Lydall Inc is planning a new production line at its facility in Saint-Rivalain, France to create fine fiber meltblown filtration media for face masks and high-efficiency air filtration systems.
The new line will be installed at Saint-Rivalain in the second quarter of 2021, substantially increasing the company’s capacity to supply this critically needed material to the European market.
Lydall will receive up to 30% of funding for the investment through the support of France’s Ministry of the Economy and Finance.
“Covid-19 has created unprecedented global demand for face masks, upgraded air filtration systems and other products that are essential to preventing the spread of the virus,” said Sara Greenstein, president & CEO of Lydall. “We take our role in creating products that protect people and places from viruses such as Covid-19 incredibly seriously, and we are grateful for the support of the French government, which will allow us to ramp up production even further.”
Lydall’s Saint-Rivalain facility has been manufacturing medium- and high-efficiency filtration media for more than 30 years. The facility currently has one line dedicated to meltblown filtration media production to make high-efficiency indoor air quality filters and, in response to Covid-19, has maximised its output to support the production of personal protective equipment (PPE) in Europe.
Once the additional line is operational, Lydall expects to produce enough fine fiber meltblown filtration media for 600 million FFP2/FFP3 (N95 Equivalent) respirators or 2.2 billion surgical masks per year.
“The installation of this new, state-of-the-art production line will allow Lydall to advance filtration science and develop filtration media for higher-end air and liquid filters,” said Ashish Diwanji, president of Lydall Performance Materials.
In addition to Saint-Rivalain, Lydall also produces meltblown filtration media in Rochester, New Hampshire, USA. Lydall was recently awarded a US$13.5 million commitment from the US Department of Defense, enabling the installation of two new production lines to support US face mask and air filter production.
