MONTREAL, June 25, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Medicom Group, ("Medicom"), one of the world's leading manufacturers of medical and respiratory masks, has announced the further expansion of its global footprint with the plan to open a new mask manufacturing facility in the United Kingdom this year.
Established as Medicom HealthPro Limited, the factory will produce hundreds of millions of respiratory and medical masks under the company's leading European Kolmi brand, to meet local needs in the UK. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of securing local supply of personal protective equipment, and the British Government is the latest of a growing number of countries seeking to partner directly with Medicom.
The new UK partnership follows Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's announcement that the government had strengthened the Canadian PPE supply chain by entering into a multi-year agreement with Medicom. The Montreal facility is set to open in a few weeks.
In France, President Emmanuel Macron recently visited the Kolmi-Hopen plant and took the opportunity to confirm his readiness to protect French industry and the independence of the French personal protective equipment supply chain. The establishment of a second mask factory in France was announced by Medicom earlier this month and will open in record time on June 29. With 11 new lines and an optimized production schedule, medical mask production at the two sites in Angers will have tripled in five months.
Medicom is working in partnership with the world's leading producer of nonwoven fabrics, Berry Global Group Inc. ("Berry"), to design the manufacturing solution. Berry will guarantee the supply of the protection materials critical to mask production over the span of the agreement.
The new UK-based factory will include dozens of production lines that will produce over 100 million respiratory N-99 equivalent FFP3 Masks and over 500 million medical Type IIR masks to meet local needs in the UK and create at least 75 new full time, skilled jobs. As announced today, the British government has enabled the investment through a long-term contractual commitment with Medicom.
"We are very proud of our partnership with the UK government to set up a much-needed local facility which will produce millions of respiratory and medical masks to secure ongoing supply for Britain," stated Ronald Reuben, Chief Executive Officer & Founder of Medicom.
"With the announcement of a fourth footprint expansion in recent weeks, Medicom is displaying the deep and agile capabilities within our network. Through partnerships with local governments and healthcare agencies, we can help bridge supply while setting up local production, making us an attractive partner," added Global Chief Operating Officer Guillaume Laverdure. "Working with the Medicom Group is one of most effective ways for governments to ensure ongoing local supply, which is vital during a pandemic, but our belief is that it is critically important at all times."
With manufacturing operations strategically distributed across three continents and an extensive global network of suppliers, Medicom is uniquely positioned to meet the exponential demand for personal protective products like face masks throughout the current crisis.
About Medicom
The Medicom Group is one of the world's leading manufacturers and distributors of high-quality, single-use, preventive and infection control products for the medical, dental, industrial, animal health, laboratory, retail and health and wellness markets. Medicom distributes infection control products under the Medicom, Ritmed, Kolmi, Hopen and Ocean Pacific brands, as well as under the recently acquired Hedy brand. Medicom subsidiaries include Kolmi-Hopen in France, Medicom Asia in Hong Kong, United Medical Enterprise in the USA, KHM Engineering in Singapore and Medicom HealthPro Limited in the UK.
Medicom has extensive experience in responding to the demand for personal protective equipment in the event of a pandemic. For more information about Medicom and their comprehensive portfolio of infection control solutions, including an extensive range of medical face masks, please visit Medicom.com.
About Berry
Berry Global Group, Inc. (NYSE:BERY), headquartered in Evansville, Indiana, is committed to its mission of 'Always Advancing to Protect What's Important,' and proudly partners with its customers to provide them with value-added protective solutions that are increasingly light-weighted and easier to recycle or reuse. The Company is a leading global supplier of a broad range of innovative rigid, flexible, and nonwoven products used every day within consumer and industrial end markets. Berry, a Fortune 500 company, has over 48,000 employees and generated $12.6 billion of pro forma net sales in fiscal year 2019, from operations that span over 290 locations on six continents. For additional information, visit Berry's website at berryglobal.com.
Media Contact: Gayle Padvaiskas, Vice President, Marketing, AMD Medicom Inc., gpadvaiskas@medicom.ca
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