Future is clear for mask manufacturer based in Preston

Stealth Mask, the Lancashire-based manufacturer of professional grade facemasks and filters, is expanding as global demand for personal protective equipment continues to soar.
Karl Howard of Stealth MasksKarl Howard of Stealth Masks
Karl Howard of Stealth Masks

Preston-based Stealth Mask was founded in 2017 as a spinout from Air Filtration Solutions, which designs and manufactures air filters which reduce and capture contaminants in medical devices.

Since then, it has sold more than five million professional-grade facemasks and now exports its products to 22 countries including the USA, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Germany.

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The family-owned business now employs 120 people at 8,000 sq. ft headquarters in Preston and is moving to a larger site in the city next year as it continues to grow its range of products and services in the PPE sector.

The new Clarity maskThe new Clarity mask
The new Clarity mask

Clients include the NHS, Screwfix, Toolstation and Howdens. Stealth Mask’s own range of eight certified products are used daily on construction sites, hospitals, farms and industrial premises all over the world.

Its latest product, the Clarity FFP3, features a transparent anti-fog window to aid communication between colleagues.

It also breaks down emotional barriers between care staff and vulnerable patients.

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It was developed following reports by clinicians that traditional facemasks make it challenging to communicate clearly with colleagues, elderly patients or people with learning disabilities, hearing impairments or other more complex care requirements.

The company says Clarity is the first transparent FFP3 facemask in the market in the UK, which means it has a minimum total filtration efficiency of 99 per cent and low breathing resistance when in use.

The company expects demand to be high as public and private sector healthcare organisations focus on becoming more accessible and inclusive in their services to deliver better clinical outcomes.

Karl Howard, Managing Director of Stealth Mask, said: “Our masks are aimed at protecting users from harmful contaminants in their professional working environment – whether that’s a construction site, an industrial plant or a hospital.

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“The pandemic has highlighted to large organisations the importance of accessing PPE to protect their employees from harm.

“It’s also driven innovation in the sector and its why we’ve now launched our new transparent facemask which we firmly believe will become the new standard in terms of FFP3 facemasks in care and medical settings.

“The human advantages it brings in terms of better communication between healthcare staff and patients at a time when people are at their most vulnerable or emotional and need it the most is what is urgently needed now.

“Getting the right balance between maximising the size of the transparent window to easily see facial expressions and protecting the user with the highest level of protection has taken almost a year of research and development, including working alongside the Allied Health Research Unit at the University of Central Lancashire (UCLAN) and focus groups with keyworkers .”

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David Wood, Sales Director at Stealth Mask, said: “We’ve been in the facemask business since well before the pandemic started so we’ve had a head start on research and development compared to newcomers in the market.

“Our heritage of designing and developing air filters to the medical sector also gives us a tremendous advantage and the fact that we’re making them here in the heart of Lancashire, is a sign of trust and quality.”

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