Berry to invest in meltblown capacity for face masks production in the EMEIA Region

Berry Global Group, Inc. (NYSE: BERY) has advanced its investment in an additional specialty meltblown asset to produce high-efficiency filtration media serving the EMEIA markets. This investment is targeted to meet increased demand and will be focused on premium applications, such as FFP2 (N95) and FFP3 (N99) for industrial face mask and cabin air filtration markets. The plant by Reifenhäuser Reicofil is scheduled to be delivered in June. In order to support the fight against the corona virus, Reifenhäuser had reduced the delivery time of the line by one third, to 3.5 months.

The 1.6 m wide Reicofil meltblown line provides high-quality filter material that guarantees a high degree of separation, low pressure loss and a high storage capacity. The new line will be equipped with Berry’s proprietary charging technology to deliver optimal filtration efficiency and pressure drop at lower basis weights. The plant will bring an additional annual capacity of 550 tonnes of N95 material respectively 365 tonnes of N99 material to the market, which will serve the EMEIA economic area. The plant will be installed in France.

As the largest manufacturer of nonwoven fabrics and one of the world’s leading plastic packaging suppliers, Berry makes materials for the world’s leading and emerging brands. These products range in use from materials for face masks and protective healthcare apparel to packaging for food preservation and disinfecting products, many of which have seen a demand surge in the fight against COVID-19. These critical materials include nonwoven fabrics for face masks and respirators, both of which will benefit from the increased capacity being brought online.

“As a market leader in that space, we had been planning to add more capacity shortly after our latest investment in Asia came on line. The opportunity to support the fight against COVID-19 accelerated our decision,” said Cedric Ballay EVP & GM for Europe in Health, Hygiene, and Specialties for Berry. “Our ability to be agile will benefit our customers and our communities.”