Times of great adversity often breed some of the most heartwarming stories of human kindness. As our industry settles into a new normal, that sentiment proves no less true during the COVID-19 pandemic. Hospitality construction may be stalling, and U.S. factories may be running in a limited capacity, but companies with the capacity to give back are finding ways to do so in these uncertain times. Here are a few examples of compassion spreading through the manufacturing world.
Designtex and West Elm join forces to make face masks
The two manufacturers will use Designtex‘s surface imaging facility in Portland, Maine to create 13,000 highly breathable cotton face masks. Three hundred masks are being produced per shift, and the first 500 have already been shipped.
Doug Mockett & Company uses 3D printing to make face masks and shields
Architectural hardware manufacturer Doug Mockett & Company‘s two large Gigabot 3D printers are being repurposed to create mask strap extenders and face shield visors. Inspiring messages such as “Strong” and “Hero” are stenciled into the back as a show of appreciation.
Euro Style delivers 1,500 KN95 masks to local hospital
Contemporary furniture brand Euro Style donated 1,500 KN95 masks that had been stockpiled in their Union City warehouse to the local Kaiser Permanente medical facility in Santa Clara, California.
Wayfair Professional gives back via multiple channels
Wayfair‘s B2B vertical has donated 1,000 bedside tables to the field hospital at Boston’s Convention Center, as well as 800 tray tables to the field hospital at New Orleans’ Morial Convention Center. In addition, they gave $2.3 million to Feeding America through the Save More, Give Back promotion.
Formica Corporation donates 500,000 meals to Feeding America
Formica has reallocated the money it would typically spend on lunches for in-person training sessions to supply Feeding America with 500,000 meals through their Lunch & Learn program.
Eventscape donates $50,000 worth of PPE equipment to frontline workers
Toronto-based art and architectural fabricator Eventscape has given over $50,000 worth of face shield distribution kits in Canada and the U.S. They also partnered with Plaxall Inc. to conceive a box that will hold all required equipment for face shields and can be assembled on-site in under a minute.
Room & Board’s manufacturing partners donate PPE equipment
Several of Room & Board‘s U.S. manufacturing partners have opened their manufacturing facilities to create personal protective equipment (PPE) for donations. Open Works, part of the company’s Urban Wood Project, is using 3D printers to make face shields. American Leather, Precedent Furniture, Redland Cotton, Valdese Weavers, and McCreary Modern are making masks. ADF, meanwhile, is making safety shields and separation barriers for service counters where workers have to interact with patients. Finally, Fracture Goods has raised $10,000 for food and PPE for Chicago area healthcare workers.
Louis Poulsen donates masks to South Florida’s first responders
With the Danish lighting brand’s U.S. headquarters in Weston, Florida, Louis Poulsen is donating 1,000 KN95 masks to the Cleveland Clinic Weston, as well as other healthcare professionals and first responders in the area.
The Preciosa Foundation donates over $200,000 to support healthcare workers
Lighting manufacturer Preciosa‘s eponymous foundation has donated more than $200,000 to support healthcare workers in Northern Bohemia, Czech Republic. The foundation’s volunteers are also sewing masks for those in the region.
HBF manufactures personal protective equipment for local community
HBF and HBF Textiles have joined the fight against COVID-19 by producing and donating washable masks and washable mask covers that preserve the life of N95 respirators. They are also making protective gowns and saving surgical masks for healthcare workers.
Rich Brilliant Willing makes 10,000 face shields for Manhattan hospitals
Working with their office neighbor in Brooklyn’s Industry City, Rich Brilliant Willing has partnered with iMakr to craft 10,000 face shields for six of New York City’s biggest hospitals. The personal protective equipment is made via 3D printing for efficient production.
Loll Designs creates recyclable hospital beds
Minnesota-based outdoor furniture manufacturer Loll Designs is making hospital beds and other safety equipment out of durable and sanitary high-density polyurethane. The easily cleanable, recyclable beds can be assembled on the hospital site.
Lighting manufacturer Cerno makes 10,000 face shields for local hospitals
Laguna Beach, California–based lighting producer Cerno has pledged to manufacture approximately 10,000 face shields to donate to local hospitals. The production process will only take 30 seconds of labor and less than a dollar in material.
Fire Farm Fabrication produces personal intubation enclosures
Taking inspiration from a solution devised by Dr. Lai Hsien-yung in Taiwan, Fire Farm Fabrication is making clear personal intubation enclosures in their Iowa facility. The structures will be donated to hospitals in need and can be shipped flat and quickly snapped together upon arrival.
OW Lee commits to producing 25,000 face masks
Ontario, California–based outdoor furniture producer OW Lee is ramping up production of fabric face masks, which, when worn over the N95 mask, can increase longevity, as well as other necessary personal protective equipment. The company has committed to making 25,000 masks for the cause.
Tarkett and Mohawk Flooring offer free virtual CEU courses
In a bit of news as it relates to workers in our industry, sustainable flooring producers Tarkett and Mohawk Flooring are independently offering free virtual courses for CEU credits. Topics include developing healthy, high-performing learning environments, sustainable design, and green building.
WAC Lighting donates 500,000 masks to healthcare providers in the U.S.
The Port Washington, New York–based lighting producer WAC Lighting had ordered 500,000 Level-3 surgical masks earlier this year with the intent to donate them abroad where COVID-19 relief efforts were needed most. But now that the number of U.S. case has grown to exceed all other nations, the company will instead ship the masks to U.S. hospitals, primarily those in the New York metropolitan area.
Schumacher and Kravet ship fabric to make masks
Textiles companies Schumacher and Kravet donated tightly woven cotton fabric to the Owosso, Michigan production facilities of outdoor furniture company Woodard, according to Architectural Digest. There, they will produce an estimated 1,000 non-N95 masks per day for medical professional. Schumacher sent 600 yards, while Kravet sent an additional 500 yards on top of the 500 yards they already had on-site.
Serta Simmons donates 10,000 mattresses to New York City hospitals
After New York governor Andrew Cuomo said that the state would require 140,000 additional hospital beds during the pandemic, bedding manufacturer Serta Simmons pledged 10,000 mattresses to New York City hospitals and the temporary medical facilities built in the area. As the virus moves throughout the U.S., the company will continue to help other areas. “Serta Simmons Bedding is able to produce up to 20,000 mattresses per day and we hope to supply other states and medical facilities with the beds they need,” chief marketing officer Melanie Huet said in a statement provided to HD. In July, the company further announced that they will be partnering with Switzerland-based HeiQ Group to produce an antiviral mattress with textiles tested specifically against SARS-CoV-2.
Ortho Mattress’ Arizona factory to produce face masks for Los Angeles and Phoenix
Ortho Mattress is pledging to temporarily reconfigure its Phoenix, Arizona factory to produce 1,000 non-medical facemasks per day for essential workers in the Los Angeles and Phoenix areas. They are intended for the general public, as local officials have ramped up suggestions that everyone wear masks in public.
Shaw Industries uses 3D printing to make face shields
Along with donating N95 masks and delivering meals to two hospitals near Shaw Industries’ Dalton, Georgia plant, the company is leveraging 3D printers to create face shields for medical personnel in their service area. Local schools donated transparency sheets for the mask portion of the shield.
Standard Textiles increases production of medical supplies
In the weeks since the pandemic became serious in the U.S., Standard Textiles pivoted their Brownsville, Texas facility to make facemasks, while operations in Thomaston, Georgia and Union, South Carolina were directed to develop an American version of a liquid-resistant, breathable, reusable cover gown for healthcare professionals. The company is also producing other personal protective equipment, including face shields.
Mohawk Industries partners with Fabric Sources International to make medical gowns
With fabric provided by Fabric Sources International, Mohawk Industries‘ Dalton, Georgia rug manufacturing facility is producing medical gowns to Hamilton Medical Center and Emory Healthcare in Atlanta. Production speeds quickly grew from making a handful per day to 1,200, with plans to only further hasten their output.
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