One U.S. company's risky effort to build a new mask factory during COVID

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Dan Izhaky is betting $4 million that the pandemic will change what Americans are willing to pay for high quality face masks from his new factory here in this suburb of Los Angeles.

Masks are produced at United Safety Tech, a startup that is poised to open a new N95 mask factory in La Verne, California, U.S., January 27, 2021. REUTERS/Timothy AeppelBefore COVID-19 hit, the United States imported much of the personal protection equipment needed by health care providers, mainly from Asia. Some U.S. companies pivoted in the crisis, such as liquor companies churning out hand sanitizer and plastics firms making face shields.

“The big question we face is what happens post-pandemic,” said Izhaky, “when you have a hospital administrator or whoever it is that’s in charge of purchasing” and looking at U.S.-made masks that cost more. The pricing of many types of protective equipment remain elevated by shortages, but once the market normalizes Izhaky estimates his masks will cost about 30% more than Chinese masks, or about $1.15 each.

David Sanford, the brigadier general who directs the supply chain advisory group at the Department of Health and Human Services working on COVID-19 response, has been helping Izhaky and other manufacturers work through the process of getting certified and connected to domestic distributors of medical goods. He said Izhaky’s new factory is exactly the kind of project the U.S. needs to encourage.

“You can buy a face mask machine for a few hundred thousand dollars and start it up in 90 days. That’s happening all over the world,” said Sara Greenstein, CEO of Lydall Inc, a U.S. producer of the material that has agreed to supply Izhaky’s operation.

 

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Our family doesn’t trust Chinese made PPE, regardless of so called “certification.” So well by American made and pay extra for REAL N95s!!

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