Sherwood Group and KMD Company set up a strategic alliance in 2015 and KMD moved in with Sherwood two years ago.

The £200,000 spend involved twin-stream face mask production lines that have been installed at Sherwood’s Nottingham HQ, and are now fully up and running. 

In October the Nottingham site also renewed its BRC ‘AA’ hygiene rating.

The three-ply single-use masks provide 95% bacterial filtrations and are currently suitable for use by the general public and businesses in non-healthcare settings.

However, the company is also working towards the EN14683 standard and professional accreditation in order to be able to manufacture Type II medical grade masks.

Sherwood Group managing director Richard Bacon said the group was proud of its ability to proactively respond to market needs.

“We are delighted to be able to support the fight against Covid-19, producing high quality British made face coverings. It is so important for the country during this pandemic and I am proud of the team in getting this up and running.”

The make of the machinery is being kept under wraps, and it was described as “a joint project with existing machinery supplier” used by the group.

The masks are being packaged in boxes that emphasise their provenance as ‘Made in the UK’ amid ongoing concerns about the poor quality of some imported masks.

As well as targeting B2C and B2B customers, the firm is selling the masks in packs of 25 and 50. Pricing depends on volume.

The company has deployed existing staff to run the new mask-making equipment.

“This is because of our new policy to exclude temporary agency staff for the period of Covid-19 pandemic, to enhance health and safety measures and safeguard biosecurity of our premises,” explained marketing manager Anna Fawcett.

The business can produce 250,000 masks per week running on a single shift, with the potential to scale up to 24-hour operation to meet demand.