April 6, 2020
Packaging automation manufacturer and integrator Foodmach has been recruited to build equipment that will enable Australia’s only current manufacturer of surgical masks to increase production by 2,500%.
The COVID-19 crisis is causing critical supply-chain shortages in Australia as overseas suppliers look to satisfy local demand first. Stocks of surgical masks need to be replenished quickly if COVID-19 cases continue to grow. In response, the Australian Government is developing innovative arrangements with agile companies who can respond to the urgent demand for supplies.
Med-Con, based near Shepparton, Victoria, is the only factory in Australia still making surgical masks. Despite the superior quality of their product, Med-Con’s business has dwindled to 5% of the Australian market in the last decade due to competition from China.