The Melitta Group is switching parts of its production operations in a contribution to the supply of urgently needed face masks. In the production facility for Melitta® coffee filters in Minden, face masks are now being manufactured in large quantities.
“With our production capacities, we are able to manufacture considerable quantities of face masks in a very short time,” explained Jero Bentz, member of the Melitta Group's Chief Corporate Management and general partner. “For decades, our company has specialised in the development and production of filter materials such as coffee filters, vacuum cleaner bags and other industrial specialty papers such as non-woven wallpaper and raw materials for air filters - including for the medical sector.”
This expertise, in conjunction with our production facilities for coffee filters, which are geared towards the manufacture of large quantities, has now been brought together by the company at short notice to give the highest priority to producing much needed face masks. The result is a face mask, shaped like our coffee filters, with very good filtration, breathing and wearing characteristics. It consists of a three-layer non-woven material and includes a melt-blown layer that meets the standard for surgical masks according to EN14683 with a Bacterial Filtration Efficiency (BFE) > 95%. In the first stage, these masks are fastened with a clip or elastic bands. It is planned to further develop the masks in the next stages - the production of FFP2 and FFP3 masks is also in development.
Melitta produced the first million masks this week. The existing capacities should be capable of producing up to one million masks each day in the near future. These quantities can be considerably increased step by step, as long as sufficient raw materials are available. In addition to Germany, the Melitta Group also plans to use existing production capacities in the USA and Brazil to manufacture face masks for countries in North and South America.
“We are convinced that in terms of quality and quantity together with quick availability, we can make a significant contribution to people's health and to alleviating the restrictions caused by the corona epidemic,” commented Jero Bentz.
Melitta will distribute the masks produced in the first week to its own employees and donate one million masks to health care facilities. The recipients are currently being determined in consultation with the relevant political authorities and the masks will be distributed shortly.
The Melitta Group
Melitta is an internationally operating group of companies and is one of the leading independent family businesses both in Germany and abroad. Melitta's main activities are the development, manufacture and sale of branded products for the enjoyment of coffee, for the storage and preparation of food and for household cleanliness. More information can be found at www.melitta-group.com.
Distribution Contact
Tel: +49 571 50 49 777
E-Mail:atemmaske (at) melitta.de
Only Press Contact
Tanja Wucherpfennig
Head of Internal & External Communication
Corporate Communications & Sustainability
Melitta Group Management GmbH & Co. KG
Tel: +49 571 4046-281
E-mail: pr (at) melitta.de
