Face masks being made at Thibaut
Face masks made by Thibaut being worn by medical workers
Industry manufacturers, as well as other design related businesses, have been on the forefront of giving back during the COVID-19 pandemic. These companies, big and small, from across the country and around the world, repositioned their facilities and talent to make various types of medical supplies.
A BIG thank you to these companies and their employees!
Here are a few of their stories:
The Santa Monica, California–based architecture firm rose to the occasion and began 3-D printing reusable plastic face masks for local hospitals and medical facilities.**
The luxury bedding linens brand Eastern Accents shifted operations, devoting its resources to producing up to 1,000 face masks each day, to be donated to hospitals and other facilities in the Chicago area. The company has also made the masks available online, with all proceeds going to the donation drive.**
The High Point, North Carolina–based furniture manufacturer took a serious look at its supply chain, strategizing ways that the company could give back to local health care facilities. “Already underway is mask production, with medical-grade surgical gowns and reclining hospital beds in the works”, CFO David Bennett told Business of Home.**
The Scotland-based family business made a name for itself crafting scented candles–and now it has shifted operations to produce hand sanitizer, which it is giving to their local community free of charge.**
The Tulsa, Oklahoma-based fabric company converted its sample room to mask making, donating Fabricut masks to local health care workers at three major hospital systems.**
Usually, this Minnesota-based company manufacturers outdoor furnishings from recycled plastic materials. Since the pandemic, however, Loll Designs shifted operations, and made ready-to-build hospital field beds with reclining backs and adjustable headrests. Fashioned from durable and sanitary HDPE (high-density polyethylene), these beds are recyclable and available for worldwide shipping.**
Flooring manufacturer company Mohawk Industries teamed with Fabric Sources International to produce medical isolation gowns and protective face shields in Atlanta and around Dalton, Georgia. Mohawk shifted the focus of its engineering and sewing teams to design, test and create medical gowns, averaging 1,200 per day (and growing). While initial donations were going to local medical centers, the company hoped to expand their reach to other Georgia hospitals.**
The fair was postponed, but the organizers of Salone del Mobile.Milano didn’t let that stop them from supporting their community. With thanks expressed to the the Chinese design sector, VNU Exhibitions Asia, FederlegnoArredo and Salone del Mobile.Milano, 545,000 medical masks have been donated to the Italian Red Cross.**
The Newark, New Jersey-based sewing department of Thibaut, the fine fabrics and wallcoverings company, was busy making fabric masks to aid health care and essential workers extend the life of their equipment. Thibaut not only donated over 600 masks, but it also donated fabric to sewers and workrooms nationwide.** View the pictures above showing the face masks being made–and being worn.
For over 150 years, Woodard Furniture has crafted high-end outdoor furniture pieces–but during its shutdown, the company had a skeleton crew working to sew as many as 1,000 non-N95 masks per day to donate to medical facilities in need, working with the donated textiles from many powerhouse industry brands that had sent fabric donations.**
Here are some of the company that donated fabric:
And, an inspiring story of how two New Jersey based companies, Ascalon Studios and Pearlman Design, designed and manufactured COVID-19 intubation safety boxes.
** These descriptions are from a Business of Home article titled “How dozens of brands are contributing to coronavirus relief efforts” by Marina Felix, dated April 6, 2020.