BUSINESS SECTION
Canberra Times 24 July 2007

Handy sanitiser hits local market
by Natasha Rudra

Jacquelyn D'Arcy hopes hundreds of bulbous blue hand-sanitising devices, combined with a change in the Australian approach to hygiene and the environment, will help her O'Malley-based business take off.  Yesterday, she and her company, Soaptronic Oceania, launched themselves on the the Australian market with the touch-free Germstar hand sanitiser at Teatro Vivaldi in Acton. 

The globe-like dispenser can sense when a hand is placed underneath it, and squirts out a small quantity of alcohol-based sanitiser.  Ms D'Arcy says the sanitiser does not dry out hands, and will eliminate the majority of germs.
"It justs dobs the liquid on your hand, you don't touch the machine, you rub your hands together and it completely dries."

Because the sanitiser is mostly alcohol and evaporate quickly, water usage from traditional hand washing could also be reduced.  The Canberra Club has taken up the new sanitisers, and will replace many of its hand basins.  The little blue dispensers, which will retail for $129 (plus gst) were invented by Austrian, Horst Binderbauer, and are used in the United States and Europe.  Ms D'Arcy, a management consultant, and her husband decided to to bring them to Australia after seeing Mr Binderbauer's dispensers on a cruise ship during a holiday 18 months ago.

Her proprietary company, Soaptronic Oceania, has Australian and New Zealand import rights, with local manufacturing planned further down the track.

Ms D'Arcy said interest had come from clubs with gaming rooms or buffets, and units had been placed in about 10 child-care centres and aged-care centres across the country.

Dr Barry Gilbert, a public health consultant, said a high standard of public health had caused Australians to lapse in hygiene.
"I wouldn't have thought 20 years ago as a doctor I'd be talking about how important it is for people to clean their hands, but it is - it's vital.  You can go to the toilet and not wash your hands and have something to eat and shake hands with people and nothing's likely to happen, probably.  However, that's what Australians have grown up doing.  We don't really have a good sense of risk from hygiene.

The Canberra Club announced today that they intend to replace their hand basins with a revolutionary new touchless sanitising system. Neil Patchett, newly appointed CEO of the Canberra Club, said that this is just one of many measures he intends to implement in the areas of water and hygiene.

Patchett says that the move signals the Clubs concern for the environment and its willingness to act decisively on these concerns. However, going green pays off, as the system will return to members a significant cost saving and water usage dividend.

Patchett will retain a minimal number of basins for situations where soap and water is indicated.  However,  the product (Germstar) in the main, removes the need for running water, soap, paper towels and electronic hand dryers and will cut these costs by over 300%. 

The innovative product, using a completely hands free, non mechanical  and stand alone dispenser, means that hands can be cleansed of more than 99% of all germs within moments of use.  It is the biggest single innovation to hit Australia since the concept of running water in Roman times signalled a new era in civilised living.

The Germstar has a foothold in luxury ocean cruising and is now poised to become a new household product for Australia.

A revolutionary sanitised hand-cleansing product that reduces the need for soap and water - yet which leaves hands more than 99 per cent germ-free – is about to come on to the Australian market.

The ‘Germstar’ sanitised cleansing and dispensing system is being released nationally on Monday (23 July) at the Australian National University in Canberra. It is expected to bring in a new era of water conservation and public hygiene.

Jacquelyn D’Arcy, the CEO of Soaptronic Oceania (Australia & New Zealand), said Germstar and its effective liquid cleanser had been widely adopted in Europe and the United States and was enjoying spectacular success in the cruise line industry.

“The release of the Germstar hand sanitising product on the Australian market from Canberra represents a giant leap forward for national water conservation, plus radically improved public hygiene and health care benefits,” Ms D’Arcy said.

“Germstar ends the need for water in most cases of hand cleaning, with greatly reduced need for a washbasin and drying. It will eliminate substantial capital and on-going costs to install and maintain a large number of hand basins and to provide water, soap and paper towels.

“Water conservation is now a national issue and this product will make a substantial contribution to water savings. It will also provide a safe and trouble free way for people to clean their hands, remove germs and protect their personal health.”

In one example of water use, Australian child care centres alone use more than a million litres of water for hand washing each day (ABS, 2004). Ms D’Arcy said Germstar would eliminate the need for large volumes of paper towels and/or electronic dryers.

A specialist in public health medicine, Dr Barry Gilbert, (Australian and New Zealand Society of Occupational Medicine Inc) said Germstar represented a significant leap forward in public health protection. “Australians are vulnerable due to their lack of social distance and disregard for basic steps in hygiene, which are commonplace in other societies,” Dr Gilbert said.

The solution, which contains a high grade pharmacoepia isopropanol, has been approved for use by the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing as an antibacterial skin product. It is estimated to be at least 100 times more effective than everyday soap and from 30 to 50 times more effective than any antibacterial soap.

The liquid solution kills 99.9 per cent of all transient and resident germs, yet it leaves no residue and is non-allergenic. A natural emollient in the liquid restores moisture in the hands and prevents drying of the skin. It evaporates on the skin within seconds.

The innovative Germstar dispenser system is entirely ‘touch free’ and it has no moving parts. It uses batteries that provide power for at least 4,000 washes.

The cost savings in capital investment, infrastructure cost and daily maintenance are substantial. The cost for each hand wash event would fall from between 14 to 20 cents to between 2.5 and 3.75 cents.

Germstar would benefit all organisations - business and industry, more than 800 local and city government councils across Australia, all state and territory governments, the Australian Public Service, building owners, shopping centres, entertainment venues large and small, clubs and pubs, child care centres, dentists, health centres, schools, service stations, airports, restaurants and every conceivable public place in any city or rural location anywhere in the country.

For all inquiries about Germstar products, please call Jacquelyn D’Arcy on 02 6290 1801 or 0400624 016.

In April 2007 we will be adding the individual spray (59ml pump action bottle) of Germstar to our product range.  It is a handy alternative to use 'on the run'.  This product will cost $5 per bottle.

Some of our customers have been concerned about the placement of the Germcontrol system in areas where it may be vulnerable to vandals.  We have recently developed a fibreglass/ kevlar cover for the dispensing machine which is both vandal proof and lockable.  We have the prototype and will produce the covers soon.  More information as it comes to hand