The boss of Australia's only mask manufacturing company, based in Lemnos, has the weight of the nation on his shoulders.
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And that's no underestimation.
His company has been working around the clock to meet the Federal Government's order of 50 million masks to protect people from COVID-19 — a disease that killed a Goulburn Valley Health patient earlier this month.
But though the situation is dire, Med-Con chief executive Steve Csiszar said helping the most in need — and employing people from the region — had been the highlight of his career.
He recently hired more than 18 staff, bringing the total workforce up to 35 from 13 last year.
And his company is preparing to hire 11 more people from the region, with three new mask machines coming in June to double production capabilities by running 24/7.
Mr Csiszar said his team had been making 135 000 masks a day to protect people from COVID-19. He has personally been working 12-hour days, toiling most weekends to meet demands.
“We’re doing what we always wanted to do, and the products are very essential in fighting the virus.”
Mr Csiszar has been in the medical trade since he left high school as a school-leaver with a one-track mind.
“I was a medical industry guy, that’s what I was comfortable with, it’s an industry I understand,” he said.
“I’ve never thought of doing anything else.”
Working for various businesses over nearly a decade, Mr Csiszar started on the factory floor, progressing up the medical supply ladder from sales representative to general manager.
Mr Csiszar started Med-Con in 1992 with his friend Joe Carmody and Med-Con operations manager Ray Stockwell, with big plans for the company’s future.
“The biggest challenge setting out with Joe and Ray … you have great plans of building a business and building a secure future for your families, and when the plans don’t come to fruition, you think ‘I’ve been doing it for so long, will I ever have a break?’” he said.
Mr Csiszar said they had been through some good years and lean years.
“The last few years have been on the lean side due to competition from cheaper labour-source countries,” he said.
“We’ve really struggled the last couple of years, then all a sudden, the pandemic hit and it’s been a dynamic whirlwind ever since.
“We have a very good, high-quality product, and lucky for us, it’s in demand right now.”
During both the previous bird flu and SARS epidemics, Mr Csiszar said Med-Con approached the Federal Government as a potential medical supplier that could help the national cause.
“The sicknesses weren’t deemed as aggressive enough, so we got nowhere,” Mr Csiszar said.
“But they identified coronavirus would be more vigorous, so they decided they didn’t want to be supplying from somewhere else.”
Mr Csiszar is based in Melbourne but has been commuting to Lemnos a few days a week to be on hand.
On a typical day, he gets up early to handle the marketing side of the business, dealing with customers, contractors and product pricing.
Now with demand from hospitals skyrocketing, Mr Csiszar said he had been working closely with Health Purchasing Victoria to provide hospitals such as Goulburn Valley Health with masks.
“With the production of masks becoming paramount in the next five years, we’re looking to make masks our staple item,” he said.
“We have sterilisation logistics companies overseas who are interested, too.
“Ray and I had a dream the business would one day take off, and it finally is.”
And they are determined to work hard for as long as the nation needs.
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