Medicom has officially launched a $50-million mask-filter manufacturing plant development project in the Greater Montreal Area.

The Meltech Innovation plant is being constructed in Saint-Eustache, Que., and will mainly produce the meltblown polyropylene component of surgical and respiratory masks, which filters harmful particles.

“The construction of our new mask-filter plant represents another important milestone in our vertical and sustainable integration strategy,” said Guillaume Laverdure, CEO of Point-Clarie, Que.-based Medicom in a news release.

“Once operational, this critical component that we have mostly imported from Europe up till now will travel only 30 km from Saint-Eustache to be transformed into face and respiratory (N95) masks in Montreal.”

Privately owned Medicom produces infection-control products and operates in more than 50 countries. The federal government has committed to invest up to $29 million in the plant through the Strategic Innovation Fund.

A mask-innovation centre will operate beside the plant. Meltech will also develop products for air filtration, membrane filtration, battery separators, supercapacitors and other uses.

“All of this will be done with a view to marketing and exporting,” said Medicom.