Market Challenges And Opportunities

Drivers

As the countries across the globe are dealing with new pandemic- COVID-19, there is an increased need of protection for dealing with such virus. The emergence of this pandemic has led to a drastic increase in demand of masks. China contributes significantly to the global production of N95 masks. However, after the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, there was temporary shutdown of factories, which resulted in temporary disruption in the production of masks. When the epidemic was under control, the factories started commencing its operations slowly. However, it was not possible for China to fulfill the local demand and the global orders. With the objective of compacting this difficult situation, the factories engaged in production of phones and cars turned for producing masks. Furthermore, the machines that were used for churning the fibrous material for diapers and sanitary pads were re-tooled for producing the materials required for masks.

Market Restraints

The availability of medical, surgical, and patient care face masks are major factors restraining growth of the N95 grade medical protective masks market. The medical and surgical masks are designed in a manner, which helps in the prevention of larger droplets from being expelled by the wearer into the environment. The small players in the market also manufacture masks similar to N95 respirators, however they are not capable of protecting the wearer from inhalation of airborne hazards. These substitutes pose a great threat to the market.

Market Opportunities

The N95 grade medical protective masks market is expected to witness significant growth opportunities with the increasing adoption of safety healthcare protective devices, owing to rising awareness amongst the people about the benefits offered by N95 masks. As per China standards, KN95 is the equivalent respirator of N95. In the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, China is one of the worst affected countries and is producing the masks at a rapid rate.

Figure 2. Global N95 Grade Medical Protective Masks Market – Opportunity Analysis