Responding to a public request for tenders, the Rheinmetall technology group has won an order from the authorities in Hamburg to supply air purifiers for schools and vocational training centres. Worth a figure in the single-digit million-euro range, the order – now official – encompasses 1,000 air purification devices. Fully assembled and ready to operate, these Type RX devices are due to be delivered by the end of September 2021.
Representing an important milestone for the Group’s Beyond Automotive strategy, this order will be handled by Rheinmetall subsidiary Pierburg GmbH.
The Rheinmetall RX pro air purifier is a mobile filter and decontamination unit for cleaning and decontaminating air in interior spaces up to 80 square metres. In the process, it filters bioaerosols like viruses, bacteria, pollen and particulates out of the air safely and sustainably.
This is how it works. The air is sucked into an intake vent on the underside of the device, purified in various filter stages, and then released back into the room. The devices are equipped with highly effective HEPA filters that continuously free the air of substances measuring up to one micrometre. Today, air purifiers of this type are already providing a vital service in operating rooms, intensive care units and laboratories. The resulting filtration achieves degrees of separation of >99.95 (HEPA 13) to >99.995 percent (HEPA 14).
The market for air purification devices is currently in a high-growth phase with strong future potential. First and foremost, public authorities are now driving the strong demand for mobile air purifiers. In response to the pandemic, the German federal government is supporting the purchase of such devices as a way of keeping schools and kindergartens open for in-person instruction as far as possible. The federal government in Berlin has allocated €200 million for the procurement of air purification devices by the individual German states. Rheinmetall’s RX pro is on the official list for public sector requests for tender. The company has already received numerous orders from various entities in Germany.
Having already proved itself to be a reliable source of personal protective equipment, or PPE, for public authorities in Germany during the early phase of the pandemic, the Group has now turned its attention to air purification. As far back as spring, two schools – the École Française in Düsseldorf and the Ivo-Frueth-Schule in Oberndorf – were provided with air purifiers free of charge for use in school canteens. The prime motivation: protecting pupils and their families and bringing a measure of normality back to everyday school life.
