Pyrenean manufacturer Nervures are temporarily switching production in their French factory from paragliders to protective masks, to help fight the Covid-19 virus.
The coronavirus pandemic has resulted in a shortage of protective masks for medical workers. Nervures’s Jean-Marie Bernos announced today that the company will be using their production facilities to produce reusable cotton masks for as long as is necessary.
In an email (translated from French) sent on 24 March 2020, Jean-Marie wrote:
“We are not trying to compete with mask manufacturers but to provide the best possible protection, quickly, with our means, validation of our mask by a CHU [Centre Hospitalier Universitaire or university hospital] is underway. The departmental council and the State (prefecture) has submitted an order for 25,000 units. All of this production is therefore reserved for them.
“All the staff are mobilised for this project. I thank them as well as my predecessor Xavier Demoury, who was in charge of starting production. We will also involve other local companies and players in order to respond to demand as quickly as possible. Do not hesitate to come forward if you have means of production. Not all of them can be used, but I will answer them personally.
“Consequently, despite a very busy production schedule for paragliders, we are suspending our usual production until further notice; only the wings whose assembly has already started, and wings already received by our after-sales service department, will be finished, checked then dispatched. Of course we will make every effort to restart the production of the paragliders as soon as possible. We will inform you at the beginning of April of the new foreseeable deadlines.
“I count on the understanding of all our loyal customers and also on the concrete commitment of future customers to support us. I especially hope that everyone will understand the importance of Made in France and the maintenance of local industrial production units for all our everyday objects, and not only in the event of a pandemic!”
