Underwear makers now churning out millions of masks!
The COVID19 crisis has created a sharp increase in demand for N95 respirator masks globally. Companies that traditionally make underwear and t shirts have now switched their production over to the N95 style cotton masks to ease the emergency glut in supply.
Companies such as L.L. Bean, GAP and New Balance are working directly with the White House to coordinate supplies of these critical PPE products.
In some cases material is made in the Dominican Republic, loaded into a military cargo freighter and flown to Miami where it is then trucked to North Carolina to be assembled into the final mask.
One Tennessee clothing manufacturer based in Knoxville compared the effort to the Manhattan project, in an all hands on deck approach to produce as many as possible.
The FDA is one such agency that is working to create the pattern used to mass produce the masks, with a common design that can be easily made. While cotton masks are not preferred, during the current shortage they are better than nothing for front line health care workers.
Under the direction of President Donald Trump, Peter Navarro has been directed to be a liason with various companies and coordinate the production effort. Typically this involves reimbursing the manufacturer as FEMA purchases the products and acts as the logistics arm to move them to either a stock pile that is federal controlled or directly to health facilities in need.
Rebuilding supply chains and manufacturing facilities to produce and distribute masks is not a simple challenge as countless processes and patterns have to be created to ensure reliable production. Some factories are actually hiring more workers and buying more equipment for the special mission.
Keeping employees safe is a major concern and many are implementing special protocols such as regular temperature checks and spreading workers apart as at least some line of defense against the spread of COVID19.
With many comparing the mobilization of our nations’ companies to the widespread war production effort of World War Two, these companies and more joining their contribution each day, are created valuable supplies needed to halt the spread of the coronavirus.
Manufacturing businesses around the globe are working to build ventilators, masks and other medical and emergency relief equipment needed to fight the spread of COVID19.
Supply chains are adapting quickly to changing origin/destination pairings as they shift production and distribution to emergency supplies. Many transportation companies are working around the clock to make sure hospitals, and essential businesses get the goods they need as quickly as possible.
