Please note: ISPA wants to hear about challenges and successes in supplying critical equipment needs during the COVID-19 pandemic. If you encounter government regulatory problems where we might be able to help, or if you have ideas on how ISPA can further assist the industry in its efforts to help, contact Grant Johnson, ISPA policy and government affairs, phone 571-635-6302, email [email protected]. Find more information: ISPA COVID-19 Member Resources page
Mattress manufacturer and licensing group Eclipse International began manufacturing face masks in March, starting with an initial batch of 38,000 masks sewn at its North Brunswick, New Jersey, factory for area hospitals. The three-layer masks are made from materials the company regularly sources for mattress production.
The first run of masks was donated to the Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital network, based in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Eclipse also shared the mask pattern, specifications and sourcing information for elastic bands with its network of 17 domestic licensees.
“When I first learned about the shortage of medical masks, we started looking at what solutions we could provide,” said Stuart Carlitz, president and chief executive officer of Eclipse. “When I started seeing the hoarding and price-gouging going on in the marketplace, I was taken aback and we fast-tracked our own production. No health care professional in this country should go without proper protection, and, once we determined we had an adequate solution, we put the gears in motion to make this happen.
“We’re happy to be able to help and see that some of our partners will be donating to their local hospitals, too. … That’s what our industry does. We jump in and help when there’s a crisis.”
After getting calls from companies around the world who want to produce medical masks, Eclipse created a five-minute, how-to video and instruction manual for making its mask design:
