Outdoor Research, a U.S. outdoor brand from Washington state, is converting its onshore manufacturing facility in Seattle to produce personal protective equipment (PPE) for the medical community in response to the Covid-19 crisis. Outdoor Research said it will be able to produce more than 200,000 masks per day. This commitment includes adding additional manufacturing capability within the Seattle plant as well as installing advanced medical manufacturing lines, allowing Outdoor Research to quickly pivot towards becoming an FDA-approved Class II medical mask maker. Over the past month, the company has invested in high-speed equipment and employee training to enable the brand to manufacture 140,000 ASTM level 3 surgical masks per day in April/May, 50,000 N95 respirator masks per day by May/June and ASTM Level 1 face masks immediately as of now. The company said that over the last two years, the company has made significant capital investments designed to improve and modernize its Seattle factory. CEO Dan Nordstrom: “Our entire company is fully committed to ensuring that doctors, nurses, health-care workers and first responders have the personal protective equipment they require to effectively care for their patients. We are working with state and local officials to better protect our employees in this environment as we ramp up production in the following days and weeks.”
