During the first wave, Suparshva Swabs pivoted from making cotton buds and cotton balls to polyester swabs. When the second wave hit, it rapidly ramped up its capacity to a peak of 40 lakh swabs per day.

When the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic hit India, the demand for polyester and nylon swabs used in test kits skyrocketed.

For Delhi-based buds and swabs maker Suparshva and its brand Tulips, this posed an arduous challenge.

During the first wave, the business had pivoted from making cotton buds and cotton balls to polyester swabs. It had built up a capacity to manufacture 50 lakh COVID-19 test swabs a week. In 2021, it needed to rapidly ramp up its capacity and output.

Rahul Jain, a second-generation entrepreneur and Partner at Suparshva Swabs, in an exclusive interview with SMBStory, says:

“When the second wave picked up, the Department of Health Research – DHR (under the Ministry of Health), approached us to ramp up the production of swabs so that the testing can be increased in line with the unprecedented demand.”

He adds, “Lockdowns prohibited the movement of not only our personnel but also our suppliers and vendors, resulting in the crippling of existing capacity, let alone any new capacity.”

However, as Suparshva’s contribution was essential in the battle against COVID-19, the business found support in the DHR, which worked to ensure its factories, as well as its suppliers’ units, were up and running.