Lydall Inc. -- a manufacturer of value-added engineered substances and specialty filtration solutions that promote a cleaner, smoother and safer planet -- today announced an investment at an additional fine fiber meltblown advantage in response to the exponential increase in domestic and global demand of specialty filtration media to face masks. This new production line will enable Lydall -- among the few American producers capable of creating high-quality good fiber meltblown filtration media for N95, medical and surgical face masks -- to significantly increase its supply and help alleviate the lack of meltblown materials, both from the U.S. and internationally.

"In the aftermath of COVID-19, the demand for the filtration media that makes face masks successful has increased dramatically, so much so it is currently being called the golden fleece,''' stated Sara A. Greenstein, president and CEO of Lydall. "As one of the only businesses in North America and Europe together with the technical experience, supplier connections and access to the right machines to create this filtration media, we feel good responsibility to do everything within our ability to increase our output, support domestic supply chains and bring about the global fight against COVID-19. This investment is one example of Lydall's commitment to do just that."

The new strength will match Lydall's present global meltblown capacity and is anticipated to provide the filtration media for one billion face masks each year, almost a third of the 3.5 billion that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has estimated as required to shield healthcare workers. Lydall anticipates commercial production to begin in its Rochester, New Hampshire center in the fourth quarter of 2020 and plans to hire up to 15 additional workers to encourage the rise in production.

A technical market pioneer in the invention of specialty filtration solutions for almost 100 years, Lydall has rapidly pivoted to address the global spike in demand for PPE and other products which support frontline employees and their patients. Along with manufacturing the critical filtration efficiency layers for N95 respirator masks, ASTM 1, 2, 3 clinical masks, and general-purpose masks, Lydall also provides other support materials for face masks, such as comfort layers, protective coatings, and ties straps.

"Being a trusted business partner is a top priority at Lydall. It is always our goal to provide our customers with a constant supply of high quality, specialty merchandise, and superior customer service," Ashish Diwanji, incoming resident of Lydall Performance Materials, added. "As the principal supplier of meltblown filtration media to many of those U.S.'s biggest face mask producers, we are currently working at full potential, together with our extraordinarily dedicated team running our current manufacturing lines 24 hours a day, seven days per week. We're pleased that the new installation of the advantage will enable us to greatly increase our output of this critically-needed item."

The business has also ramped up the production of additional much-needed filtration products like needle punch felt for hospital gowns, medical wipes, and absorbent bed pads. In prep for the U.S. economy's reopening, Lydall's innovation team is advancing its filtration science to come up with new, high-efficiency, HEPA-rated filtration media to enhance the air quality of public spaces, such as office buildings, shopping centers, hospitals, and airports.