Textile innovations pioneer HeiQ (LSE:HEIQ) has acquired a majority stake in a leading mask manufacturer in Spain, MasFabEs, now renamed as HeiQ Medica, to manufacture medical devices with HeiQ’s cutting-edge textile technologies. 

Being in the forefront of antiviral textile technologies, HeiQ is responding to the need to drastically raise production of surgical masks with an extra protection by its Swiss Technology Award-wining HeiQ Viroblock Technology. HeiQ has acquired a majority stake in leading Spanish mask producer MasFabEs which has already been producing masks powered by HeiQ Viroblock since the beginning of the pandemic. Now changing name to HeiQ Medica, the company currently focuses on creating OTC (over the counter) medical device Type IIR surgical masks enhanced with HeiQ Viroblock technology. Bulk order supply will be prioritized for institutions in the medical and healthcare sectors, such as hospitals, clinics, pharmacies  and elderly homes. Nevertheless, the masks will be available on HeiQ’s direct to consumer webshop. 

HeiQ Medica will have a maximum production capacity of 15 million masks per month. “As a company that was founded expressly to provide ‘made in Spain’ products, hence the name MasFabEs (Mascarillas de Fabricación Española), we were already producing HeiQ Viroblock powered masks and enjoyed an excellent relationship with HeiQ . Their majority participation, distribution reach and their plans for applying their materials innovations to medical devices were received with open arms and we are excited about future developments”, said Pedro Herranz, co-founder and General Manager of MasFabEs. 

HeiQ co-founder and CEO Carlo Centonze said, “the pandemic we are in has changed our behavior for good. Learning from the SARS epidemic in Asia, I wouldn’t be surprised that from now on all medical and healthcare workers will need to use face masks daily. And for that on-going demand for such products we HeiQ are committed to improve the materials so that they are more functional, more comfortable and more sustainable.”