The MLS Textiles facilities in Ontinyent - Valencia, (developer and owner of Lurbel), have been put into operation to provide support in the midst of the health crisis caused by the coronavirus. At the end of last week, the firm's managers set about adapting part of their production capacity, usually dedicated to the manufacture of socks, clothing and high performance sports accessories, to the development of different products used to protect healthcare workers such as gloves and protective masks.

The Lurbe brothers, at the head of the family business, have not hesitated in implementing their textile knowledge, production capacity and their almost three decades of experience in the development of innovative fabrics to alleviate the problems derived from the prolonged use of PPE in the health sector.

In the case of health professionals, this material may be used as an additional element to their other protection materials (surgical mask and gloves), helping to avoid direct contact between said protection materials or other higher safety respiratory protection equipment (FFP2-FFP3) and the worker's skin, protecting it and avoiding irritation and discomfort during even the most intense working days.

Proprietary textile technology

The masks and gloves are being developed, with the help of health professionals, using Regenactiv's own textile technology, a fabric patented by the Valencian company over ten years ago, which was the basis for developing their successful Bmax anti-blister socks. This unique fabric stands out due to its added skin protection, its maintenance and improvement of its immunological and defensive qualities and its enhancement of its natural mechanisms that help it to deal with external factors that put its integrity at risk.

Reusable and natural material

The Regenactiv fabric is made from natural fibres: a main vegetal cellulose fibre and another marine-based fibre extracted from molluscs and crustaceans. However, these garments can be reused (with a proper high temperature wash) and are guaranteed to be effective for 135 washes.

Regenactiv

Regenactiv (www.regenactiv.com) was the first technological milestone at MLS Textiles in the late 2000's marking the era of specialisation and the move away from a family owned sock company to a specialised technology fabric brand. The potential of this fabric led to the creation of the MUVU health brand in 2015, a specific line of products aimed at the health market. Originally, the brand only had a collection of socks with a health license but the qualities of this fabric have allowed the extension of the product catalogue to other items such as bands and caps aimed at patients who are post-hair transplant, socks for prosthetics, to avoid irritation between skin and the prosthesis in people with amputated lower limbs, as well as gloves used to fight dermatitis and a top for women undergoing radiotherapy (www.muvucare.com)