Beginning October 2020, the U.S. government will benefit from an additional 26 million N95 medical-grade masks per month, as part of a new deal struck between the Department of Defense (DoD) and 3M.
The $126 million contract was funded through the CARES Act, which was passed by Congress and signed into law in late March. Department officials hope this will increase production and industrial capacity in a way that will ensure a sustainable supply chain of respirators, as well as resupply the Strategic National Stockpile, which has been hard-pressed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
That pandemic has infected more than 1,230,000 people and killed more than 73,500 in the United States, according to data accumulated by Johns Hopkins University.
“3M will design, procure, and implement necessary production facilities and equipment to expedite existing delivery schedule and increase N95 respirator production by at least 312 million annually within the next twelve months,” Lt. Col. Mike Andrews, DoD spokesman, said. “In efforts to meet this increased production capacity, 3M will expand its facility in Aberdeen, S.D., and also perform initial production in Wisconsin. 3M has already placed orders for raw material and two new N95 manufacturing lines.”
3M began ramping up production of respirators in January, leading to the manufacturing of 35 million N95 respirators per month in the United States. The company said it has invested more than $80 million into those efforts since the COVID-19 outbreak began, leading to new equipment and the importation of millions of additional respirators from the company’s overseas manufacturing facilities.
“3M is working around the clock to get much-needed personal protective equipment to the nation’s frontline healthcare workers,” said Mike Roman, 3M chairman of the board and chief executive officer. “Being selected for these contracts will allow us to increase our manufacturing capability even more. We thank the Trump Administration and the Department of Defense for their close collaboration on this effort and share their goal of protecting the American public.”