As Darko Bicak/Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 10th of November, 2020, although there has been no serious production of protective masks and disinfectants in Croatia until this year, primarily because they are relatively simple and cheap low value-added products, the coronavirus pandemic and the subsequent disruption of logistics chains has seen the situation totally change and we’re witnessing Croatian companies that have, to a greater or lesser extent, seriously entered this segment. One of them is Medikor, which is primarily a representative of numerous medical brands for the Croatian market, such as Omron and Beurer, and they also decided to develop their own project of protective masks.
Technology, design and packaging
As was explained from Medikor, the current situation caused by the coronavirus pandemic was an additional incentive for them to devise the concept of a face mask that they believe is the optimal combination of protection and comfort for the end user.
“The concept of Mask in mask wasn’t just created overnight, it was worked on for months by experts from Medikor who, with dedicated work, invested their knowledge and conducted research, and as such created a quality product available to everyone. In the entire production process, we had only one thing in mind: to create a high-quality product respecting all set standards, and with practicality and cost-effectiveness to make it desirable to those for whom it is intended. When we add the involvement of several Croatian factories in the production process to that story, we can freely say that we succeeded in our plan,” they explained from Medikor, which is led by its director, Dr. Dujo Kovacevic. They added that so far, five Croatian companies are working on the production, sewing and packaging of their masks, while the production of filters is also here in Croatia.
“We supply raw materials for the production of filters to a lesser extent from China, and to a greater extent from Germany. These filters are produced by using a special technology of joining together non-woven materials and cutting them. The know-how, technology and design of the filter itself, masks and product packaging are the result of the work of the Medikor team consisting of a doctor, then a public health specialist, marketing experts and product and graphic designers,” they pointed out from Medikor.
The filter lasts for a month
Their masks and filters have been on sale in foreign markets for a short time, so far in Austria, the Czech Republic and Serbia, and Medikor expects the opening up of other EU markets. Additionally, in the coming weeks, they will start an online shop – Mask-in-Mask.com, which will be focused on the B2C segment. As for the mask itself, the five-layer model PTFE mask, as they explained from Medikor, is an innovative and very simple concept – it is a mask that, as its name suggests, consists of two parts. The outer part consists of a two-layer, canvas mask with a built-in flexible nose band and elastic earmuffs. It is available in a wider range of colours which makes it adaptable to different fashion styles.
The main feature of this mask, they say, is the interior which consists of a unique PTFE (semi-crystalline polymer plastic Polytetrafluoroethylene) with a three-layer hydrophobic replaceable filter that has a bacterial filtration efficiency (BFE) of 99.2% and an effective particle filtration (PFE) of 97%. It is made of PTFE membrane and two layers of non-woven polypropylene, which are joined together by a special technique in one of the well-known Croatian factories, and which they don’t want to name from Medikor because they want to keep the exclusivity of this technology. They add that with proper use and regular disinfection, the mask’s filter can be used for 30 days.
Medikor has been operating in Croatia since back in 1995 and currently employs 23 people. They say that today, in addition to wholesale, their main sales channel is their own online store, with one specialised store and two pharmacies.
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