By José Ángel de la Paz

An MBA graduate from EGADE Business School at Tecnológico de Monterrey, is manufacturing protective masks with 3D-printing technology in Guadalajara and distributing them at production cost to help the medical staff that treats COVID-19 patients in Mexico.

This product was named Hope's Mask 00, in order to convey optimism and hope for overcoming the coronavirus crisis. It is a mask made from polylactic acid (PLA), which consists of three pieces, including six interchangeable N95 filters, and can be reused after proper cleaning.

“We have delivered more than 1,000 masks and are already developing Hope's Mask 01, with many improvements, including a far more comfortable fit for shifts that last more than eight hours, frontal lighting, eye protection, and more economical filters with better filtration levels than the N95,” said Yoku Sashida Mendez.

The EXATEC-EGADE member manufactures these masks at Soluciones Kenko, a company focused on the development of new technologies for the health sector, where he serves as CEO and co-founded with his CTO, Daniel Aragón Han, also a Tec graduate.

In response to the COVID-19 contingency, Sashida Mendez said that they transformed their production setup to achieve 100% operational capacity for the production of Hope's Masks.

“Our mission is to innovate so that we can improve and save lives. Regardless of what happens, we are always looking to fulfill our purpose as a company. We saw a problem that was so big that, from the beginning, our approach was simply to act with our assets. The goal was very simple: to equip, as much as possible, our health professionals to take care of those who care for us,” he said.

Sashida Mendez and Aragon Han were featured in “The Top 30 Business Promises 2020”, a list published by Forbes Mexico in its latest February issue, for the creation of their gadget: ECGlove.