Queensland-based OZ Health Plus will build Australia’s first manufacturing facility to produce key materials used in most face masks.
Queensland-based OZ Health Plus will build Australia’s first manufacturing facility to produce key materials used in most face masks. The company acquired the plant from Swiss technology company Oerlikon to build a plant for the production of spunbond and meltblown nonwovens.
These fabrics are vital to Australian mask manufacturers, who currently produce around 500 million medical and industrial masks each year. However, these fabrics have to be imported from abroad, and access to these materials has been severely disrupted during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Oerlikon Noncloths, a division of Oerlikon in Germany, has now “entered into legal and commercial agreements” to supply specialized equipment to enable the production of nonwovens locally. Almost all of the mask materials produced in Europe use the same machines, and the melt blowing plant will start operating in April next year, with a second phase planned for late 2021.
The Oerlikon Nonwovens plant can produce meltblown fabric to produce 500 million masks per year, as well as other medical and non-medical products, filtration products, hygiene products, disinfectant wipes and more. Rainer Straub, Head of Oerlikon Nonwovens, commented: “We are very proud to now be able to offer Australia for the first time our meltblown technology for our Oerlikon nonwovens. With short delivery times, we hope to contribute to the safe supply of high-quality materials.” provide quality face masks to the Australian people soon. Do your part.”
Darren Fuchs, director of OZ Health Plus, said: “Australia has access to polypropylene feedstock but lacks plants to convert the feedstock into specialist spunbond and meltblown fabrics. These fabrics are critical for local mask production. Australia-based Oerlikon Nonwovens Factory will fill gaps in Australia’s manufacturing chain by producing the fabrics and many other products needed to make masks – reducing Australia’s protective mask supply chain from thousands of kilometers to tens of kilometers.”
“The decision to support Oerlikon Non Wovens was made after analyzing material samples. It was a no-brainer that Oerlikon Manmade Fibers could supply high-quality machines and systems,” adds Darren Fuchs.
Upon completion of the second phase of the project, the new OZ Health Plus facility will occupy 15,000 square meters of production space and employ 100 full-time employees. OZ Health Plus continues to work with Queensland and Federal Government stakeholders and appreciates their support in bringing this important opportunity to Queensland.
“Oerlikon Non Wovens melt blown technology can also be used to produce nonwovens for face masks and is recognized by the market as the most technically efficient method for producing high-definition filter media from plastic fibers. Today, the majority of face masks in Europe production capacity is produced on Oerlikon equipment Non Wovens,” concluded Oerlikon Non Wovens.
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Post time: Dec-20-2023