React Flexibly to Requirements With FFP2 Masks

Resilience in crisis situations and flexibility distinguish companies with good ratings.

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the core business of many industries continues to be severely affected. However, many medium-sized companies have reacted flexibly to the new conditions and adapted their production to the circumstances.

An example for this is EPG Pausa GmbH from Stolfig Group. The company started the production of FFP2 masks at the Eichelhardt site and was able to conclude a major contract with the German Federal Government and the state of Rhineland-Palatinate in December 2020. The basis for this success was the EU type examination certification of the products by TÜV Rheinland Intercert Kft.

The Stolfig Group is a development partner of the automotive industry and a first-tier supplier (Tier One). The first wave of the pandemic had already severely affected the order situation, freeing up production capacity.. After the German Federal Government also called on local producers to support them in fighting the pandemic, the Stolfig Group seized the opportunity to build up another mainstay during the crisis. The changeover to a textile product, of course, presented the automotive supplier with a number of challenges. EPG Pausa first had to find suitable production machines, suppliers for the basic materials and qualified staff.

“TÜV Rheinland is an excellent partner in our opinion. The collaboration was highly professional and the communication was always fast and courteous. Despite the holidays at the turn of the year, the certification was driven forward and the audits were conducted at record time in international collaboration.”

Wei Hong, Managing Director of EPG Pausa GmbH

Certification was also more time-consuming than initially anticipated, as FFP2 masks fall under the Personal Protective Equipment Regulation 2016/425 and must also comply with EN149:2001+A1:2009. In partnership with TÜV Rheinland, everything finally went smoothly and quickly, as Managing Director Wei Hong confirmed. The company is now occupied with the distribution and production of larger margins of their new protective masks.

Meanwhile, EPG Pausa is already working on masks for children. Their development must be based on the specific dimensions of children, so that the masks ultimately meet the requirements for safety and wearing comfort. TÜV Rheinland will also carry out the testing of these products.

TÜV Rheinland has tested the masks of EPG Pausa GmbH according to the regulation 2016/425 for Personal Protective Equipment as well as the standard EN149: 2001 +A1: 2009 and was subsequently able to issue the corresponding EU type examination certificate. Now, the company can attach the CE marking to its FFP masks and offer them as Personal Protective Equipment on the European market.

During the pandemic, masks with forged certification marks have repeatedly come onto the market. TÜV Rheinland is an internationally renowned testing service provider and a strong partner for EPG Pausa GmbH and Stolfig Group. The EU’s “New Approach Notified and Designated Organisations” has designated TÜV Rheinland InterCert for the certification of particle-filtering masks. By means of their international network of experts and test laboratories, TÜV Rheinland enables a supplier like EPG Pausa GmbH to test their products quickly and efficiently, since TÜV Rheinland has decades of experience in testing Personal Protective Equipment.