The New York City (NYC) Economic Development Corporation (EDC) is partnering with 40 garment manufacturers in the city, including 16 Brooklyn-based businesses, to produce personal protective equipment (PPE), including 300,000 isolation gowns and face shields for city hospitals. EDC has received over 2,700 responses over the past few weeks to help manufacture PPE.
The organisations include Course of Trade, a non-profit based in Brooklyn that trains people free in industrial sewing to revive the city’s dying garment manufacturing industry. But during the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, the organisation has shifted focus to bringing in new workers to meet a new and growing manufacturing need for PPE.The New York City Economic Development Corporation (EDC) is partnering with 40 garment manufacturers in the city, including 16 Brooklyn-based businesses, to produce personal protective equipment (PPE), including 300,000 isolation gowns and face shields for city hospitals. EDC has received over 2,700 responses over the past few weeks to help manufacture PPE.#
Course of Trade is sub-contracting to about six factories in South Brooklyn. They are producing nearly 65,000 isolation gowns per week. The items are vetted by the NYC department of health and hygiene to meet the city standards and are then distributed to their warehouses in Long Island City.
This is an opportunity to bring in a lot of new manufacturing workforce who may not have been able to do so previously, said Sonia Park, assistant vice president of industry and innovation at the EDC.
City mayor Bill de Blasio is working closely with the White House, the EDC and Owens & Minor, the healthcare logistics company, to provide American-made medical gown fabrics to these companies, according to media reports emanating from the city.
Course of Trade is looking for more sewers and people familiar with industrial sewing machines.
ALCHEMPro News Desk (DS)
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