A month after initiating a search for locally made personal protective equipment and other critical items for fighting COVID-19, Georgia Department of Economic Development has published a comprehensive list of suppliers in the state and what they have to contribute.
The document lists the companies’ zip codes and websites, along with a grid highlighting the items made, from hair covers and hand-sanitizer to N95 masks and safety goggles, among many more categories.
Many are not medical manufacturers, per se, but some have received certification from the FDA to produce items outside their normal product lines.
Tara Materials normally makes canvases for artists and photo printing companies at its Lawrenceville factory, but it has begun using its chemical knowhow to churn out large jugs of hand sanitizer.
As of a few weeks back, Tara was seeking approval for adapting the canvas into protective fabrics for medical gowns. The hope was to generate goodwill, offset sales declines and keep workers on payroll, said Executive Vice President Mike Ecker.
“We want it to become something to help sustain the business,” Mr. Ecker said, but it was also a way to ensure the company continued to be seen as essential.
Also on the nine-page list are Pretoria Fields, a craft brewery in Albany that has made headlines by producing sanitizer, and Belgian-owned Solvay Specialty Polymers, which is making face shields. Many foreign-owned factories already present in the state have retooled plants to meet critical needs, including Korean-owned plastic film maker SKC and Japan’s YKK.
But it was not immediately clear at the outset of the pandemic’s arrival from the state whether and how suppliers located overseas could sell or donate to the state’s stockpiles. The initial form at georgia.org/covid19response had no way to input foreign addresses.
Below the PDF is embedded for convenience, or it can be downloaded here:
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