Draeger opens PPE manufacturing facility in Gateshead

Draeger Safety UK, part of The Dräger Group, has officially opened a new manufacturing facility in Gateshead. 

The new site, which will produce FFP3 face masks to fulfil a government contract to supply UK manufactured PPE for front-line workers, is Dräger's second site in the region. The company’s other site, located at Blyth in Northumberland, manufactures safety equipment.

Malcolm Irving, head of global supply chain safety division at Dräger, said: “We’re very proud to officially open this new manufacturing facility in Gateshead. The production lines are now operational and the first orders have been delivered to NHS hospitals.

“The new site has established a sustainable UK-production base to manufacture high volumes and to provide a long-term solution for the supply of high protection FFP masks for our NHS workforce and other front-line workers.”

Complying with lockdown regulations, the site was opened virtually by Councillor Michael Hood, the mayor of Gateshead and attended online by Rainer Klug, Dräger executive board member for safety division and other members of the Dräger Safety UK team.

Dräger worked closely with local representatives, including, the Academic Health Science Network for the North East and North Cumbria (AHSN NENC), to secure the order and with Gateshead Council to acquire the new site.

Health minister Jo Churchill said: “I am delighted that Dräger’s new PPE facility is opening in Gateshead. The factory will create new jobs in the area, making and delivering millions of FFP3 facemasks to our frontline health and social care workers.

“We have been working tirelessly to deliver PPE throughout the pandemic, with around 32 billion items ordered and over 7.3 billion items delivered to the frontline.

“This represents another significant milestone in establishing a UK PPE manufacturing industry to help us continue this vital work and build a more resilient supply chain in the future.”

As well as FFP masks, the company provides medical and safety equipment including hospital ventilators, breathing apparatus and monitors, and gas detectors.