Owens & Minor (NYSE:OMI) continues to boost its production of procedure masks, N95 respirators and more to protect healthcare workers as the new wave of COVID-19 hits the U.S. at the same time that the annual flu season is picking up.
“At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Owens & Minor acted with urgency and investment to deliver an increased supply of facial protection products, including procedure masks and N95 respirators,” Owens & Minor CEO Edward A. Pesicka said in a news release out today.
“We are laser-focused on providing the highest quality products that are specifically designed for medical staff and essential workers. Frontline workers need protection now, and we are working tirelessly to meet that need,” Pesicka said.
Owens & Minor since February has boosted production around four product categories:
- Surgical N95 respirators, with an over 11-fold increase in N95 production at three Americas locations, including additional manufacturing assets in Del Rio, Texas and Lexington, N.C.
- Surgical and procedure masks, with production nearly doubled through new capital investment and improving efficiency of operations in Acuña, Mexico.
- Face shields, with a more than 600% increase in face shield manufacturing through new capital investment in Acuña, Mexico
- Raw materials, through an additional, dedicated meltblown fabric manufacturing line in Lexington, N.C. to ensure end-to-end control of Owens & Minor supply chain, providing self-sufficiency from base material to finished mask.