Hygiene Austria sets up face mask production in English seaport for UK market

Just one month after two Austrian companies – Lenzing and Palmers  - joined forces to form  Hygiene Austria** specifically to produce protective face masks for usage in its own country and distribution to Europe, the company has now announced the setting up of a similar production site in Grimsby, United Kingdom, to supply the urgent needs of the British market.  Grimsby is a large coastal English seaport and administrative centre in North East Lincolnshire, on the South Bank of the Humber Estuary, close to where it reaches the North Sea.

A company spokesman said that since production had started in May in Austria, millions of euros worth of orders had been placed.  The product range includes mouth-nose safety masks, FFP2-masks as well as coloured face masks for children.

According to Tino Wieser, member of the Board of Palmers, the demand in the UK for protective masks is massively driven by the consequent handling of Covid-19.  He said "The supply chain is complex and serving the UK market from Austria is costly.” The managers therefore decided to implement the same approach as in Vienna. “We will pull up our sleeves, start organizing machinery and a well working raw material supply chain and commence producing face masks locally as soon as possible”, Wieser adds.

The Lenzing plant in Grimsby, UK.

UK’s newly appointed International Trade Minister Ranil Jayawardena, said: “Sourcing PPE for our frontline workers is a key priority for our government. Alongside our efforts in international procurement, it is excellent that we have been able to assist companies from overseas to invest in Britain too, leading to domestic production of vital supplies.”

As a production site, the Lenzing facilities in Grimsby were deemed the best option, according to Phil Munson, Operations Director at the Lenzing Grimsby plant.  He said: “We are eager to play a leading role to ensure the primary health care to the UK population as a key supplier teaming up with our National Health Service (NHS). Moreover, we can count on highly experienced service and maintenance personnel here in Grimsby.” He also highlighted that just like in Austria, new jobs will be created in Grimsby as well, in production, order processing, key accounting, supply chain management and logistics.  Masks for both medical personnel as well as regular citizens will be produced at this plant.

With the set-up of Wiener Neudorf in Austria serving as a blue print for the production in Grimsby, the gained experience will allow an even faster and smoother production in the UK.

At the site in Grimsby first production machines are being installed so production can start between end of May / beginning of June with a monthly capacity of 10 million pieces. Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania) based law firm Reed Smith provided legal counsel on the incorporation of the subsidiary.

**
Hygiene Austria LP GmbH was established on April 24th 2020 by Lenzing AG and Palmers Textil AG as a hygiene competence center with the goal of fast and independent production of hygiene items at Palmers’ former production site in Wiener Neudorf, close to Vienna. The company, in which Lenzing AG holds 50.1% and Palmers Textil AG 49.9%, manufactures the so-called mouth-nose-safety masks (MNS)/ surgical masks of class EN14683 with a monthly capacity of 12 million pieces – to be increased to 25 million pieces soon.