Camfil begins production of CamProtect, respiratory protection masks in Sweden

30th April 2020, Stockholm, Sweden - In response to the Coronavirus pandemic, Camfil is designing and developing respiratory protection masks at its laboratory located in Trosa Tech Center in Sweden along with other parts of Swedish operations. The initiative was raised to meet the urgent demand for respiratory protection masks and its testing. Camfil is a world leader in developing clean air solutions for commercial and industrial systems.

For many years, Camfil has provided hospitals and healthcare facilities with air filtration and ventilation solutions for, but not limited to, operating theatres, laboratories, reception rooms, intensive care units, and pharmacies.

“We have a deep knowledge of designing and manufacturing air filtration solutions. We are now applying this expertise in a new area and see this as an opportunity to support the community. We want to help reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19 and protect our everyday heroes – health care professionals – and others who tirelessly work every day in a vulnerable environment,” says Torbjörn Bäck, President, Camfil Northern Europe.

Internal collaboration has made production possible

Considering Camfil’s extensive knowledge of clean air filtration solutions in more than 30 countries across the globe, the idea of creating respiratory protection masks came up quite naturally at several Camfil Centers. The preliminary project gained momentum through Camfil’s Global Tech Center in Trosa. Together with the Swedish business, a prototype of a respiratory protection mask was developed, and testing began in the laboratory. Since such face masks are not part of regular manufacturing output, Camfil kicked off a large-scale internal initiative with R&D. Product development in the filter industry usually takes several months or even years but due to urgent demand and hard work, our strategic team redeployed production lines while finding partners and suppliers who could help make the idea a reality in a short time. Along the way, Camfil consulted with health care organisations and partners to produce the best possible product and plan for execution.

Testing the face mask on the dummy in Trosa Lab, Sweden

Camfil tasked with testing other manufacturers’ face masks In the last few weeks, Camfil has helped Karolinska University Hospital and other healthcare institutions with testing of respiratory protection masks purchased from other manufacturers. There are more than 60 variations that were tested several times to achieve the required safety levels.    Testing is an important step to ensure that the masks ultimately purchased by hospitals are of good quality and standard that is required to protect the health and safety of employees.

Hospital operations require respiratory protection masks that meet all the requirements and standards. The most common testing method for these respiratory masks is to test the amount of particles that are released through the mask, which can be analysed in Camfil’s lab along with projecting the degree of protection based on each particle size.

Swedish production ensures delivery reliability

Karolinska University Hospital and Region Stockholm have purchased different air filtration solutions for ventilation from Camfil through partners in the past. When they learnt that Camfil had made a prototype for a respiratory protection mask, they immediately visited the Trosa Tech Center for a demonstration. An agreement was reached for Camfil to further investigate the production of the masks and test the face masks that were already purchased by Region Stockholm and Karolinska. The fact that production takes place in Sweden helps to ensure more reliable deliveries for the hospital.

100,000 masks per week bring jobs back to laid-off factory workers

Camfil’s face mask prototype has been tested in the lab and shows highly promising results. It has also been tested, in different versions, by the staff at Karolinska University Hospital, who have been very positive towards the quality of the product. Production is now in full swing, and our goal is to provide Region Stockholm with 100,000 CamProtect, respiratory protection masks per week, initially. We hope to be able to provide the respiratory protection masks to other regions in Sweden in the near future. Before starting production, we contacted both longstanding and newer partners to begin the project immediately. As a result, several jobs have been regained.

“We are experts in air filtration solutions using the technology we develop and manufacture, and we bring enormous expertise to the field. We have the research, development, labs, and manufacturing we need in Sweden, along with passion and an “anything is possible” attitude. Our fantastic staff has worked 24/7 to make this a reality, and we’ve started producing respiratory protection masks, CamProtect in Sweden. Now we can provide the health care system with the respiratory protection masks that are safe to use and helpful in reducing the spread of infection,” says Torbjörn Bäck, President, Camfil Northern Europe.

For more information please visit www.camfil.com/facemask or contact: