Ahlstrom-Munksjö signs a 100 million face mask material contract with the French Government Resilience program

AHLSTROM-MUNKSJÖ OYJ, PRESS RELEASE, APRIL 23, 2020 at 11:00 EEST 

Ahlstrom-Munksjö has developed a face mask material as part of the Resilience project, administrated by the French Government. During May, the company will produce material equivalent to 100 million face masks for civil servants in contact with the public such as police, prison administration and social workers as well as companies active in essential sectors e.g. food, energy, water and waste. 

In accordance to the newly implemented guidelines issued by the French National Agency for the Safety of Medicines and Health Products (ANSM), Ahlstrom-Munksjö’s products Reliance® SMS 200, Reliance® SMS 300, Reliance® Dextex 200, and Reliance® Dextex 300 have been declared compatible with the French requirements for face masks used by civil servants in contact with the public. The material is typically used for the manufacturing of sterilization wraps for surgical instruments. Reliance® SMS 200 and Reliance® SMS 300 have also been tested compatible with the European standard EN 14683, meeting the performance criteria of surgical masks. 

“The attainment of this long-term work for the selection of our products represents a moment of collective pride at Ahlstrom-Munksjö. Our Medical business serves the medical device market worldwide all year round, and our agility and ability to innovate makes us an ideal partner in critical situations,” says Lionel Bonte, Vice President of Medical business at Ahlstrom-Munksjö. 

In France, Ahlstrom-Munksjö has some 1,600 employees, eight  productions sites, two global R&D centers, and a sales office. Measured by the amount of employees, France is the second largest country of operations representing 20% of group.  

For further information, please contact:  

Lionel Bonte, Vice President Medical, email lionel.bonte@ahlstrom-munksjo.com  
Johan Lindh, Vice President, Communications and Investor Relations, tel. +358 10 888 4994 
Juho Erkheikki, Investor Relations Manager, tel. +358 10 888 4731 

Ahlstrom-Munksjö in brief
Ahlstrom-Munksjö is a global leader in fiber-based materials, supplying innovative and sustainable solutions to its customers. Our mission is to expand the role of fiber-based solutions for sustainable everyday life. Our offering include filter materials, release liners, food and beverage processing materials, decor papers, abrasive and tape backings, electrotechnical paper, glass fiber materials, medical fiber materials and solutions for diagnostics as well as a range of specialty papers for industrial and consumer end-uses. Our annual net sales is about EUR 3 billion and we employ some 8,000 people. The Ahlstrom-Munksjö share is listed on the Nasdaq Helsinki and Stockholm. Read more at www.ahlstrom-munksjo.com