Clean air has been the business of the F.O.S. Group for more than 20 years. Industrial filters, filter cleaning and plant construction are among its core products and services. But since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, F.O.S. has added a new product to its portfolio: For more than six months, the employees of the filter technology expert have been producing fabric masks.

• Since the outbreak of the corona pandemic, the F.O.S. Group, based in the Westphalian town of Ahlen, has been manufacturing not only filter and dust removal technology but also mouth-nose masks.

• What initially started as a bridging phase to secure jobs and support the health system in the event of bottlenecks, has developed into an automated production of fabric masks of the highest quality.

• The aim of the company is to distribute FFP2 masks in the future.

• In addition, F.O.S. will launch children's and hairdressers' masks within the next few weeks.

Managing Director Christian Reining:

"At the beginning of the Corona Crisis there have been severe shortages of masks. Not only F.O.S., but many other German textile companies have therefore switched to the production of mouth-nose masks – but not everyone stayed with it. From the very beginning I thought: If we are going to do this, we are going to do it right."

F.O.S. quality standards are also applied to masks

Faced with the rising corona incidence rate and the more restrictive measures imposed under the current lockdown, the mandatory use of masks has been extended throughout Germany. An effective mouth-nose mask is essential to contain the spread of the virus. Mr Reining emphasises: “In the meantime, consumers can get masks at every corner. The market has grown considerably, but the quality is not the same everywhere.” According to the safety standard certification institute ‘TÜV Nord’, even professional protective masks regularly fail.

Bringing high quality products onto the market was and is very important for F.O.S. In the course of the last year they were able to increase the quality of their masks while reducing production costs. As far as fabrics, adhesives and processing are concerned, the company is increasingly working towards medical standards. The aim is to obtain FFP2 certification in the near future. In addition, the conservation of resources is a major issue for F.O.S – the seal of approval from the German Institute for Sustainability and Economy stands for this. The fabric masks are not only washable and can be disinfected in the oven, but also have removable straps so that they can be reused.

High breathable protection for children

The majority of fabric masks are purchased by end customers, but industrial customers are also increasingly approaching F.O.S. Thanks to the automated production, the company was able to increase its capacity significantly. Masks in large quantities – optionally with individual logo imprints – are an easy task for the company, says Reining. The product range will be further expanded in the near future: Within the next few weeks, the company will also offer masks for children.

Initially Mr. Reining himself did not think that F.O.S. would offering this product variety: "Of course nobody knows how long this market will last. But I do believe that the topic of masks will be with us for many months. In Asia they were already a normality before the pandemic and in Europe, you will probably no longer be stared at for wearing a mask in the supermarket. For this reason, F.O.S. will continue to produce high-quality mouth-nose protection for even longer."