Skip to main content
Sister Publication Links
  • European Rubber Journal
  • Plastics News
  • Tire Business
Subscribe
  • Login
  • Register
  • Subscribe
  • News
    • Tire
    • Airless Tires
    • Non-Tire
    • More News
    • Suppliers
    • Silicone
    • Latex
    • Technical Notebooks
    • Opinion
    • Online Exclusive
    • Special Reports
    • Automotive
    • Executive Action
    • Government/Legal
    • Sustainability
    • Blogs
      • Products
      • Wacky World of Rubber
    • Best Places to Work
    • War in Ukraine
    • Rubber Division IEC
    • ITEC
    • Women Breaking the Mold
  • PFAS
  • Custom
    • Sponsored Content
    • White Papers
  • Resources
    • Directory
    • Classifieds & Mold Mart
  • Data
  • Events
    • RN Events
    • RN Livestreams/Webinars
    • Industry Events
    • Past Events
    • Rubber News M&A Live
    • PFAS Live
    • Ask the Expert
    • International Tire Exhibition & Conference (ITEC)
    • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum
  • Advertise
  • DIGITAL EDITION
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. Coronavirus
October 23, 2020 01:41 PM

More companies adding N95 mask capacity in U.S.

Frank Esposito
Plastics News
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Print
    Medicom
    Medicom recently announced the expansion of its U.S. mask manufacturing operations.

    Medical mask suppliers Moldex-Metric Inc. and Medicom Group are expanding production in the U.S. to handle increased demand from the COVID-19 pandemic.

    The companies join other manufacturers of N95 masks that are investing in additional capacity.

    Moldex-Metric will spend more than $25 million to add N95 mask production at a new site in Lebanon, Tenn., officials said in a news release. Moldex-Metric is a protective equipment maker based in Culver City, Calif.

    In Lebanon, Moldex-Metric will retrofit an exiting building. The expansion is expected to create more than 200 new jobs in the next three years. The firm also will build a distribution center on the 21-acre site.

    Moldex-Metric worked with the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development on the project. The firm is the second-largest maker of N95 masks in North America and has been making similar products for almost 40 years, officials said.

    "Having conducted an exhaustive search for a suitable site … Tennessee provided unique advantages to accomplish our expansion plans," President and CEO Mark Magidson said in the release. "It quickly became clear that Tennessee was the best location for our facility."

    He added that, in addition to expanding capacity and adding a distribution facility, the location will place Moldex-Metric's products closer to many of its customers.

    Expanding in Georgia

    Montreal-based Medicom will triple the size of its existing production in Augusta, Ga., with a new factory there, officials said in a news release. The firm's Augusta site operates as United Medical Enterprise. Medicom is a global supplier of surgical and respiratory masks.

    The new plant will have surgical and N95-type mask production equipment with updated technology, officials said. Several new machines are already on site and more are due to arrive in the coming weeks, they added in early October.

    "Diversified supply has been a long-term strategy for Medicom," Guillaume Laverdure, president and global chief operating officer, said in the release. "We are happy to announce that we will be quadrupling our production output in the U.S. to supply products that will help protect health care professionals for years to come."

    He added that the firm chose to remain in Augusta because it has many long-term employees who have years of mask manufacturing expertise there.

    In addition to the new U.S. site, Medicom this year has opened mask plants in Canada, the United Kingdom and Singapore and has added a second plant in France. The firm also has added capacity at established plants in France, China and Taiwan. Products made by Medicom include face masks, medical gowns and other protective apparel.

    Others also expanding

    Global manufacturers Honeywell Inc. and 3M also both have increased production of N95 masks since the pandemic hit. Five of the six main components of 3M's N95 mask use some type of plastic. Its straps are made from thermoplastic elastomers, the nose foam is polyurethane and the filter is polypropylene fiber. The mask's shell and cover both are made of polyester.

    Moldex-Metrix LLC
    N95 masks for health care workers made by Moldex-Metric.

    Charlotte, N.C.-based Honeywell has added N95 production at plants in Phoenix and in Smithfield, R.I., as well as in the United Kingdom and United Arab Emirates. The firm was able to start production in Phoenix and Smithfield in five weeks in a process that could traditionally take up to nine months.

    The N95 expansions in Phoenix and Smithfield have created more than 1,000 jobs. The plant in the UAE, which is operated along with aerospace firm Strata, also recently shipped mask No. 1 million.

    St. Paul, Minn.-based 3M also has boosted N95 production. Since the pandemic began, the firm has delivered 800 million masks globally and 400 million in the U.S. 3M firm has doubled N95 mask production globally since January and is on track to increase that rate to 2 billion per year globally by the end of 2020.

    In July, 3M made N95 masks at a rate of more than 50 million per month in the U.S., up from 35 million in March. The firm expects to hit a U.S. rate of 95 million per month this month.

    Research organization Battelle of Columbus, Ohio, recently had its Critical Care Decontamination System (CCDS) pass filtration efficiency and fit-related evaluations through 20 cycles for two different 3M respirators.

    Battelle's CCDS allows N95 masks to be reused. The process can decontaminate thousands of N95 respirators using concentrated, vapor phase hydrogen peroxide. The Battelle CCDS can decontaminate the same respirator multiple times without degrading N95 respirator performance.

    According to a 3M technical bulletin, the firm evaluated multiple decontamination processes, including Battelle's, reviewing at least four key aspects of successful decontamination of respirators.

    In a news release, Battelle President and CEO Lou Von Thaer said that the Battelle CCDS was developed in response to the 2014 Ebola outbreak, at the request of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

    The Battelle CCDS also has been found effective in studies conducted by Duke University and Massachusetts General Hospital. Battelle CCDS operations are in place at more than 40 U.S. sites. To date, those sites have decontaminated more than 1.8 million masks.

    In the decontamination process, health care systems collect worn N95 masks each day. The masks then are labeled with a barcoded serial number for tracking chain of custody throughout the process. This procedure ensures that the hospital system receives its own respirators back. The entire process takes three to five days.

    Related Article
    Tariffs, COVID-19 add to supply chains complications
    PPE makers still focused on meeting COVID-19 demands
    In 3 days, GM developed a plan to help save lives
    Letter
    to the
    Editor

    Rubber News wants to hear from its readers. If you want to express your opinion on a story or issue, email your letter to Editor Bruce Meyer at [email protected].

    Most Popular
    1
    Technical Notebook: Evaluation of liquid farnesene/butadiene rubber in a silica tread
    2
    Tayte French Lutz named French Oil CEO
    3
    Goodyear to cut jobs, divest Asia-Pacific locations
    4
    Orion rolls out new specialty carbon black made from end-of-life tires
    5
    Freudenberg works to reduce CO2 footprint in facilities, compounding ingredients
    SIGN UP FOR NEWSLETTERS
    EMAIL ADDRESS

    Please enter a valid email address.

    Please enter your email address.

    Please verify captcha.

    Please select at least one newsletter to subscribe.

    Get our newsletters

    Staying current is easy with Rubber News delivered straight to your inbox, free of charge.

    Subscribe Today

    Subscribe to Rubber News to get the best coverage and leading insights in the industry.

    SUBSCRIBE
    Connect with Us
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • Twitter

    MISSION

    To serve companies in the global rubber product industry by delivering news, industry insights, opinions and technical information.

    Contact Us

    2291 Riverfront Pkwy, Suite 1000
    Cuyahoga Falls,
    OH 44221

    Customer Service:
    877-320-1726

    Resources
    • About Us
    • Digital Edition
    • Staff
    • Advertise
    • Order Reprints
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    • Terms of Service
    • Careers
    • Ad Choices
    • Sitemap
    Partner Sites
    • Tire Business
    • European Rubber Journal
    • Plastics News
    • Urethanes Technology
    • Automotive News
    • Crain Brands
    Copyright © 1996-2023. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • News
      • Tire
      • Airless Tires
      • Non-Tire
      • More News
        • Automotive
        • Executive Action
        • Government/Legal
        • Sustainability
        • Blogs
          • Products
          • Wacky World of Rubber
      • Suppliers
      • Silicone
      • Latex
      • Technical Notebooks
      • Opinion
      • Online Exclusive
      • Special Reports
        • Best Places to Work
        • War in Ukraine
        • Rubber Division IEC
        • ITEC
        • Women Breaking the Mold
    • PFAS
    • Custom
      • Sponsored Content
      • White Papers
    • Resources
      • Directory
      • Classifieds & Mold Mart
    • Data
    • Events
      • RN Events
        • International Tire Exhibition & Conference (ITEC)
        • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum
      • RN Livestreams/Webinars
      • Industry Events
      • Past Events
      • Rubber News M&A Live
      • PFAS Live
      • Ask the Expert
    • Advertise
    • DIGITAL EDITION