Herefordshire’s leading manufacturing company Ultrafilter Medical welcomed Minister for Science, Research and Innovation George Freeman MP to its state-of-the-art facility in Ross-on-Wye on Thursday 16 June to mark a £2 million investment to diversify its product range.

Led by Ultrafilter’s chairman – one of Britain’s leading technology entrepreneurs Dean Kronsbein – and his son Dustin Kronsbein, managing director – Ultrafilter Medical’s UK factory was formally opened by Edward Harley OBE, Her Majesty’s Lord Lieutenant, in September last year.

As well as undertaking a tour of the factory and meeting Ultrafilter’s 67-strong team, the Minister found out about the company’s role supplying medical-grade face masks during the pandemic. Known as ‘Britain’s Big Mask Giveaway’, the campaign saw the donation of one million masks across the country.

He also heard about Ultrafilter’s new £2 million investment in its Ross-on-Wye factory to facilitate production of new processed-water filtration products at the site. This diversification of Ultrafilter’s UK product range will support the food, beverage and pharmaceutical sectors, delivering unique benefits to both industries and reducing reliance on US and Chinese suppliers.

Dustin Kronsbein, managing director at Ultrafilter says: “We are delighted that the Minister visited Ultrafilter and took the time to find out how our company remains at the forefront of emerging filtration technologies. It was exciting to share how our experience and knowledge of industrial filtration solutions are now being applied to filtering water, improving existing products and reducing reliance on global imports, as well creating potential to export into new markets.”

Science Minister George Freeman said: “The UK life science sector is creating exciting new companies, jobs and careers across the UK, not just in the Golden Triangle of Oxford, Cambridge or London, but in advanced manufacturing, engineering and high-value supply-chain equipment and technology. Ultrafilter is an exciting, high-growth business, today investing £2m to expand into new markets.”