Manufacturing Extension Partnership releases critical needs list

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Chuck Spangler, president of the non-profit S.C. Manufacturing Extension Partnership, prompted the state’s manufacturers to report their capacity for producing critical needs medical supplies in a survey and list posted Monday.

Roughly 50 companies across South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia have responded to the organization’s survey with “a huge response” within the state, according to Brooke Splawn, a representative of SCMEP.

“We’ve been getting a lot of gowns, masks and hand sanitizer,” Splawn said concerning the types of products manufacturers have reported so far. She said chemical companies across the state have been some of the most responsive due to their ability to quickly pivot to create disinfectants and other products.

The list, created by the national public-private Manufacturing Extension Partnership, features different items than those on the National Manufacturing Association’s survey forwarded by the S.C. Economic Developers Association last week.

Spangler also said in an email that he is working with manufacturers to respond to requests from healthcare representatives for gowns, face shields and both regular and N95 masks.

Critical needs items on the list include:

• Disposable, ISO-rated polypropylene surgical gowns of all sizes, in sets of 500,000 for one size or 2 million one-size-fits-all gowns.
• N95 masks
• Surgical procedure masks
• Surgical procedure masks with shield
• Face shields with a disposable band
• Antifog Condor goggles that are splash and impact-resistant
• Nitrile exam gloves with a 11 to 12-inch cuff, in all sizes
• MaxAir CAPR Systems and powered air purifying respirators (PAPR)
• PAPR hoods in all sizes from 3M or an alternative brand
• PAPR filters
• Max Air 2000-201 Comfort Strips
• Small Max Air 200-36T Li-Ion batteries
• Impermeable barriers
• Sanitizing and disinfectant wipes
• Hand sanitizer bottles ranging from 4 to 24 ounces
• Hand sanitizer refills ranging from 1200 milliliters to 2000 milliliters
• Five hundred individual 20-ounce packages of sanitizing GoJo hand soap
• Cleaning solution sprays such as VioNex or Cavicide
• Red 10-gallon biohazard waste bags that are 24 inches high or a similar size
• Digital thermometers used on the forehead
• Disposable thermometers
• Disposable stethoscopes