INDA Remembers Nonwovens Industry Veteran Klaus Maitre

CARY, N.C.— April 7, 2020 — INDA is warmly remembering Klaus Maitre, a veteran of the nonwovens and textile industry for five decades. Maitre passed away surrounded by his wife and family in Gastonia, N.C., on March 25th at the age of 81.

Maitre immigrated to the U.S. in 1963 after receiving his Master’s and Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Technical University of North Rhine Westphalia in Aachen, Germany. His career included working as Divisional Vice President for the former Standard Coosa-Thatcher Company, a textile company, before joining the U.S. wholly-owned subsidiary of Dilo Systems Group as Executive Vice President. Maitre served at Dilo for over 25 years before retiring and starting his own consultancy, The Sigma Group LLC.

“INDA is saddened by the loss of a larger than life leader who was an integral part of the development of the nonwovens industry. We will remember Klaus for his many insightful contributions to our association and the industry,” said INDA President Dave Rousse. “He was a strong advocate for INDA and continually strove to advance the growth of the nonwovens and engineered materials industry.”

Maitre served on INDA Conference Planning Committees offering his expertise and vision to help guide programs and content. He maintained a strong presence through his time at Dilo at INDA conferences and expositions for over 20 years.

In 1982, Maitre was proud to become a U.S. citizen. His interests outside the nonwovens industry included a deep appreciation and love of history, soccer, and he was also a life-long Carolina Panthers’ football fan. Maitre is survived by his wife of 27 years, Sheron Cook Maitre; daughter and son-in-law, Monika and Rich Williams; step-son and wife, Brett and Joy Auten, and step-daughter, Angela Hutto; and his nine grandchildren.

Posted April 7, 2020

Source: INDA, the Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry

Alchemie Technology: Applying Digital Precision Coatings To Combat COVID-19

CAMBRIDGE, England — April 7, 2020 — Alchemie Technology is announcing the accelerated launch of Novara, a breakthrough new high-throughput digital precision coating technology for technical textiles. The textile technology innovator is supporting the global efforts to combat COVID-19 by applying its Novara technology to the manufacture of safety-critical products, including anti-viral facemasks. Alchemie is actively partnering with manufacturers worldwide to build production lines to address acute personal protective equipment needs and medical textile shortages.

“We have accelerated the launch of our Novara textile coating technology to address the critical shortages of personal protective equipment worldwide,” said Dr. Simon Kew, managing director at Alchemie Technology. “Our team has been working hard to ready Novara, our breakthrough technology for coating technical textiles, to support the frontline efforts to combat COVID-19. We predict that the worldwide requirement for facemasks will be over 50 million per day, and we are getting ready to address this urgent need.”

Alchemie’s Novara technology delivers high-precision, 2D-patterned one or two-sided functional coatings to technical textiles, enabling truly unique, multi-functional textiles to be manufactured. Novara combines the throughput of conventional coating technologies with the precision of digital to unlock new product design opportunities and radically reduce the cost of technical textiles. The technology enables functional coatings to be applied with unparalleled precision, all controlled with real-time digital data.

“Our Novara precision coating technology is a breakthrough for digital technical textile manufacturing,” explained Dr. Alan Hudd, Chairman at Alchemie Technology. “Our digital manufacturing approach to textile coatings will finally bring the limitless flexibility of digital printing to functional coatings.”

The benefits of Novara include:

  • New product innovation: precise 2D digital placement of coatings, including one or two-sided application using different materials;
  • More profitable production with reduced material consumption: only delivering coating where it’s needed; and
  • Unparalleled agility: with reduced inventory and digital productivity benefits, including rapid changeovers in less than five minutes and economic short runs.

The Novara digital precision coating technology can be delivered as a stand-alone machine or as a module for current production lines, enabling convenient implementation and rapid delivery of manufacturing capacity.

Posted April 7, 2020

Source: Alchemie Technology

Archroma To Introduce A New Thickener For Sanitizing Gels To Address Global Shortage Due To COVID-19 Crisis

REINACH, Switzerland — April 7, 2020 — Archroma, a global supplier of color and specialty chemicals towards sustainable solutions, today announced the introduction of Mowiplus® HPC 9600, a new thickener for sanitizing gels to address global shortage due to COVID‑19 crisis.

Hand sanitizers are typically made of alcohol and additives, to which a thickener is often added to create the gel texture. Gel sanitizers are considered more user-friendly than liquids, as they avoid spilling and thus wasting the precious sanitizer material that is in critical need for the fight against the coronavirus outbreak.

The thickener typically used for the production of hand sanitizing gels and other home care and personal care products, is currently in global shortage due to the COVID‑19 coronavirus.

Experts from the Archroma team in Brazil, anticipating shortages just as they had happened during previous outbreaks such as H1N1, decided to look into the matter.

The result is Mowiplus® HPC 9600, an alternative that offers good performance and cost levels, and even allows to skip the 12-hours hydration process needed traditionally, thus saving valuable time in a crisis that need all the sanitizers it can get.

“Everyone at Archroma is currently engaged in the fight against COVID‑19, at home and at work, as we do everything we can to protect our loved ones, our colleagues, and ourselves”, comments Marcelo Ribeiro, head of sales Brazil at Archroma.

“With Mowiplus® HPC 9600 we are actually able to directly make a difference and contribute to the fight, by delivering a product that helps to make a more convenient end-product, and to preserve every drop of precious hand sanitizer. It’s our nature, and that makes us very proud”, adds Regina Oliveira, Head of Sales Latin America at Archroma.

The new product is listed in the INCI (International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients) and meets the July 2016 RDC N°83 ANVISA / MERCOSUL Technical Regulation for personal hygiene products, cosmetics and perfumes.

Mowiplus HPC 9600 is currently available in Brazil.

® Trademarks of Archroma registered in many countries.

© 2020 Archroma

Posted April 7, 2020

Source: Archroma

NRF: Estimated March Imports Hit Five-Year Low, Declines Expected to Continue Amid Pandemic

WASHINGTON — April 7, 2020 — Estimates show that imports at major U.S. retail container ports dropped to their lowest level in five years in March, and imports are projected to remain significantly below normal levels through early summer as the coronavirus pandemic continues, according to the Global Port Tracker report released today by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates.

“Even as factories in China have begun to get back to work, we are seeing far fewer imports coming into the United States than previously expected,” NRF Vice President for Supply Chain and Customs Policy Jonathan Gold said. “Many stores are closed, and consumer demand has been impacted with millions of Americans out of work. However, there are still many essential items that are badly needed and because of store closures cargo may sit longer than usual and cause other supply chain impacts.”

“The COVID-19 pandemic is unraveling the economy nationally and globally as most of the world moves toward a lockdown that entails the closure of significant portions of both the service and manufacturing industries,” Hackett Associates Founder Ben Hackett said. “The largest drop is forecast for the first half of this year but with uncertainty about the length of the lockdown and extent of the pandemic, the second half may not be in better shape.”

U.S. ports covered by Global Port Tracker handled 1.51 million Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units in February, the latest month for which after-the-fact numbers are available. That was down 17 percent from January and down 6.8 percent year-over-year. A TEU is one 20-foot-long cargo container or its equivalent.

February numbers are normally lower than January because of annual factory shutdowns in China for Lunar New Year celebrations. But the shutdowns lasted longer than usual and continued into March because of the coronavirus outbreak. While actual numbers for March are not yet available, estimates show that imports plunged to 1.27 million TEU, down 21.3 percent year-over-year and the lowest level seen since 1.21 million TEU in February 2015 during a labor dispute that caused slowdowns at West Coast ports that winter.

April is forecast at 1.44 million TEU, down 17.6 percent year-over-year; May at 1.48 million TEU, down 20.1 percent; June at 1.41 million TEU, down 21.4 percent; July at 1.61 million TEU, down 18.2 percent, and August at 1.72 million TEU, down 12.5 percent.

Before the coronavirus began to have an effect on imports, February through May had been forecast at a total of 6.9 million TEU but is now expected to total 5.7 million TEU, a drop of 17.3 percent. As recently as last month, monthly numbers had been expected to hit the 2 million TEU mark beginning in May. The last time monthly totals fell below 1.5 million TEU was in February 2017.

The first half of 2020 is forecast to total 8.93 million TEU, down 15.1 percent from the same period last year. Before the extent of the pandemic was known, the first half of the year was forecast at 10.47 million TEU.

Imports during 2019 totaled 21.6 million TEU, a 0.8 percent decrease from 2018 amid the trade war with China but still the second-highest year on record.

Global Port Tracker, which is produced for NRF by the consulting firm Hackett Associates, provides historical data and forecasts for the U.S. ports of Los Angeles/Long Beach, Oakland, Seattle and Tacoma on the West Coast; New York/New Jersey, Port of Virginia, Charleston, Savannah, Port Everglades, Miami and Jacksonville on the East Coast, and Houston on the Gulf Coast.

Posted April 7, 2020

Source: The National Retail Federation (NRF)

Community Memorial Health Systems Is First On-Premise Laundry To Earn Hygienically Clean Healthcare Certification

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — April 6, 2020 — Community Memorial Health Systems (CMHS), a community-owned, nonprofit, state-of-the-art regional hospital and health center serving the needs of the greater Ventura, Calif. area has had their on-premise laundry (OPL) achieve the Hygienically Clean Healthcare certification. This is the first OPL to meet the standards of Hygienically Clean since the program’s inception in 2011.

The laundry provides hygienically clean linens, gowns, scrubs and other healthcare garments for employees and patients of the 242-bed facility. “We’re excited to be amongst the elite facilities to provide Hygienically Clean textiles to our hospital’s patients in Ventura County,” said Gustavo Guzman, Laundry Manager, CMHS. “We are proud to be in compliance with the Hygienically Clean Standard, which has the industry’s best management practices for producing safe linens. Our employees also feel safer and are reassured by the processes we follow and the results-oriented testing of our products.”

Hygienically Clean is the quantified, validated standard and measure for hygienically clean textiles in North America, and achieving this certification reflects an organization’s commitment to best management practices (BMPs) in laundering as verified by on-site inspection and their ability to produce hygienically clean textiles as quantified by ongoing microbial testing based on established hygienically clean healthcare textile methods and standards.

The Hygienically Clean Healthcare certification confirms the organization’s continuing dedication to infection prevention, compliance with recognized industry standards and processing healthcare textiles using BMPs as described in its quality assurance documentation, a focal point for Hygienically Clean inspectors’ evaluation. The independent, third-party inspection must also confirm essential evidence that:

  • Employees are properly trained and protected;
  • Managers understand regulatory requirements;
  • OSHA-compliant; and
  • Physical plant operates effectively.

To achieve certification initially, laundries pass three rounds of outcome-based microbial testing, indicating that their processes are producing Hygienically Clean Healthcare textiles and diminished presence of yeast, mold and harmful bacteria. They also must pass a facility inspection. To maintain their certification, they must pass quarterly RODAC and semi-annual USP 62 testing (RODAC results less than or equal to 20 cfu per square diameter and USP 62 results must show an absence of specified microorganisms) to ensure that as laundry conditions change, such as water quality, textile fabric composition and wash chemistry, laundered product quality is consistently maintained. Re-inspection occurs every two to three years.

This process eliminates subjectivity by focusing on outcomes and results that verify textiles cleaned in these facilities meet appropriate hygienically clean standards and BMPs for hospitals, surgery centers, medical offices, nursing homes and other medical facilities.

Hygienically Clean Healthcare certification acknowledges laundries’ effectiveness in protecting healthcare operations by verifying quality control procedures in linen, uniform and facility services operations related to the handling of textiles containing blood and other potentially infectious materials.

Certified laundries use processes, chemicals and BMPs acknowledged by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation, American National Standards Institute and others. Introduced by TRSA in 2012, Hygienically Clean Healthcare brought to North America the international cleanliness standards for Hygienically Clean healthcare linens and garments used worldwide by the Certification Association for Professional Textile Services and the European Committee for Standardization

Objective experts in epidemiology, infection control, nursing and other healthcare professions work with Hygienically Clean launderers to ensure the certification continues to enforce the highest standards for producing clean healthcare textiles.

“Congratulations to CMHS on this milestone,” said Joseph Ricci, TRSA president and CEO. “Attaining the Hygienically Clean Healthcare certification proves this facility’s commitment to infection prevention and that their laundry is taking every step possible to prevent human illness.”

Hygienically Clean reflects the evolution of healthcare laundry certification in light of growing global concerns about infection control, documenting practices that ensure elimination of potentially harmful microbial content while adding quantifiable verification of continuous improvement in overall cleanliness.

Posted April 6, 2020

Source: TRSA

Verus International Acquires Controlling Interest In N95 Mask And Biohazard Suit Manufacturer

Gaithersburg, Md. — April 3, 2020 — Verus International Inc. is pleased to announce that it has acquired a controlling 51-percent interest in ZC Top Apparel Manufacturing Inc., a Philippines-based maker of reusable N95 fabric masks and biohazard suits.

ZC Top produces a highly sought-after, premium mask that is N95 compliant and constructed of a washable shell and a multi-layer filter than can provide protection for three days before replacement. The multi-layer filter consists of BFE99, PFE99 melt-blown and spun-bond polypropylene, which are the same materials used in medical surgical and N95 disposable masks. The masks also feature an activated carbon filter that functions like a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter, giving an additional layer of protection compared to a regular N95 mask.

The ZC Top masks also incorporate exhalation valve technology to facilitate smoother breathing, along with cotton construction to create a high-quality reusable mask that is more comfortable and cost effective than many other anti-viral mask designs.

“Investors may be surprised to see us enter this business, but we have international trade experience that is highly sought after in this current environment,” explained Verus International CEO Anshu Bhatnagar. “We were approached early in the COVID-19 crisis by the management team at ZC Top, who were experiencing an overwhelming number of requests for protective gear from governments and other entities around the world. We are providing the funding and other resources to begin filling these pending orders as quickly as possible. We are not yet prepared to provide revenue estimates, but based on initial demand, we believe protective gear could eclipse all of our existing revenue sources.”

The new ZC Top subsidiary currently has request for quotes (RFQs) from the U.S. Government and other governments, agencies and sellers on multiple continents. The Philippines-based facility has a peak production capacity of ten million masks per month. Based on pending orders, the company believes that it can operate at near capacity for the foreseeable future.

“This is a transformative moment for our company, giving us a new subsidiary that more than doubles our backlog overnight,” Bhatnagar said. “We worked hard to get the resources in place to unlock this unused capacity at a time when the world needs it most. This is an operating facility with an existing product line, so our investment will go directly to produce masks and biohazard suits. We expect this to be a very profitable enterprise within the first month of operation, with a positive impact on our future projections.”

Verus will provide additional details on this new subsidiary during the upcoming Fiscal 2019 financial results conference call on Monday, April 13, 2020 at 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time (1:30 p.m. Pacific Time).

Posted April 6, 2020

Source: Verus International

Lands’ End Provides Update On Actions Taken In Response To COVID-19

DODGEVILLE, Wis. — April 6, 2020 — Lands’ End, a uni-channel retailer known for high-quality apparel for the whole family and the home, provided an update on recent actions related to COVID-19.

Jerome Griffith, CEO and president of Lands’ End, stated: “At Lands’ End, the safety and health of all our employees is our first priority and we are taking steps to minimize risk through work-at-home policies, as well as practicing social distancing and enhanced sanitation in our facilities. Given the uncertainty related to the severity and duration of COVID-19, we have also taken proactive steps to reduce costs, carefully manage inventory, and preserve liquidity.”

A furlough of approximately 70 percent of Lands’ End’s corporate employees and nearly 100 percent of its retail employees began on March 28, 2020. While some of these personnel executing critical tasks will return to work on April 14, 2020, for many, the furlough will remain in effect through at least May 1, 2020, in line with the federal government’s and with the State of Wisconsin’s current timeline for the continuation of social distancing. Lands’ End currently plans to fund health insurance premiums for employees while they are furloughed, through May 1, 2020. In addition, the company’s 26 U.S. stores, which closed on March 16, will remain closed until further notice, and in line with local guidance in the markets Lands’ End serves.

The company’s website, www.landsend.com, remains open 24/7 and the customer service team will be available via phone or text at 800-963-4816 or via email at landsend@landsend.com to provide service and to answer any questions customers may have.

In addition, the company’s Wisconsin-based distribution centers remain operational, and employees in this area are receiving a temporary increase in pay for all hours worked. In the interest of the safety of employees, the company has made modifications to days of operation, and is maintaining six feet of space between employees. Lands’ End continues to follow guidance from public health officials and government agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO), and is regularly performing deep cleaning and disinfecting processes.

Other cost reduction actions include:

  • Temporarily reducing base salaries — As previously announced, Griffith’s base salary has been reduced by 50 percent, the base salary of his executive team has been reduced by 20 percent and scaled reductions are being taken throughout the company.
  • Eliminating fiscal 2020 merit increases.
  • Temporarily suspending the company’s 401 (k) match.
  • Temporarily reducing board of directors compensation.
  • Reducing capital expenditures to approximately $20 million in 2020 from $40 million in 2019.
  • Significantly reducing other discretionary operating expenses.

With respect to liquidity, as reported in its Annual Report on Form 10-K, the company increased capacity under its ABL Facility by $25 million, so that maximum borrowings are $200 million. The company has drawn $75 million from the facility to provide it with extra working capital and cash on hand. As of April 6, 2020, $115 million in capacity remained available under the ABL Facility.

Lands’ End’s ties to the local Wisconsin communities where it operates run deep, and the company is committed to helping its community members, many of whom are employees or family members of employees. As part of its local response to the COVID-19 outbreak, the company has donated new Lands’ End scrubs to Upland Hills Health in Dodgeville, Wisconsin to help support its staff when caring for patients, provided the staff of Reedsburg, Wis., Area Medical Center with jackets to wear in their outdoor triage area and in partnership with the Wisconsin Department of Administration, is providing, free of charge, distribution center capacity for the staging and distribution of Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) by the Department of Military Affairs.

“We remain committed to our employees and community, and we are ready and able to serve our customers online. While we don’t know the duration of this pandemic, and its overall impact, we do know that Lands’ End is an iconic brand with a strong American heritage, and we are ready to meet the needs of our loyal customers at this difficult time.  Our brand has made it through rough environments over its nearly 60-year history, and the actions we are taking combined with our liquidity position give me confidence in our ability to weather this storm,” said Griffith.

Posted April 6, 2020

Source: Lands’ End, Inc.

Woodward, Hexcel Announce Mutual Termination Of Merger Agreement

FORT COLLINS, Colo./STAMFORD, Conn. — April 6, 2020 — Woodward Inc. and Hexcel Corp. today announced that the companies have mutually agreed to terminate their merger agreement, previously announced on January 12, 2020, under which the parties had agreed to combine in an all-stock merger of equals.

The termination was approved by the boards of directors of both companies and is in response to the increasing impact on both the aerospace and industrial sectors, and global markets broadly, resulting from the health crisis caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The pandemic has resulted in a need for each company to focus on its respective businesses and has impacted the companies’ ability to realize the benefits of the merger during these unprecedented times.

In a joint statement, Tom Gendron, chairman, CEO and president of Woodward, and Nick Stanage, chairman, CEO and president of Hexcel, said: “While we both believed from the outset, and continue to believe, in the benefits of a combined Woodward and Hexcel, we mutually concluded after careful consideration that given the significant uncertainty in the market, it would not be prudent to continue to pursue the combination and integration of our companies in a merger of equals. Although we are disappointed with this outcome, we are confident this is the right decision for our customers, our shareholders, and our employees as it allows each of us to dedicate our focus and resources toward ensuring Woodward and Hexcel each remain strong and closely connected with our customers and supply chains during these unparalleled times. We continue to be hopeful that our two companies will find opportunities to collaborate on next-generation platforms in the future for the benefit of our customers.”

Neither party will be required to pay the other a termination fee as a result of the mutual decision to terminate the agreement.

Posted April 6, 2020

Source: Hexcel Corp.

Berry Global Group Provides Business Update

EVANSVILLE, Ind. — April 6, 2020 — Berry Global Group Inc. today provided a business update given the unprecedented and evolving effects of the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19). The company stated:

“Never before in our company’s long history has our mission of ‘Always Advancing to Protect What’s Important’ been more critical as we are proud to work alongside our customers to supply products that are truly essential to everyday life. The safety and supply of necessities such as food, medicines, sanitizing products, and protective healthcare apparel, to name just a few, has never been more vital. As we continue to prioritize the health and well-being of the communities we serve as well as our employees and their families, we want to thank our entire team for their dedication and commitment in continuing to work seamlessly with our business partners to ensure these key supply chains remain uninterrupted and operational.

Although many don’t realize the crucial role plastics play in infection prevention and protecting us from the spread of disease and contamination, we are proud to be a part of this fight and are privileged to support the growing need for many of our products as communities across the globe encounter this pandemic.

While some markets we serve will be more advantaged during this period offsetting others that will be more negatively impacted, we believe our underlying long-term demand fundamentals remain intact as we continue our focus on delivering protective solutions that enhance consumer safety. These fundamentals have been demonstrated with preliminary results for our second fiscal quarter ending March 29, 2020, being in-line with expectations including modest positive organic volume growth on a year-over-year basis and sequential improvement in the legacy RPC business. The company maintains a strong liquidity position with over $900 million of cash at the end of the quarter as well as an undrawn $850 million asset-based line of credit at quarter end. In addition, we have no financial maintenance covenants and no near-term debt maturities. We will provide further detail on our specific results in our upcoming earnings conference call.”

Posted April 6, 2020

Source: Berry Global Group Inc.

Cummins, DuPont Partner To Use Filter Technology To Supply Critical Material For N95 Respirator Masks

COLUMBUS, Ind. — April 6, 2020 — As the COVID-19 pandemic spreads across the globe, Cummins Inc. and DuPont are helping address the nation’s shortage of N95 respirator masks. Cummins’ NanoNet® and NanoForce® Media technology, which uses DuPont’s Hybrid Membrane Technology (HMT), can typically be found in air, fuel and lube filtration products used in heavy-duty diesel engines to prevent long-term engine wear, but also can be used in the N95 respirator masks worn by healthcare professionals to filter harmful airborne particles that can spread COVID-19.

The need for N95 masks has skyrocketed in recent weeks in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of the world’s leading mask manufacturers are in need of the critical materials to assemble the mask and are struggling to meet demand.

“Cummins is re-evaluating our supply base and manufacturing capabilities to identify how we can support our healthcare professionals who rely on critical personal protective equipment to do their jobs,” said Amy Davis, vice president of Cummins Filtration. “Our NanoNet Media can fill a key supply void and help address the mask shortage facing the United States and other countries around the world.”

The first mask prototypes using Cummins’ donated media were assembled by University of Minnesota teams in March as part of an initiative to provide masks to M Health Fairview and other Minneapolis-based healthcare systems. As the COVID-19 outbreak escalated, the University of Minnesota realized their supply of N95 masks to protect healthcare workers would potentially run out in a matter of weeks. To address this challenge, a team of designers, engineers, chemists, surgeons, anesthesiologist and apparel and clothing experts from the University of Minnesota’s Institute for Engineering in Medicine; Medical School; College of Design; College of Science and Engineering; and Center for Filtration Research Consortium (CFR) came together to address this projected shortage of critical personal protective equipment.

“The first thing we recognized from our experts in the Center for Filtration Research, who work directly with Cummins, is that not all filtration materials are created equal and that the Cummins material is an excellent alternative,” said Jakub Tolar, campus health officer and medical school dean at the University of Minnesota. “We are tremendously grateful for the generous donation from Cummins of their filtration materials toward our mask effort. Since the arrival of the filtration media, we have been able to make rapid progress, and we now believe we have several viable mask options, including both a disposable and re-usable option. These designs show real promise in keeping our healthcare workers safe should standard medical supplies of N95 masks no longer be available,” Tolar continued.

The project also aims to provide open source instructions that other healthcare systems and groups can use to create their own respirator masks.

While DuPont’s innovative and unique Hybrid Membrane Technology (HMT) is typically integrated with Cummins’ synthetic fibers to protect sensitive engine components, it has multiple other applications that can include filtration media used in N95 respirator masks.

DuPont’s Hybrid Membrane Technology goes beyond the limits of traditional semi-porous or nonwoven membranes for air and liquid filtration. Made using a proprietary spinning process, the hybrid technology materials are comprised of continuous sub-micron fibers. The end result is a “membrane-like” sheet structure that balances breathability and high filtration efficiency of particulates.

“We are proud to make our advanced technology available to help protect more caregivers on the front lines of this global health crisis,” said HP Nanda, global vice president and general manager, DuPont Water Solutions. “We thank our partner Cummins for transitioning the use of its production line to help address the global shortage of N95 mask materials, and we thank the experts at the University of Minnesota for their leadership in testing and designing several mask options for the benefit of many healthcare systems. By working together — and innovating new applications of existing technologies and materials — we hope to slow the spread of this terrible virus.”

The N95 designation means the respirator can block at least 95 percent of particles from entering the wearer’s nose and mouth. When Cummins’ NanoNet Media was tested using an industry standard testing method, it exceeded the performance requirements for N95 designation. Cummins’ manufacturing facilities have since provided media samples to mask manufacturers across the globe to test its effectiveness.

While products featuring Cummins’ media will need to be vetted and approved by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), the company is preparing to do its part to help relieve the burden facing the healthcare industry. “We’re working as quickly as possible with healthcare regulators and other partners to help certify products with our materials, and prepare our manufacturing facilities to meet demand,” said Davis.

Mask manufacturers interested in learning more about Cummins’ media technology can visit cumminsfiltration.com/respiratormedia.

Posted April 6, 2020

Source: Cummins Inc.

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