Government to Supply Additional 10.2 Tons of Mask MB Filter... "Equivalent to 7 Million Masks"

On the 15th, when the public mask 5-day rotation system is in effect, citizens are lining up in front of a pharmacy in Mapo-gu, Seoul to purchase masks. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bo-kyung] The government will additionally supply 10.2 tons of melt-blown (MB) filters, a core material for masks, to 14 mask companies. This amount is enough to produce approximately 7 million masks.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced on the 3rd that it has issued the 5th MB filter shipment adjustment order in response to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19). Accordingly, a total of 10.2 tons of MB filters, including 5.7 tons produced by Toray Advanced Materials, a raw material supplier for masks, and 4.5 tons of imported filters, will be supplied to 14 mask companies.

These mask companies had reported production stoppages or reductions due to MB filter shortages during on-site inspections by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. The MB filters supplied this time can produce about 7 million masks.

In particular, Toray Advanced Materials switched to a system capable of mass-producing about 13 tons of MB filters per day (equivalent to 6.5 million masks) starting from the 31st of last month. This is because the performance and safety of the new process filters passed the evaluation by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. Going forward, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy plans to prioritize supply to mask manufacturers experiencing production disruptions due to MB filter shortages in cooperation with the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety and Toray Advanced Materials.

Following the first imported supply of 2.5 tons on the 26th of last month, the second batch of 4.5 tons of imported filters was distributed to mask companies. Next week, an additional 5 tons of imported filters are expected to arrive in the country, contributing to the stabilization of the domestic mask supply.

Meanwhile, with the additional import contract of 40 tons completed at the end of last month, the confirmed import volume to be introduced by June has increased from 53 tons from two companies in two countries to a total of 93 tons from three companies in two countries.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.