A strategic decision aimed at more independent Italian production of personal protective equipment
RadiciGroup has taken the next step in its commitment to the health emergency response, by making a sizeable investment for the purchase of a new production line for meltblown nonwoven, the material used for manufacturing protective face masks and other personal protective equipment (PPE).
The Group has been at the forefront in the fight against the spread of Covid-19 from the very beginning of the pandemic, above all by rapidly setting up a production chain involving local factories for the manufacture of spunbond nonwoven for medical gowns and other personal protective equipment. As a result, the Group quickly came to the decision to produce meltblown nonwoven, a type of nonwoven not readily available in the Italian market, but indispensable in the manufacture of surgical masks.
“In the midst of the pandemic crisis,” said Maurizio Radici, vice president and COO of RadiciGroup, “the lack of meltblown nonwoven became evident. We kept receiving tens of requests from potential customers. A very small quantity of meltblown material is produced in Europe, which is certainly not sufficient to meet demand in a health emergency. Given our extensive experience in the field of nonwovens, we swiftly began figuring out how to set up a chain for the production of PPE in Italy. And, as soon as the opportunity arose to take concrete action, we had no hesitation to jump on it”.
The investment made by RadiciGroup for the meltblown nonwoven production line is EUR 15 million. Presently being installed, the large new line is extremely sophisticated and technologically advanced. It has a high production capacity and can also realize products with special technical characteristics, not only made of polypropylene, but also other polymers, such as polyester, polyamide and TPU. The new line is being set up at Tessiture Pietro Radici SpA, a Group company based in Gandino (Bergamo), where work was previously carried out to ready the site.
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