Protecting patients globally thanks to our Reliance® sterilization wraps

As healthcare systems worldwide scrambled to cope with the COVID-19 outbreak, many countries made the necessary decision to cancel all non-emergency surgical procedures to free up personnel and resources to care for patients with COVID-19 in the past months.

Thanks to the on-going vaccination campaigns and a progressive drop in the number of COVID-19 cases, elective surgeries are now starting to resume globally.  Now more than ever, all preventive measures need to be considered to ensure protection of patients and healthcare workers.

Ahlstrom-Munksjö Reliance® sterilization wraps represent one of the first lines of defense against hospital acquired infections as they allow sterilization of surgical instruments, provide physical protection, maintain their sterility up to the point of use and allow aseptic presentation. 

The Reliance® product range is comprised of various types of fabric, manufactured from 100% cellulose (crepe paper), cellulose + synthetic fibers (wetlaid nonwoven) and 100% synthetic fibers (SMS). The wide range and combination of sterilization wraps enable our customers to select the most appropriate Sterile Barrier System to meet their requirements, finding application in sterilization wraps for terminally sterilized medical devices, filter for containers, overwrap for single use Custom Procedure Trays (CPT) and Tray liner for moisture absorption and protection of the tray.

Reliance®: from our global manufacturing and converting sites to your local hospital

We are able to reach and support customers and end-users worldwide thanks to our global presence in manufacturing, converting and servicing. Each of our production sites specializes in the manufacturing of a specific technology to provide best-in-class solutions and accommodate different sterilization requirements.

Additionally, our two state-of-the-art converting and packaging lines, located in Windsor Locks, USA and Pont Audemer, France, give us the possibility to accommodate specific customer needs in terms of sizing  for single sheets, combinations of interleaved wraps (Reliance® Tandem) and bonded wraps (Reliance® Solo). Logistics is also simplified. Thanks to the cross-folding capability, the overall dimension of the boxes is reduced, resulting into easier handling and less storage space needed at the customers’ facilities.

Reliance® SMS, made in Mundra, India
Reliance® SMS (Spunbond Meltblown Spunbond) is 100% polypropylene and treated to resist charge build-up. This technology is composed of three meltblown layers of microscopic fibers, delivering a tortuous path for efficient bacteriological barrier and sterility maintenance. Reliance® SMS is strong and durable and its composition makes this technology especially suitable for the most demanding uses, both for inner and outer wraps.

Reliance® SMS is produced at the Ahlstrom-Munksjö factory in Mundra, India. The site, which employs 98 people, is particularly focused on sustainability thanks to a dedicated project consisting in re-processing waste SMS, such as side trims, into the production of new material.

Reliance® wetlaid nonwoven, made in Windsor Locks, USA
Reliance® wetlaid nonwovens are made with 70% cellulose, 20% synthetic binder and 10% PET fibers. Cellulosic fibers create the best-in-class tortuous path for excellent sterility maintenance when synthetic binders and PET fibers bring more strength and softness to the product.

The facility producing Reliance® wetlaid nonwoven is located in Windsor Locks, Connecticut, and counts over 340 workers. The site, which has been operating for over 250 years, hosts various production platforms and converting operations for FDA approved medical devices, including Reliance® Dextex sterilization wraps and trayliners .

Reliance® crepe paper, made in Pont Audemer, France
Reliance® crepe paper, made with more than 97% of cellulosic fibers and wet strength agents, meets all requirements for safe and reliable wrapping, combining excellent sterility maintenance and bacterial barrier. This technology has excellent barrier properties with moisture absorption capacity.

Reliance® crepe paper is manufactured at the Ahlstrom-Munksjö facility in Pont Audemer, France. The site includes production machines, finishing and micrexing area and a new state-of-the-art converting line, providing products in sheets of various sizes. Pont Audemer has in fact recently implemented one of the largest and most advanced converting capacity and technology, contributing to the constant effort of the Medical business to improve the quality of our products.

These three global sites comply to ISO 13485 "Medical devices - Quality Management Systems”, the internationally recognized standard for quality management systems in the medical devices industry, indicating our commitment to creating safe and effective medical devices, as well as operating at a global standard.

“The quality of our products and the continuous improvements in our assets and capabilities are a clear demonstration of the commitment of our team for providing superior solutions and service to our customers worldwide. These are indispensable foundations on which to build a business capable of answering to the needs of highly demanding industries” says Lionel Bonte, VP Medical business at  Ahlstrom-Munksjö.