need human resources. So this is going to be a big focus for our company in future,” Sunil Chari Managing Director and Co-Founder at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/BusinessInsiderIndia/videos/286494852795378">Rossari Biotech told Business Insider.</a> Chari revealed that the company has an average salary package of more than ₹10 lakh, which is better in comparison to its peers. “It is mostly a knowledgeable workforce,” he said. According to him, at this moment, the company is looking for people in research and technical sales. “But, we will require people in HR. We will require people in the admin. We will require people in the factory. It will be a basket of posts,” he added. He said the company is cautious towards the capital at this moment and will hire every quarter based on its performance. “In this quarter we have plans of hiring some people. But the next quarter coming it depends on the growth,” he said. “In the last 3 months, we would have taken at least 15 people in the personal care segment at Dahej. We are one of the few people recruiting in these times. We see a good quarter. We see good growth for the entire industry this year. So, we are bullish on hiring,” he added. Currently, Rossari Biotech manufactures a majority of its products in its manufacturing facility at Silvassa. It is also setting up another manufacturing facility at Dahej in Gujarat with a proposed capacity of <a href="https://www.bloombergquint.com/ipos/rossari-biotech-ipo-heres-all-you-need-to-know">132 billion tonnes per annum</a>. Rossari Biotech’s ₹496 crore initial public offering has been subscribed nearly three times on Day 2 of the bidding process. The bidding will remain open till end of day (July 15) with a fixed price band of ₹423-425 per equity share. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/barbecue-nation-ipo-must-be-priced-the-same-way-as-its-menuvalue-for-money/articleshow/76961459.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">Barbeque Nation IPO must be priced the same way as its menu—value for money</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/wipro-share-price-16-increase-leads-to-surge-in-infosys-share-price-too/articleshow/76973619.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">Wipro share price 16% increase leads to surge in Infosys share price too</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/markets/news/rossari-biotech-ipo-analysis-and-comparison-with-camlin-fine-srf-and-clariant/articleshow/76953016.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">Rossari Biotech IPO⁠— 40 scientists, China, and other factors that make the share sale hot</a>

Rossari Biotech is hiring ⁠— and the company’s average salary is ₹10 lakh per year

New Delhi, <keyword id="19955699" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="crisil-ratings" source="keywords">Crisil Ratings</keyword> on Monday said the credit quality outlook for Indian corporates remains positive for the April-September period of the 2024-25 fiscal year with upgrades continuing to outpace downgrades. In the last fiscal year, <keyword id="19898320" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="crisil" source="keywords">Crisil</keyword> gave 409 rating upgrades and 228 downgrades. Some export-linked sectors, such as textile and seafood, saw a higher downgrade rate due to subdued global demand or high-cost inventory that impacted profitability. "India Inc's credit quality outlook is positive for the first half of fiscal 2025 with upgrades expected to outnumber downgrades. Multiplier effect of government capex will continue to drive infrastructure and linked sectors. Healthy balance sheets will continue to support the credit quality outlook, with capex funding seen prudent," <keyword id="21152659" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="crisil-rating" source="keywords">Crisil Rating</keyword> said. It said the outstanding bank credit is expected to cross Rs 200 lakh crore by March 2025, from Rs 172 lakh crore a year ago, even though there would be moderation in the rate of credit growth. The Indian economy with a GDP growth of 6.8 per cent is expected to remain the fastest-growing large economy in the current fiscal. The growth will, however, moderate from 7.6 per cent expected in 2023-24 as high interest rates and lower fiscal impulse to growth will temper demand, according to Crisil. Crisil Ratings Managing Director <keyword id="20983741" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="gurpreet-chhatwal" source="keywords">Gurpreet Chhatwal</keyword> said the three key pillars of India Inc's credit quality -- deleveraged balance sheets, sustained domestic demand and government-led capex -- kept the upgrade rate elevated in the second half of FY24. "With balance sheets in most sectors at their healthiest, capacity utilisation around peak levels and expected interest rate cuts, a broad-based pick-up in private capex is finally in sight," Chhatwal said, adding that sectors with export linkages could have some uncertainties around them. Stating that bank credit outstanding could cross Rs 200 lakh crore by March 2025, credit growth will remain healthy, albeit a tad lower at 14 per cent this fiscal year. Credit growth was 16 per cent in the last fiscal year that ended on March 31. Overall gross non-performing assets (NPAs) will continue to trend down and touch fresh decadal lows, it said. Crisil Ratings Senior Director and Chief Ratings Officer <keyword id="21152658" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="krishnan-sitaraman" source="keywords">Krishnan Sitaraman</keyword> said there is a likelihood of interest rate cuts globally in 2024. "We expect the RBI to cut interest rates in the second half of the current fiscal," Sitaraman said, adding that credit quality is likely to remain positive. The RBI is scheduled to announce its first monetary policy review for the current fiscal on April 5. For FY25, as many as 21 of 26 corporate sectors have strong to favourable credit quality outlook, marked by robust balance sheets and healthy operating cash flows -- expected to be as much, or higher, than in fiscal 2024. These include auto-component manufacturers, companies in the hospitality and education sectors where the credit quality is supported by healthy domestic demand. It also includes sectors benefiting from the government's infrastructure spending, such as construction companies, and steel, cement and capital goods manufacturers. Four corporate sectors -- specialty chemicals, agrochemicals, textile cotton spinning and diamond polishers -- are facing headwinds given their fortunes are aligned with global macroeconomic conditions, which are subdued at present.

Credit quality outlook of India Inc positive in first half of FY25: Crisil Ratings

New Delhi, Nov 14 () Aditya Birla Group's flagship firm Grasim Industries on Thursday posted a consolidated net profit of Rs 1,472.77 crore for the July-September period helped by good performance of its subsidiaries UltraTech Cement and Aditya Birla Capital.
 Grasim Industries had reported a net loss of Rs 1,319.79 crore in the September quarter a year ago, Grasim Industries said in a BSE filing.
Its revenue from operation was at Rs 18,430.27 crore, up 3 per cent, during the quarter under review as against Rs 17,892.42 crore in the corresponding quarter of the previous fiscal.
"Consolidated EBITDA at Rs 3,180 crore recorded a growth of 7 per cent Y-o-Y and PAT (before exceptional items and one-time deferred tax benefit) was up by 6 per cent Y-o-Y to Rs 639 crore driven by superior performance of the company's subsidiaries, UltraTech Cement Limited and Aditya Birla Capital Limited.
Grasim Industries' total expenses were at Rs 17,069.81 crore during the period as against Rs 16,541.52 crore, up 3.19 per cent.
Its revenue from Viscose segment was at Rs 2,431.42 crore, down 6.67 per cent, to Rs 2,605.36 crore of Q2/FY 2018-19.
"The weakness in the domestic VSF realisations impacted this quarter's profitability. The benefit of falling input costs like pulp prices will get reflected in the coming quarters due to inventory time lag," said Grasim Industries.
While, its cement business UltraTech' revenue was at Rs 9,620.47 crore, up 4.01 per cent, as against Rs 9,249.26 crore.
"UltraTech completed the acquisition of Century Textiles and Industries cement business... With this acquisition, UltraTech's cement manufacturing capacity stands augmented to 117.4 million tonnes per annum (MTPA), including its overseas capacity. This makes UltraTech the 3rd largest cement company in the world, outside of China," the company said.
Revenue from Chemicals during the quarter was at Rs 1,347.30 crore, down 16.44 per cent, as against Rs 1,612.38 crore.
"Softening of Caustic Soda prices globally has led to decline in the domestic prices, resulting in lower profitability on YoY basis," said Grasim.
While its Financial Services segment revenue reported a 12.72 per cent increase at Rs 3,960.86 crore during the period from Rs 3,513.59 crore a year ago.
Revenue from others segment was at Rs 1,305.60 crore, up 13.32 per cent, as against Rs 1,152.10 crore.
On the outlook, Grasim said its VSF business will continue to focus on expanding the market in India and its chemical business is under an expansion mode for both chlor-alkali and specialty chemicals. 
On UltraTech, it said: "The company with its presence across the country is the best positioned to take advantage of the revival in cement demand, despite the anomalies that may get created in demand patterns in some parts of the country due to extraneous reasons."
"Grasim is incurring capex to increase capacities across its key business lines and is potentially well positioned to leverage the next phase of the economic growth," the company said.
 Shares of Grasim Industries Ltd on Thursday settled at Rs 734.30 apiece on the BSE, down 0.64 per cent from the previous close. KRH MKJ

Grasim Industries Q2 net profit at Rs 1,473 crore

<ul class="summary-list"><li>We made a <keyword id="281888" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Big-Mac">Big Mac</keyword> Using all 54 <keyword id="6378093" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="mcdonalds">Mcdonald's</keyword> Ingredients.</li><li>The resulting Big Mac cost over $100 but wasn't as far off as you might expect.</li><li>The Big Mac Sauce was hard to replicate, as was the pillowiness of the bun.</li></ul>Following is a transcript of the <keyword id="21654" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="video">video</keyword>.Harry: This is a Big Mac. And this is everything that's in a Big Mac. Welcome to <keyword id="41941" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="fast-food">Fast Food</keyword> Chemistry.Now, I've been desperate to try an authentic American Big Mac, but unfortunately there's no way I can get my hands on one in the UK. The simple solution was to get ahold of every ingredient which goes into one -- there are over 50 -- and then to build one myself.Joe: Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. You're not making a US Big Mac without me. I'm going to oversee this whole operation to see how close you actually get. What I love about this show is that it combines all the things I love about making <keyword id="6181" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Food">Food</keyword> Wars, and also I do literally nothing. So I am a fan of this format.Harry: I've always wanted to say this, but please do not try this one at home.This one right here is alum. This is potassium aluminium sulfate, and it's primarily used in things like leather tanning and dyeing and in fireproofing textiles. It's pretty strong stuff. For example, if you boil some of this, it can actually dissolve steel in just a few hours.Joe: OK, we're one chemical in and already we're talking about dissolving steel, did he say? Um, no. Harry, please be careful. Put on some gloves for God's sakes.Harry: This one right here is soy lecithin. You've probably heard my Food Wars cohost, Joe, mispronounce this one a million times.Joe: Lechithin. Leckithin. Lecithin. Leckithin. Lechithin. Leechithin. Soy lecithin.Harry: It's a lubricant and an emulsifier. It's considered safe for consumption, but there have been some preliminary studies to suggest that overconsumption may promote depression, which is kind of the last thing I need. But what exactly do we mean by emulsifier?Well, as we all know, oil and water don't usually mix. An emulsifier is something which helps you get around that problem. In the Big Mac it's used in the cheese and the sauce, just to kind of help everything stay together. And finally we have polysorbate 80, otherwise known as polyoxyethylene sorbitan monooleate, or the more catchy "tween."Now this might come in a handy applesauce-style pouch, but it's probably our most controversial chemical here. Studies have shown that it can lead to an increase in colon cancer and infertility in mice. It's not a guarantee to say that it will do the same to humans, but it's probably not the best sign.Joe: OK, oh Jesus. Slice, ugh. Pasteurized American cheese. Ingredients are milk, cream, water, sodium citrate, salt, cheese cultures, citric acid, enzymes, soy lecithin, and colors added. Get a load of this guy right here.Harry: This one's a little tricky. We don't have an exact recipe for the pasteurized processed American cheese which McDonald's uses in the States. What we did find are the FDA requirements for processed cheese. Now to meet the legal definition of American cheese, it must be made of cheddar, colby, granular, or washed curd cheese. We're choosing to go with a mild cheddar because it already kind of tastes similar to the Big Mac cheeses that I've had in the past.From the ingredients list, we can see the ones that belong to the cheese and the ones which are added at a later stage. The cheese itself is basically just made of milk, salt, cultures, and enzymes. Whereas later on, you will add the sodium citrate as an emulsifying agent, the citric acid as an acidifying agent, and the soy lecithin as an anti-sticking agent.The FDA requirements also specify how much of each of these you're allowed to have in the finished cheese. For example, we know that the soy lecithin can only be 0.03% of the finished weight. I think it's chemical time. The chemicals have changed the consistency of the cheese almost immediately. It's gone from what was a very liquidy melted cheddar with some cream in it to like, a very shiny-looking, almost like a squeezy cheese. And last but not least, the color. That's good. So in a relatively short space of time we've turned this cheddar, which is quite a firm, inflexible, very pale cheese, into this classic American cheese.It's amazing how little sodium citrate it took and how quickly the change took effect. Honestly, it was a tiny amount, and as soon as it was sprinkled in, made a whole world of difference.Joe: Obviously it looks like American cheese, but this is how we test if this is real, authentic American cheese. Ready? Let's check it out. Damn it, I was hoping it would stick.The pickle slices at an American McDonald's contain cucumbers, water, distilled vinegar, salt, calcium chloride, alum, potassium sorbate as a preservative, natural flavors, polysorbate 80, extractives of turmeric for color. Ugh.Harry: Now some of these chemicals can actually be quite dangerous. Calcium chloride can lead to burns in the mouth and throat, excess thirst, vomiting, stomach pain, and low blood pressure. So I'm going to put some gloves on. Now, despite its potential dangers, calcium chloride is actually a great way to improve the saltiness in food without increasing the sodium content.Alum is one that we've mentioned before. And apparently this improves the crunchiness of pickles. Potassium sorbate, as it says on the label, is a mold inhibitor, which will get the pickles a longer shelf life. And finally, we have polysorbate 80. Now this is an emulsifier which will thicken liquids. However, it is also the one that gives mice cancer.It's forming like, can you see this? It's forming crystals, like stalactites.Joe: Oh, it's like, solidifying or something right now. What is happening? Get away from it. I feel like I'm watching someone making an explosive. I just, the way he's shaking it, it's like, gah, it's going to explode. Looks like this is the first time Harry's ever cut a cucumber.The Big Mac bun in the US contains the following ingredients: enriched flour, which is ... and diglycerides, enzymes, and vinegar.Harry: We'll start with the flour. This is British white bread flour, which contains wheat flour, calcium carbonate, iron, niacin, and thiamin. So we're missing the malted barley flour, the riboflavin, and the folic acid. None of these are too suspect. Malted barley flour contains enzymes that break down starch to sugar, and riboflavin and folic acid are actually just vitamins B2 and B9. So let's fortify our flour.The only way to actually get the extra ingredients that we needed was in vitamin form. So we've got some folic acid and some riboflavin tablets here. It's like a pregnancy supplement. You're supposed to take them when you're trying to get pregnant. Now that we have our fortified flour, the next few ingredients are fairly simple: water, sugar, yeast, and soybean oil.Now these might seem fairly normal, but we actually had some difficulty finding soybean oil here in the UK. In the US, apparently it's one of the most common cooking oils. But in the UK, it's used for two things, massage oil and as a horse supplement.Joe: So I'm going to need clarity on this. When you say a horse supplement, you're giving it as a supplement to a horse? Or you take it as a supplement instead of eating horse? Which is it? Both are really weird.Harry: Nailed it. We looked up soybean oil in the USA, and it was a much lighter color than this. So this might not be as refined as the soybean oil that you get in the US, but fingers crossed, it should still be edible. And finally, the extra ingredients. Now the ingredients list has these as less than 2%, so we have some idea of how much of each of these we should be adding.Joe: Oh, is that how chemistry works? Just eyeballing it? What are you doing? We have just a little bit of this, a little bit of that. Again, there's nothing too surprising until we get to this one, which is DATEM. Now, DATEM is diacetyl tartaric acid ester of mono- and diglycerides.Harry: Now, if you ever wondered how McDonald's gets their buns so kind of soft, but also quite springy, this might be the difference maker. It improves the strength of the gluten network.Joe: It's like, really soft, right? I know it's not supposed to be that way, but it's kind of like, it's got a bounce to it, right?Harry: So our buns have risen. We're going to put them into some ring molds, top them with sesame seeds, and then bake.Joe: It appears that Harry has raided someone's dorm room and stolen their microwave-hot plate combo. I don't know how this is going to turn out.Harry: OK, here we go. So here is the bun we made today, and here is a bun we made earlier. Now the differences between these two are that this one has all the chemicals McDonald's uses, whereas this one is literally just water, flour, and yeast.Visually, the one we've made today looks like a much better color. It's a nice, even golden brown all around. As you see with the one on the left, without the chemicals, it's actually got this big tear around the side as well. Now it's unclear exactly why this happened, but it could be because this one has some chemicals which help the gluten stay strong and withstand the expansion in the oven.Joe: But that looks, actually looks pretty good. I'm very surprised by that.The Big Mac big sauce is made -- Our American Big Mac sauce contains soybean oil, from before, remember that? Sweet relish, which is diced pickles, sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, distilled vinegar, spices, onion powder, salt, extractives of paprika, and soy lecithin.Harry: Now, kind of like the soybean oil, we had some real difficulties getting hold of high-fructose corn syrup in the UK. It's just really not used at all. We were able to track down some regular corn syrup, but only as a kind of specialty imported product. But the only difference is that high-fructose corn syrup goes through a process which converts some of its glucose into fructose, which makes it even sweeter.Joe: Yup, corn syrup is very common in the United States. You can get it in the baking aisle. I've gotten it before. It's good for when you're making barbecue sauces, like pulled pork. I could not get high-fructose corn syrup. I looked it up, and sure enough, you can only get it at industrial-level, five-gallon drums. It's pretty cheap.Harry: Now we've already talked about what some of these chemicals do, but we haven't talked about xanthan gum yet. Xanthan gum is a thickener. And I can understand why you might want to put it into a sauce to thicken it up. But just before we do that, we're going to test it out on some water to see how effective it is.Joe: Harry, my friend, you just invented thick water, which we've got here in the States. So this is for people with swallowing issues. It actually makes it easier. I mean, is it really like -- It doesn't -- Hmm. Ooh, that's weird. It's like a gel. Where have you been all my life, thick water? Silky, smooth. Props to the people over at Thick-It. They're not a sponsor. You make a hell of a thick water.Harry: Just about a half a teaspoon of it turned about 100 milliliters of water into this. So now we've made our sweet relish, but that's just one of the ingredients in the Big Mac sauce. Now we have to make the rest. Now it's worth pointing out, a couple of the chemicals in there are noting what they do. So we'll start with the propylene glycol alginate. Now this is usually used in the beer-making process, and it will also give our sauce a nice glossy finish. As for the hydrolyzed vegetable protein, we have this small bottle of it here.Now what this is is primarily a flavor enhancer. But it's also a not-too-distant cousin of MSG. The main component of this is glutamate, which is the same as the G in MSG. And last but not least, we have this, which is caramel color. Now caramel color is worth pointing out because one of the by-products it can contain is on the state of California's list of chemicals known to cause cancer. What we don't know is if McDonald's uses the specific type of caramel color that contains that by-product.Joe: That chemical that is on California's list of cancer-causing chemicals, just pick a different color. I don't, I mean -- I know you eat with your eyes, but it's OK if the color is a little different.Harry: Aren't you supposed to like stream in the oil very gently? Oh, God. More than that? Loads more, just like, oh, gosh, that's a bit aggressive. Oh, God. Feel free to get involved. I'm hearing lots of criticism from you guys. Not many solutions.Joe: It's like when you first started living on your own, and you had a roommate. And you like, tried cooking something, and you're both like, I don't, you hold it, I'll mix it, having no idea, having no skill on how to do this. Just watching you guys do this is just like, oh, my God.Harry: Wow. Look at that. Nailed it, guys. And with that, we have our Big Mac sauce. The color looks pretty good. The consistency is pretty good. It was very hard work trying to emulsify that by hand, but honestly, not too disappointed with the result.Joe: Wow. That looks like Big Mac sauce, I have to say. I'm very surprised by that. That actually looks just like the sauce. In the US, our Big Mac beef patty is made up of 100% beef patty. It is prepared with grill seasoning, which is salt and black pepper.Harry, get a spatula, man. You knew you were going to do this. Why are you using a spoon? I've got to say, this is a very sad sight to watch you try and make this burger, on this hot plate, with a spoon, in an office.Harry: So after all that, we've made all of the components of a Big Mac. The only things we've added are some freshly diced onion and some shredded lettuce. These, thankfully, are just made of onion and lettuce. There's no additional chemicals.Joe: OK, he hasn't even put it together yet, and I, honestly, am pleasantly surprised. At this point before assembly, my hat's off to you, Harry. That actually looks pretty good.Harry: So there you have it. Can you tell which one is ours?Joe: Visually, Harry, I'll give you a 6. If I got a Big Mac at McDonald's and that's what was in the box, I'd be like, what the hell's going on back there? But it looks a lot closer than I thought it was going to be. The fact that that bread, and that sauce, and that cheese looks the way it did is very impressive.Harry: The last thing to do is taste our burger to see how it stacks up against an actual Big Mac. I think the bun is good. It's a great homemade bread. I just don't think I've ever made bread this good at home without those chemicals. However, it doesn't quite have that real soft pillowiness that the McDonald's one does.There's not a huge amount to say about the beef. The lettuce and the pickles are also pretty good, honestly. No real difference noted. And I think I actually almost prefer the cheese that we've made. I don't know if that's because we used better cheddar, but I actually like our cheese.We've got a nice thick slice, kind of holds up. It also has a good flavor. I think the sauce on ours is not quite as good as the original Big Mac sauce. While we followed the ingredients list as exactly as we could, there are still some herbs and spices which they keep as a closely guarded secret.

Making a US Big Mac using all 54 McDonald's ingredients

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Dr. Jerry McGinn is the executive director of the Center for Government Contracting in the school of business at George Mason University, and is a former career official in the Department of Defense.</li><li>In order to address vulnerabilities exposed by the novel coronavirus outbreak, he says we must capitalize on provisions in the CARES Act to rewrite our public health supply chain. </li><li>We need to stop relying on imports for critical health materials, particularly on China. </li><li>As the CARES Act and Defense Production Act help bolster supplies in the short term, we should apply their funds for the long term.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/prime">Click here for more BI Prime stories.</a></li></ul>The societal and economic devastation wrought by COVID-19 is everywhere. The virus has also dramatically exposed significant weaknesses in our public health and pharmaceutical industrial base and supply chain, specifically our dependence on China for much of the material and production capacity essential for the COVID-19 response. How can we address these critical vulnerabilities?In short, we need to closely examine the lessons from the current response, prioritize the key vulnerabilities in our industrial base, and then use the resources and expanded authorities in the CARES Act to recast our public health supply chain and industrial base to build resilience for the future. <h2>Learn from the current response</h2>Federal agencies are currently pursuing an all-of-the-above strategy for developing treatments and vaccines for COVID-19 and for acquiring and delivering PPE, ventilators, and other equipment to the places of greatest need. It is chaotic for sure and there will be plenty to criticize when analysts closely examine the response looking for lessons.Initial shortages of N95 masks at US hospitals, for example, resulted in part from the fact that China produced approximately <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/13/business/masks-china-coronavirus.html">half of the world's masks prior to COVID-19</a> and their exports temporarily halted as the virus spread in China. Ventilator demand, meanwhile, dramatically outpaced <a href="http://www.centerforhealthsecurity.org/resources/COVID-19/200214-VentilatorAvailability-factsheet.pdf">domestic inventory and stockpiles</a> and production will take time to catch up. Federal obligations on COVID-19 have dramatically accelerated in recent days, however. Obligations <a href="https://business.gmu.edu/images/GovCon/Website/Webinar_COVID-19_March_30_2020/Webinar_COVID-19_and_Implications_for_the_Government_Contracting_Community.pdf">almost tripled</a> in the final week of March, for instance, going from around $636 million on March 24 to $1.9 billion on March 31. Rapid turn <a href="https://beta.sam.gov/search?keywords=covid-19&amp;sort=-relevance&amp;index=opp&amp;is_active=true&amp;page=1">contract opportunities</a>, with same or next day response due dates, have become increasingly common as agencies scramble to get needed equipment.Beyond the highly-visible efforts, <a href="https://www.nist.gov/news-events/news/2020/03/nist-funding-manufacturing-institutes-support-pandemic-response">funding opportunities</a> in areas such as 3D printing, biofabrication, and textiles as well as collaborative <a href="https://www.mtec-sc.org/">projects</a> between biomedical technology companies and the army are underway. These efforts will help build industrial capacity to support the current response, but should also inform future planning. We need to carefully assess the rugby scrum of contracting efforts underway to determine which efforts are most successful at rapidly developing, producing, and delivering medical equipment and pharmaceuticals so we are prepared for the future. <h2>Prioritize vulnerabilities</h2>This crisis has starkly demonstrated how much of the pharmaceutical and public health supply chains are outside the United States. While innovative research and development efforts thrive domestically, production has largely moved overseas. In addition to masks, more than <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/11/business/economy/coronavirus-china-trump-drugs.html">90% of world's antibiotics</a> are produced in China. Dependent relationships with non-transparent economies and undemocratic countries like China for these types of products are extremely problematic. We found similar dependencies in the presidentially-directed whole of government <a href="https://media.defense.gov/2018/Oct/05/2002048904/-1/-1/1/ASSESSING-AND-STRENGTHENING-THE-MANUFACTURING-AND%20DEFENSE-INDUSTRIAL-BASE-AND-SUPPLY-CHAIN-RESILIENCY.PDF">review</a> of the US manufacturing and defense industrial base during 2017-2018. Over decades, commercial market forces as well as Chinese state policy resulted in Chinese companies and state-owned enterprises having dominant or even sole source positions in materials such as rare earth elements and specialty chemicals.While these materials are used principally in commercial products, they also have essential roles in advanced radars and precision-guided munitions. The priorities coming out of that review focused on addressing those Chinese dependencies first and foremost. Today's situation calls for a similar approach. <h2>Recast our supply chain and industrial base</h2>The COVID-19 pandemic has made it painfully clear that we cannot continue to rely on a public health industrial base and supply chain that is insufficiently robust and overly reliant on China. Fortunately, Congress has provided important resources and authorities in the CARES Act that will be extremely useful to recast how we produce, procure, and distribute critical pandemic response equipment in the future. Beyond the hundreds of billions of dollars for COVID-19 response efforts, anti-viral treatments, and vaccine research essential to defeat the virus, Congress also appropriated resources and expanded authorities that will play essential roles in securing our supply chains. Top of that list is the $1 billion that was appropriated for the Defense Production Act fund. While the focus in the past <a href="https://govmatters.tv/the-defense-production-act-and-how-it-can-be-used/">few weeks</a> has been on how the administration is or is not using the DPA distribution and allocation authority, another <a href="https://thehill.com/opinion/national-security/488435-sending-in-the-cavalry-how-the-defense-production-act-can-assist">provision</a> of the DPA gives the president the authority to<a href="https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?path=/prelim@title50/chapter55&amp;edition=prelim"> "create, maintain, protect, expand, or restore industrial base capabilities essential for national defense"</a> through grants, loans, purchases, and purchase commitments. That authority is used <a href="https://www.businessdefense.gov/DPA-Title-III/Opportunities/">regularly</a>, but the tremendous infusion into the DPA Fund - as well as a little-noticed <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/eo-delegating-additional-authority-dpa-respect-health-medical-resources-respond-spread-covid-19/">executive order</a> authorizing the use of these funds - will almost certainly lead to an extraordinary surge of DPA grants, loans, and other actions to spur, for example, the expansion of existing or the creation of new domestic production facilities for PPE or pharmaceuticals to reduce the reliance on Chinese sources. The CARES Act also expanded the <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/748/text?loclr=bloglaw#toc-H0D9C019E301D4A9584058F8DA59D1CC8">authority and raised the funding caps</a> for HHS and DoD to more aggressively use Other Transactions Authority agreements, flexible contracting instruments that enable greater government and industry collaboration, to foster innovation on COVID-19 response efforts. The Act additionally expanded the <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/748/text?loclr=bloglaw#toc-H09DEB2228E9F45738165BCC2332A00A1">materials</a> in the strategic national stockpile to include medical equipment relevant for pandemic response. This will be critical for building up domestic reserves for use in a potential next wave of COVID-19 or a future public health crisis.Recasting our public health supply chain and industrial base to reduce our reliance on China is truly a national imperative. We must learn from the current response to better plan and prepare for future crises. We must prioritize increasing domestic industrial capacity in those areas where we are dependent on Chinese sources. And we must effectively employ the new resources and authorities to increase our longer-term resilience in the wake of this horrific pandemic.Do you have a personal experience with the coronavirus you'd like to share? Or a tip on how your town or community is handling the pandemic? Please email <a href="mailto:covidtips@businessinsider.com">covidtips@businessinsider.com</a> and tell us your story.Get the latest <a href="/coronavirus-business-impact">coronavirus business &amp; economic impact analysis</a> from Business Insider Intelligence on how COVID-19 is affecting industries.

A former Department of Defense official says one particular piece of legislation could help America rebuild its supply chains and rely less on China, calling this a national imperative - here's how it would work

Delta flight attendants say their uniforms are making them lose their hair, break out in hives, and cough uncontrollably

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"></div></div></div>Often basics are the most difficult articles of clothing to buy. So a few months ago, when I needed all-season wardrobe staple&#xa0; -a white button-down&#xa0;-&#xa0;I prepared for battle.&#xa0;Despite my less-than-optimistic&#xa0;expectations, I stumbled upon what I needed in an unexpected material: Tencel, a fiber made from&#xa0;cellulose found in wood pulp.Created&#xa0;by Austrian textile giant <a href="http://www.lenzing-fibers.com/en/tencel/">Lenzing</a>,&#xa0;Tencel is actually a branded version of a similar fiber, lyocell. Think "Kleenex" versus "facial tissue." Still considered a synthetic fiber, Tencel actually falls "somewhere in the middle,"&#xa0;Adheer Bahulkar, a partner global <keyword id="6354851" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Retail">retail</keyword> consulting firm, <a href="https://www.atkearney.com/">A.T. Kearney</a>, told Business Insider via email. It's harvested from all-natural materials&#xa0;and converted into fabric&#xa0;using a sophisticated nanotechnology process.Despite Tencel appearing in&#xa0;athletic wear,&#xa0;bedding,&#xa0;and even denim since the '90s,&#xa0;I had never heard of it&#xa0;until a frenzied hunt for my shirt one day at&#xa0;Anthropologie. I saw the one&#xa0;below hanging on a rack close to the front of the store.&#xa0;<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div></div></div>The style was exactly what I wanted: flowy but in a menswear&#xa0;sort of way. I immediately checked the fabric content, as&#xa0;my mother had drilled into my head on our countless shopping trips. The tag read, "Tencel."&#xa0;Tencel? I wracked my brain. What the hell was Tencel?I found a sales associate and asked about the fabric. She called it a "cotton alternative" and mentioned the benefits: softness, strength, and breathability. I wrote off her&#xa0;positive comments as a good sales pitch. For a nearly $100 shirt, I wanted more information, so I left the store, prepared to do a bit of research that night.Hey, I'm a journalist, and I could always&#xa0;make a purchase tomorrow.<h3>The benefits</h3>I found internet folk reiterating the sales associates' words on message boards. Compared to cotton, people thought Tencel shrank less, wrinkled less, and breathed more. In the store, I noticed myself the fabric felt softer and stronger than most cotton.&#xa0;When asked about the benefits of Tencel (lyocell), Bahulkar&#xa0;rattled off a similar list."Lyocell is composed of nanofibrils - literally very, very small fibers - which are hydrophilic - [have a] strong attraction to absorbing moisture," he wrote. "This gives Tencel unique moisture absorption ability, which in turn makes [it]&#xa0;breathable, softer, [and] less prone to wrinkles."<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"></div></div></div>Because of these qualities, Tencel's marketing suggests it doesn't collect as much odor or bacteria as other fabrics&#xa0;and needs to be washed less. Whether these claims are true, however, remains unclear, according to&#xa0;Bahulkar.Aside from the aesthetic and textural benefits,&#xa0;marketing suggests Tencel is also more environmentally-friendly than other fabrics. It's produced on a "closed loop system," in which "99% of the chemicals and solvents used in the process to break down the wood pulp are recovered and recycled with minimal waste and very low emissions,"&#xa0;Bahulkar said. The process received the&#xa0;European Award for the Environment from the European Union.&#xa0;"Tencel does use less land and water than cotton production,"&#xa0;Edward Hertzman, the publisher of <a href="http://www.sourcingjournalonline.com">Sourcing Journal</a>, which focuses&#xa0;on the retail apparel and textile industry, told&#xa0;tell Business Insider. In fact, according to&#xa0;Bahulkar, cotton, especially industrially farmed to satisfy global demand, uses up to 20 times more water.Tencel is also made from eucalyptus trees, which don't require pesticides or irrigation, according to the <a href="http://www.nrdc.org/living/stuff/choosing-between-organic-and-cotton-tencel.asp">Natural Resource Defense Council</a>. Lenzing says it can grow enough trees for a ton of Tencel on half an acre of forestland, likely unsuitable for farming. Cotton needs up to five times as much of high quality farmland, according to the NRDC.<div></div><h3 class="embed-spacer">&#xa0;The downsides</h3>The organization, however, also notes that wood pulp is often sourced from forests underneath an umbrella environmental organization which doesn't hold cutters to very high standards. There's also little difference in sustainability between Tencel&#xa0;and organic cotton in the long run.&#xa0;Bahulkar added&#xa0;it's "difficult to be definitive" when calling Tencel more sustainable than cotton, especially because Tencel production is "an extremely minuscule fraction" of cotton production today. And more research needs to be done through the conversion and dying processes. Despite the award-winning closed loop system, these steps can't avoid harsh chemicals&#xa0;From a consumer's perspective, Tencel is also more expensive. Because of the technology required, it simply costs more to produce, which transfers to shoppers, leading to Tencel's perception as a luxury fiber."The reason I say it has a luxury perception is that [companies]&#xa0;spend a lot of money marketing that brand," Hertzman&#xa0;added.In fact, Bahulkar says Tencel can carry as much as a 50-to-100% premium&#xa0;over Egyptian cotton, one of the most pricey levels of cotton.<h3>My find</h3>After researching, I&#xa0;decided I wanted to take a chance on Tencel - if I could find a cheaper version than Anthropologie offered. On a whim, I stopped at T.J. Maxx. After some heavy rack-scanning (because that's what you have to do), I saw a white button-up in my size and checked the tag - 100% Tencel. Score.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div></div></div>Apparently, finding a completely Tencel piece is&#xa0;rare&#xa0;- "maybe in a woman's shirt, but it's going to be silky," Hertzman&#xa0;said.&#xa0;I tried on the shirt - silky it was. And while I didn't recognize the brand, the price was significantly lower than Anthrpologie's version, yet the styles mirrored each other. I bought T.J.'s shirt&#xa0;for $29.99.&#xa0;After a few months of wearing and washing it, I couldn't be happier with my purchase. It's more airy than a normal cotton button-up, and I've found I don't have to wash it as often. While I haven't seen&#xa0;much difference in wrinkling,&#xa0;just a Tide To Go Stain Pen erased&#xa0;a giant splotch of black subway gunk from the back and sleeve.<h3>The future</h3>"There has been a tremendous growth in Tencel production and use in the market …. People are really into comfort now. They like softness and leisure trends," Hertzman said.Markets other than&#xa0;apparel are noticing Tencel as well. It may have even more lucrative uses in batteries and surgical swabs, according to&#xa0;Bahulkar. While in 2014, the Cotton Board estimated global production at just 243,000 tons (compared to 28.6 million for cotton), many midline retailers, like Bed, Bath &amp; Beyond; H&amp;M; and Uniqlo, have jumped on the trend as well as specialty brands, such as Lululemon and Patagonia, just to name a few.&#xa0;"Tencel may create a niche for itself and may find favor with a segment of customers or in a segment of uses, but it has a long way to go towards actually replacing cotton,"&#xa0;Bahulkar said. <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/ironing-shirt-work-how-to-mens-fashion-strategy-2015-7">You've been ironing your shirts all wrong - here's a simple guide to get a wrinkle-free shirt</a></h3> <div> <div> <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="gwMjVodjoAJOICHm-ZuGL5UQuv1XsO1T" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div> </div> </div> </div>

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