INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS PAGES Ahlstrom-Munksjö fights the COVID-19 pandemic by expand- ing the production of face mask materials to its plants in Italy and Finland Ahlstrom-Munksjö increases capacity across its entire protective medical fabrics product portfolio to support the healthcare industry. The exponential spread of the COVID-19 virus around the world has caused an exceptional situation, creating strong demand for healthcare goods in general, and spe- cifically for protective medical products that are made from the company’s fab- rics. It is also expanding manufactur- ing of fabrics production lines normally used for producing other fiber-based materials and providing support with its in-dept knowledge of fiber-based solutions. In the beginning of March, the com- pany expanded the production of face mask materials to a fine fiber line nor- mally used for industrial filtration ma- terials at the Turin plant, Italy. The tech- nology is unique, generating good pro- tection and breathability for medical use, and approved as a surgical mask. The advantage of this technology com- pared to the commonly available elec- trostatically charged material is its durability. Protection efficiency of elec- trostatically charged materials is lost overtime when humidity gets in con- tact with the filter media, whereas pro- tection efficiency of a mechanical fil- ter media remains intact over time. First orders were received in the middle of March, and Ahlstrom-Munksjö is now targeting to ramp up fabrics pro- duction for more than 20 million face masks per month. In April, Ahlstrom-Munksjö is expand- ing the production of face mask mate- rials to a line normally used for indus- trial filtration materials at the Tampere plant in Finland. Currently the materialIn response to the exponential spread of the COVID-19 virus in Northern Italy at the end of February, a team at Ahlstrom-Munksjö’s Turin plant started to evaluate what they could do to support the safety and wellbeing of em- ployees and local communities. “Thanks to our long experience in fiber-based solutions and our intensive collaboration with local partners, we successfully commercialized a protec- tive face mask material to be used in the fight against the COVID-19 pan- demic. We achieved this only in a couple of weeks. Our seamless coopera- tion makes me extremely proud of the team, and it feels great to be part of such an important work,” says Giuseppe Costa, Vice President EMEA and Asia Filtration. is well suited for lighter fabric face masks in civil activities. Droplets test shows that the media has efficiency above 90% at 3 microns and above 85% at 1 micron, which is close to a surgical face mask requirement. De- velopment continues to meet the re- quirements of material for surgical masks for medical use. Considering the ongoing production, the Tampere plant can deliver fabrics for around 10 million face masks per month on a short notice. Positive impact from community en- gagement Ahlstrom-Munksjö aims to build long- term relationships with local commu- nities where its production sites are located. The company can contribute to the well-being of its employees and support local supply chains. Over time, effective community engagement opens up possibilities for productive collaborations and partnerships. The fine fiber project is a good exam- NCM-APRIL 2020 80ple of excellent community engage- ment as it has deepened Ahlstrom- Munksjö’s collaboration with the uni- versities of Turin, Milan and Bologna. The collaboration has resulted in Ahl- strom-Munksjö providing materials and testing capacity at its Turin plant for all local authorities' requests, which strive to ensure the quality of third-party masks. Turin plant has also donated fine fiber fabrics to the local communi- ties. “As we are a big company in an area where there are many small vil- lages, we wanted to contribute to the communities and donate some fine fi- ber fabrics for two town halls, so that local small manufacturers were able to produce face mask for their employ- ees or for the people working in hospi- tals,” tells Giuseppe Costa. Contact details: Giuseppe Costa (Vice President) Filtration EMEA & Asia, Email: [email protected] Otto Kivi -Sales Manager Filtration EMEA Email: [email protected]