EVANSVILLE – Berry Global has advanced its investment in an additional speciality meltblown asset to produce high-efficiency filtration media serving the EMEIA markets. Current projections are for commercial production to start in the June quarter of 2020.

This investment is targeted to meet increased demand and customer growth and will be focused on premium applications, such as FFP2 (N95) and FFP3 (N99) for industrial face mask and cabin air filtration markets.

The new line will be equipped with Berry’s proprietary charging technology to deliver optimal filtration efficiency and pressure drop at lower basis weights. Berry has a unique offering, providing products across technologies and markets. In this instance, the company is using its resources to provide the highest level of supply across Europe and more.

As the largest manufacturer of nonwoven fabrics and one of the world’s leading plastic packaging suppliers, Berry makes materials for the world’s leading and emerging brands. These products range in use from materials for face masks and protective healthcare apparel to packaging for food preservation and disinfecting products, many of which have seen a demand surge in the fight against COVID-19. These critical materials include nonwoven fabrics for face masks and respirators, both of which will benefit from the increased capacity being brought online.

“As a market leader in that space, we had been planning to add more capacity shortly after our latest investment in Asia came on line,” said Cedric Ballay EVP and GM for Europe in Health, Hygiene, and Specialties for Berry. “The opportunity to support the fight against COVID-19 accelerated our decision and our ability to be agile will benefit our customers and our communities.”

www.berryglobal.com