industry

Bluetree printing group to make 20 million medical masks a week


Roll out is a UK first and follows £1.8m of investment by the Rotherham-based owner of the Instantprint and Route1Print brands into its Obisk range of IIR-certified type masks. These filter out 98 percent and more of bacteria and are among the most commonly used in UK healthcare. Prior to COVID-19 however, they have typically been sourced from overseas. “We are the first business to produce these masks domestically, which when we started to explore development, really surprised us,” says Bluetree co-founder and sales director James Kinsella.

“Production is expected to begin on June 8, and we will be capable of a 20 million-a-week capacity by September.” 

Since having seen global demand for meltblown, the crucial non-woven plastic in the mask’s filtration layer, the group has decided to install equipment and make it itself in order to safeguard supplies. 

Once this is in place all the products in the mask will be entirely UK sourced.  

After hearing of the PPE shortages Bluetree, which has a £42million turnover and employs 350 staff, changed a £3million expansion plan to make exhibition products, converting a new 45,000 sq ft factory and switching to the production of masks.

“We are fortunate our existing set up and highly skilled team of machine operators lends itself to mask production,” adds co-founder and managing director Adam Carnell.

“We had never thought before of supplying the NHS, but we aim to make production a sustainable line of business for us in future alongside our printing operations.”

Machinery was purchased from its longstanding supplier Diecut Global in Preston.

Bluetree will fulfil long term contracts directly with providers, but for consumers and smaller business such as clinics it is offering a subscription service via www.bluetreemaskbox.co.uk



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