As the coronavirus pandemic intensifies, the shortage of medical equipment has become a critical issue. Mann+Hummel announced they will collaborate with Ford Motor Company in the rapid development and production of powered air purifier respirators.
Mann+Hummel will supply the HEPA filter in the Ford-produced respirator, which will be worn by healthcare workers when treating COVID-19 patients. To date, Mann+Hummel produces, tests, and ships 3,500 HEPA filter elements per day for this application, from their manufacturing sites in the U.S.A. and Germany. According to Ford, the automotive manufacturer is able to produce 100,000 respirators over the next two months.
The respirators are equipped with class H13 HEPA filters according to EN 1822 or the international norm ISO 29463. These filter classes are also used in operating rooms and in the pharmaceutical industry to reliably remove germs, viruses, and microbiological contamination from the supply air. The European standard EN 1822 classifies HEPA filters and evaluates them according to their performance at the MPPS (Most Penetrating Particle Size). The micro-glass fiber media used in pharmaceutical/healthcare applications typically has an MPPS close to 0.2 μm. Respectively, filter class H13 has an efficiency of at least 99.95 percent.
“These critical times call for extraordinary actions and cooperation. Using our state-of-the-art HEPA filter production, in-house cleanroom test labs, and valued relationships with partners around the globe, we can blend our talents and expertise to help people in need. Our global teams have been working tirelessly to adapt to meet critical needs, with rapid development and time to market. I couldn’t be more proud of our team’s efforts to make a difference,” says Kurk Wilks, president and chief executive officer of the Mann+Hummel Group.
With the acquisition of the European Vokes Air Group in 2014, Tri-Dim Filter Corporation in 2018, and Hardy Filtration in 2019, Mann+Hummel added almost 90 years of air filtration and cleanroom technology expertise as well as a state of the art HVAC and HEPA filtration portfolio to its portfolio of automotive and industrial filtration products and services.
