Lenzing AG (Lenzing, Austria) and Palmers Textil AG have founded a new joint entity — Hygiene Austria LP GmbH — in which Lenzing AG holds 50.1% and Palmers Textil AG 49.9%. The newly founded company will start producing and selling protective masks for the domestic and European markets beginning in May 2020, marking a significant contribution to combating the Covid-19 pandemic and ensuring the longterm supply of these critical goods in Austria. Masks and other personal protective equipment (PPE) are crucial supplies, but have experienced global shortages in recent weeks, so many manufacturing companies are modifying their production capabilities to address increased PPE demand, including ExxonMobil, TechnipFMC, Lubrizol, DuPont and many more.
Lenzing and Palmers join forces to fight Covid-19 (Source: Lenzing)
Over the past few weeks, Lenzing AG and Palmers Textil AG have invested several million euros in a modern production infrastructure at the Wiener Neudorf location and secured the corresponding raw materials for protective masks production. In a first step, the company produces so-called mouth-nose protective masks (MNS) and surgical protective masks of class EN14683. Hygiene Austria LP GmbH plans to increase its capacities to over 25 million masks per month over the next few weeks and to expand this business geographically as well.
The demand for high-quality MNS and respiratory masks for medical personnel is increasing rapidly, and there is real competition on the international market for these products. In order to sustainably secure domestic supply now and in the future and to strengthen the business location, the two companies Lenzing AG and Palmers Textil AG have now set a milestone with their own competence center for hygiene based in Austria.
“We decided to pool our knowledge, network and experience in a competence center for hygiene together with our partner Palmers. The aim of this joint venture is to provide the citizens of Austria and Europe with the best possible protection through locally manufactured, high-quality products,” says Stefan Doboczky, CEO of Lenzing AG. „Masks will continue to play an important role in our daily lives and we are proud that we were able to achieve our goal of an industrial production so quickly together with our partner Palmers.”
Luca Wieser, member of the Board of Palmers commented: “We have many years of experience in the manufacture and distribution of textile products, Lenzing brings its technological experience in the hygiene sector, the know-how regarding procurement and raw material and knowledge in the field of plant engineering.“
“We are not only connected by textile experience and “made in Austria”, but also by the will to act quickly now and to do something for the protection of citizens – we see this as our duty to society. We are entrepreneurs and we are proud of our country,” continues Tino Wieser, member of the Board of Palmers. „We specially want to thank our dedicated employees, who have worked day and night on the timely implementation of Hygiene Austria‘s production in the past few weeks,“ says Matvei Hutman, member of the Board of Palmers, pleased with the great commitment of all the employees.