JUNE 2020 • LONGISLANDPRESS.COM 23
WHOLLY MOLI
PPE ASSEMBLY LINES
MANUFACTURERS SWITCH GEARS
Long Island’s manufacturers became
unsung heroes of the coronavirus
pandemic after companies ranging
from defense contractors to Halloween
costume makers started churning
out personal protective equipment to
help meet the overwhelming demand.
Farmingdale-based musical instrument
maker D’Addario & Co. Inc. had
its engineers convert a drum-making
facility so that it could make face
shields, as is building supply company
Corinthian Cast Stone based
in Wyandanch, vending machine
maker Vengo Labs in Bethpage, and
Core SWX, a battery charger manufacturer
in Plainview. And making
face masks are Ronkonkoma-based
military aircraft component maker
East/West Industries, Melville-based
leather maker Graphic Image, and
Rubie’s Costume Company based in
Melville, among many others.
“It’s our intention to manufacture
these shields as long as they’re needed
in New York or
anywhere around the globe,” said
John D’Addario III, CEO of D’Addario
& Co., which aims to reach a capacity
of 100,000 face shields per week.
“We’ve watched the incredible efforts
of our healthcare and essential
services workers all across the world
with great admiration. While we cannot
match the immeasurable efforts
of these selfless heroes, we feel an
immense responsibility to do our part
in overcoming the COVID-19 crisis.”
The moves mirror similar actions
larger manufacturers nationwide
have taken to help combat
COVID-19 — widely
considered the most
significant business
response of its kind
since World War
because of you...
II — with the likes of Hanes making
masks and ExxonMobil turning out
hand sanitizer, to name a few.
Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone
lauded East/West Industries for
its mask-making partnership with the
Suffolk County Sewing Consortium,
a group of local fashion designers
using their sewing skills to help with
the cause.
“They wanted to do something to
help our first responders, particularly
for our law enforcement personnel,”
Bellone said. “They wanted
to make face coverings for them.
And they put to work their expertise
in design, and engineering, and production,
and industrial sewing, to do
just that.”
And with demand for PPE not
waning anytime soon, these
local companies have got
the region’s front-line
workers covered.
-TB
LI companies are increasingly making masks and shields. (Getty
Images)
To contribute, www.unitedwayli.org/UnitedTogether
Visit 211LongIsland.org or call 2-1-1 to be connected to
veteran resources and other health and human services.
Over the past 2 months, United Way, through
our United Together Response Fund, has made
a positive impact on nearly 6,000 Long Islanders
who were recently unemployed or furloughed
due to the COVID-19 emergency. This help
was extended to countless veterans and their
families, as it is now our duty to be there for
the men and women who served our country
protecting our freedom and safety.
More recently we have expanded our
outreach by providing meals, as well as
take home meal kits to health care heroes
who care for our military heroes at area
hospitals, including the Northport Veterans
Affairs Medical Center.
Your continued support will be critical in helping
our efforts in the months (and years) to come…
visit www.unitedwayli.org
Join United Way for a virtual Run/Walk supporting military veterans and
families, as well as families affected by COVID-19. For more information
visit UnitedWayLI.org/RunWalk
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