05.24.21
Defender Safety, a trusted construction and healthcare safety products producer, and Premier Guard USA, one of the world's leading producers of PPE in the U.S., have partnered to support a supply chain of over 100 hospitals nationwide in sourcing PPE for their procedure and surgical masks. Led by Teddy Haggerty, Founder and CEO of Defender Safety, and Howard Sherman, CEO of Premier Guard USA, the partnership will help health systems satisfy a pressing need for medical-grade PPE that is made in the U.S.
What do you expect demand to be like for medical grade face masks for the remainder of 2021?
Howard:The overall demand for medical-grade masks will largely be dependent on the path Covid-19 takes over the next several months. If Americans continue to get vaccinated as more individuals become eligible while maintaining best practices like social distancing and mask wearing, I’m hopeful that we will come out of this crisis later this year. However there will always be a need for medical masks, just as there was before Covid-19. Healthcare organizations are increasingly opting for “Made in the U.S.” medical-grade face masks because they want the best quality and highest level of protection for their employees.
Teddy:I agree with Howard that if people continue to follow CDC guidelines and get themselves vaccinated, I’m optimistic we’re nearing the end of this pandemic. That of course means we may see a drop in consumer purchases of face masks. From a healthcare standpoint however, medical masks are an essential item. By this summer, I expect we’ll see demand level off at a rate which will stick for the next several years as hospitals rebuild their supply chains and develop strategic stockpiles.
What have been the roadblocks for producing masks in the U.S.?
Teddy:So many companies in every industry consider at one point what it would take to make products in the U.S. The reality is that the established companies that provide critical raw materials like nonwovens and elastics, all make their products overseas so product manufacturing has stayed close to the source of those critical materials. While sourcing raw materials here at home is appealing, it requires relying on much newer companies that don’t have a proven track record of quality and success. I’m committed to continuing to work with these new firms, but it will take some time to fully integrate them into the supply chain. As we work to build those relationships, I am excited to now build our masks in Mississippi and lead the movement to produce more critical medical supplies here at home.
Howard:There are no surprises here. Producing masks overseas is much cheaper than producing them in the U.S. Over time, large purchasing organizations became accustomed to that price point. Trying to get them to pay 20-50 percent more for the same product has been an uphill climb. But many organizations are now implementing guidelines to purchase at least some PPE from U.S. manufacturing operations. With our partnership, we’ll be able to meet that newfound demand, which is good for U.S. workers and adds extra resilience into our national supply chain.
What’s unique about Defender Safety’s medical masks? How do they compare to others in the industry?
Howard:Defender Safety’s Level 2 Procedural Mask meets the latest FDA requirements that were made more stringent in October 2020 in response to too many manufacturers producing inferior products. Companies like Defender Safety who have had to secure 510(k) approval after October 2020 have faced a much higher degree of oversight than companies grandfathered in, which is important for purchasers to consider.
Teddy:In the PPE market, for far too long, producers were simply making products that adhered to guidelines without taking into account the preferences of the end-user. Our mask was developed with insights from real medical workers who must wear these masks for 12-plus hours every shift. We spend more on materials to make the fabric and ear loops so that they’re comfortable, so users aren’t itching to take the masks off (or literally itching) as soon as they put on the equipment.
Do you believe the pandemic has forever changed the manufacturing supply chain in the U.S. when it comes to critical medical supplies?
Teddy:During the pandemic, hospital procurement officers have tried to balance higher prices coming from most suppliers by cutting out distributors. However, it’s not sustainable over the long term that health system staff will be able to manage all the challenges and expertise required to oversee purchasing of 25-plus distinct product categories. Distributors will always play an important role in the PPE ecosystem.
Howard:Absolutely, the pandemic has changed how this business operates. Before health systems and governments depended on “just in time” supply and low prices. The elevated prices many buyers had to bear during the pandemic, sometimes 10x their normal pricing, has changed the industry. Entirely depending on product from other countries also revealed flaws, as planes and ships were grounded in their home countries, or governments made it more difficult to export critical medical supplies abroad. Prudent management is morphing from a pure focus on cost to cost and resiliency as more and more of the major medical distributors are making supply chain deals that now include U.S. manufacturers.
What do you say to the skeptics who don’t believe U.S.-based manufacturing is viable?
Howard:If the skeptics turn out to be right, which I don’t believe they will be, it will be because federal procurement and hospital reimbursement policy will have failed us and left the country vulnerable to a repeat of the financial and supply chain debacle of the spring of 2020. If regularly low prices come at the expense of sky-high price inflation during our toughest moments and a shortage of critical medical supplies, that shouldn’t be a trade off the American public should accept.
Teddy:We’re proud to be working to supply more American-made masks to the U.S. healthcare system. These products will always require a global supply chain and we will never be able to manufacture all critical PPE at home. But we must rebuild our manufacturing capabilities and begin to do a lot more here at home. Defender Safety and Premier Guard USA are proud to be a part of this movement to keep Americans safe while creating good jobs here at home.
What do you expect demand to be like for medical grade face masks for the remainder of 2021?
Howard:The overall demand for medical-grade masks will largely be dependent on the path Covid-19 takes over the next several months. If Americans continue to get vaccinated as more individuals become eligible while maintaining best practices like social distancing and mask wearing, I’m hopeful that we will come out of this crisis later this year. However there will always be a need for medical masks, just as there was before Covid-19. Healthcare organizations are increasingly opting for “Made in the U.S.” medical-grade face masks because they want the best quality and highest level of protection for their employees.
Teddy:I agree with Howard that if people continue to follow CDC guidelines and get themselves vaccinated, I’m optimistic we’re nearing the end of this pandemic. That of course means we may see a drop in consumer purchases of face masks. From a healthcare standpoint however, medical masks are an essential item. By this summer, I expect we’ll see demand level off at a rate which will stick for the next several years as hospitals rebuild their supply chains and develop strategic stockpiles.
What have been the roadblocks for producing masks in the U.S.?
Teddy:So many companies in every industry consider at one point what it would take to make products in the U.S. The reality is that the established companies that provide critical raw materials like nonwovens and elastics, all make their products overseas so product manufacturing has stayed close to the source of those critical materials. While sourcing raw materials here at home is appealing, it requires relying on much newer companies that don’t have a proven track record of quality and success. I’m committed to continuing to work with these new firms, but it will take some time to fully integrate them into the supply chain. As we work to build those relationships, I am excited to now build our masks in Mississippi and lead the movement to produce more critical medical supplies here at home.
Howard:There are no surprises here. Producing masks overseas is much cheaper than producing them in the U.S. Over time, large purchasing organizations became accustomed to that price point. Trying to get them to pay 20-50 percent more for the same product has been an uphill climb. But many organizations are now implementing guidelines to purchase at least some PPE from U.S. manufacturing operations. With our partnership, we’ll be able to meet that newfound demand, which is good for U.S. workers and adds extra resilience into our national supply chain.
What’s unique about Defender Safety’s medical masks? How do they compare to others in the industry?
Howard:Defender Safety’s Level 2 Procedural Mask meets the latest FDA requirements that were made more stringent in October 2020 in response to too many manufacturers producing inferior products. Companies like Defender Safety who have had to secure 510(k) approval after October 2020 have faced a much higher degree of oversight than companies grandfathered in, which is important for purchasers to consider.
Teddy:In the PPE market, for far too long, producers were simply making products that adhered to guidelines without taking into account the preferences of the end-user. Our mask was developed with insights from real medical workers who must wear these masks for 12-plus hours every shift. We spend more on materials to make the fabric and ear loops so that they’re comfortable, so users aren’t itching to take the masks off (or literally itching) as soon as they put on the equipment.
Do you believe the pandemic has forever changed the manufacturing supply chain in the U.S. when it comes to critical medical supplies?
Teddy:During the pandemic, hospital procurement officers have tried to balance higher prices coming from most suppliers by cutting out distributors. However, it’s not sustainable over the long term that health system staff will be able to manage all the challenges and expertise required to oversee purchasing of 25-plus distinct product categories. Distributors will always play an important role in the PPE ecosystem.
Howard:Absolutely, the pandemic has changed how this business operates. Before health systems and governments depended on “just in time” supply and low prices. The elevated prices many buyers had to bear during the pandemic, sometimes 10x their normal pricing, has changed the industry. Entirely depending on product from other countries also revealed flaws, as planes and ships were grounded in their home countries, or governments made it more difficult to export critical medical supplies abroad. Prudent management is morphing from a pure focus on cost to cost and resiliency as more and more of the major medical distributors are making supply chain deals that now include U.S. manufacturers.
What do you say to the skeptics who don’t believe U.S.-based manufacturing is viable?
Howard:If the skeptics turn out to be right, which I don’t believe they will be, it will be because federal procurement and hospital reimbursement policy will have failed us and left the country vulnerable to a repeat of the financial and supply chain debacle of the spring of 2020. If regularly low prices come at the expense of sky-high price inflation during our toughest moments and a shortage of critical medical supplies, that shouldn’t be a trade off the American public should accept.
Teddy:We’re proud to be working to supply more American-made masks to the U.S. healthcare system. These products will always require a global supply chain and we will never be able to manufacture all critical PPE at home. But we must rebuild our manufacturing capabilities and begin to do a lot more here at home. Defender Safety and Premier Guard USA are proud to be a part of this movement to keep Americans safe while creating good jobs here at home.
