One of the production facilities is currently shut down, in the background two million masks are waiting to be shipped: Christian Herzog (left) and Andreas Mühlberger, the bosses of the Deutsche Maskfabrik in Grafing, are now hoping for new orders.
(Photo: Peter Hinz-Rosin)
It is quiet in the large production hall of the German mask factory in Grafing shortly before the turn of the year. No machine rattles, no employees who clamp the nonwoven webs, monitor production, bundle and pack the masks. Only at second glance do you see that someone is there: Two employees clean one of the two production machines that is not covered with large plastic sheets. It smells like rubbing alcohol, a radio station is playing.
The fourth corona wave has Germany under control, Omikron has reached the country, good protection against the virus is still immensely important. How can it be that a mask factory in the middle of Upper Bavaria is not overwhelmed with orders? How can it be that staff are being cut and it is unclear how things will continue in 2022? The Grasbrunner Andreas Mühlberger, who built the German mask factory in the Grafingen industrial park, has formulated an answer to this question for himself: “Demanded, promoted – abandoned”.
The company bosses want to offer a mask without ear ties. That saves raw materials. The masks are held in place with a reusable nylon strap.
(Photo: Peter Hinz-Rosin)
Demanded and promoted, that was a while ago, at the beginning of the pandemic that upset the world in spring 2020. Medical masks were hardly available at the time, and when they were, they were at astronomical prices. Ordinary citizens were called on not to buy these protective items away from those who needed them even more: namely, doctors and nurses who had to plunge into the fight against the pandemic on the front lines and at the time still unvaccinated. The rest of the population meanwhile sewed masks for themselves from sheets and scraps of fabric, in many cases rather poorly than right, because – as investigations should soon show – only limitedly helpful against the tiny viruses that still found too many loopholes in the fabric.
In order to reduce the dependence on Asian imports and to bring more masks onto the market, the federal government launched the so-called “sprinter program”. With the help of the program, machines available at short notice for the national and European production of certified masks were financially supported. The aim was to build up a production capacity of 2.5 billion masks per year domestically. The state contributed up to 30 percent of the investment costs for new plants.
Small packaging for up to five masks can be individually printed.
(Photo: Peter Hinz-Rosin)
Andreas Mühlberger, managing director of a company for medical products, clearly noticed at the time how difficult it was to get masks. Because nothing could be done through normal sales channels, he booked seats on airplanes in order to transport mask packages there. Together with his colleague Christian Herzog, he decided to take the step and start production himself. The two Grasbrunners found a suitable production hall in the Schammach industrial park in Grafing. This is where they produce medical masks: theoretically, it could be 50 million masks a year if both machines are operated in three shifts and take a break on Sundays. If you had to drive to the limit – including public holidays and Sundays – even 65 million masks “made in Grafing” would be possible every year. The FFP2 masks, which the Deutsche Maskenfabrik also sells, are not produced in Grafing, but at another production location in Germany according to the specifications of the company bosses.
German outer fleece, German filter fleece, German production, that’s how Mühlberger describes the masks; That’s why he also prints DDD on his cardboard boxes. Whoever uses the masks particularly appreciates that they do not emit the chemical odor like many imports from Asia. The fit of the mask and the well-sealing nose clip are also rated positively by many users. The disadvantage of masks from German production: In terms of price, they simply cannot keep up with imported goods.
And that brings you to the point that Andreas Mühlberger describes as “abandoned”. Because orders in the billions from the federal government for the German mask factories have expired, “the state is buying the cheapest from China,” says Mühlberger. That enormous production capacities were largely built up with tax revenues – a gift. The fact that the German mask manufacturers cannot keep up because they have to comply with different standards in production than their competitors from Asia, for example in terms of the minimum wage, apparently also does not play a role.
Some German mask manufacturers have therefore already given up, many will follow, Mühlberger suspects. The German mask factory in Grafing, but he hopes and believes, will survive. Because Mühlberger and his colleagues don’t want to get used to the standstill. Colorful nylon ribbons lie on the manager’s desk in the basement of the factory. They are prototypes and are intended to hold masks that are produced without the ear strap. “Twelve percent less rubbish,” says Andreas Mühlberger, holding up a few of the white elastic bands that are currently standard on every mask. The ribbon-free masks are currently still being tested, but it is not yet entirely clear when they will be ready for the market. On the other hand, you can buy colorful ribbons that are hooked into the existing masks, which can be put on and taken off quickly and hygienically – for example when skiing, when you need the mask in the lift but it only disturbs you on the slopes. The ribbons and masks can also be presented as company gifts in narrow case boxes.
Perhaps even more important is a plain white cardboard box, which is divided into three compartments in which the FFP2 masks are next to each other. Mühlberger is working on a concept of how the masks can be offered in clinics in a practical, hygienic way and with much less waste. Because immense amounts are consumed there. In the Ebersberger Kreisklinik, for example, 12,000 pieces are given out to employees every Monday. Now it’s those of the mask factory in Grafing. In the past, it was mainly allergy sufferers who used these products, but in the meantime managing director Stefan Huber has purchased these masks for all employees. So far he has ordered 250,000 pieces. The quality and the fact that there were much fewer emissions were the reason for the switch, Huber also recently said at the meeting of the district council.
Andreas Mühlberger is developing a concept of how the masks can be packed in a space-saving manner and with as little waste as possible – for clinics, for example.
(Photo: Peter Hinz-Rosin)
Mühlberger therefore now wants to present his concept to other clinics as well. Security of supply and consistently high quality, these are some of the arguments with which he wants to score. In addition, maximum flexibility, for example the mask boxes could be produced in such a way that they fit exactly into the existing shelves.
But Mühlberger agrees with other German mask manufacturers only with good concepts, it will not be done in the long run. They are hoping for a rethink in politics – and have already invited Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) to see for himself in one of the factories.