Greer mask producer sees glut in market

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When the country scrambled for face coverings, Advanced Testing Instruments Corp. formed subsidiary Carolina Facemask and PPE to meet the call at its Greer base.

Now that masks have become a sight more familiar than the face au natural, the company said warehouses sit full of millions of unused masks.

But the manufacturer’s executives believe the lagging demand for their product doesn’t come from a glut in the medical-grade mask market.

Instead, it’s the smorgasbord of fabric face coverings sold in every color with every witty — or not so pithy — slogan under the sun that’s been causing the company problems.

Not to mention the search algorithms that favor foreign companies, according to Rick Gehricke, COO of ATI Corp. and Carolina Face Mask & PPE.

"Big Tech is blocking domestic mask producers at every turn," Gehricke said in a news release. "Google, Facebook, all of them have hidden us from search results and blocked our ads despite (us) following every rule and even providing our certification documents."

The ATI subsidiary first began producing masks similar to those certified by the FDA as “medical grade masks” when a PPE shortage gripped the nation and few domestic companies were prepared for the snowballing demand.

ATI’s crew was familiar with pivoting on a dime.

The company’s technical team performs calibrations and upkeep services for instruments in the textile, chemical, aerospace, automotive and medical fields to name a few sectors.

"We saw our frontline workers and citizens in desperate need of PPE. As veterans, our initial reaction was that we had to step up,” Gehricke said in the release. "In a matter of weeks, we set up the entire production line, sourcing American-made raw materials to ensure we could sustainably provide high-quality PPE in bulk."

While awaiting Food and Drug Association certification for the masks to be distributed in hospitals and doctors’ offices, Carolina Face Mask & PPE marketed their supply to the general public instead.

But things have changed since the days of using handkerchiefs and old T-shirts to preserve masks for medical workers.

After domestic manufacturers across sectors pivoted to invest in equipment used to stich, weave and mold countless faceshields, masks and gaiters, the manufacturer has struggled to keep abreast of the competition in a glutted market.

 Not to mention staying ahead of international industries that market wares online.

Pending the public’s shift away from cloth and masks produced abroad, as well as FDA certification of the Carolina Face Mask & PPE’s mainstay, “our hands are tied," Gehricke said in the release.