Channel 2 gets exclusive access to the Douglas Co. factory which produces 36 million masks per month – WSB-TV Channel 2

LITHIA SPRINGS, Georgia – Channel 2’s Action News on Wednesday gained exclusive access to North America’s largest privately-owned medical device maker.

Medline’s factory in Lithia Springs produces 36 million face masks per month and just released this year.

The US Department of Defense has asked the company for help.

When you think of the supply chain, most medical masks are produced in Asia. The disturbances pass through the roof.

Chris Jose from Channel 2 learned that Medline masks are made right here in the Atlanta subway and that the plant supplies hospitals across the country.

“Thirty-six million masks per month are produced on the line here,” said Stu Schneider, president of the manufacturing division at the Medline Lithia Springs plant.

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He showed Jose how masks are produced by the automated machines inside the factory.

“When the pandemic really took effect in 2020, we made the decision to invest quickly in mask manufacturing, to ensure we had a resilient supply chain,” said Schneider.

The massive factory is approximately 1 million square feet. It opened in 2011 with only 20 employees. Now there are over 500, including Joseph Tran.

“A typical day, at 6 am, started off with a bang. We work 24/7 here. We make products day in and day out, ”Tran told Jose.

Medline said it was the leader in the US adult diaper market and when the pandemic hit it added two lines of high speed face masks to help supply retailers and hospitals across the country.

It’s a job Tran, a veteran of the Coast Guard, doesn’t take lightly.

“It’s actually pretty cool because my wife works in a hospital and sees our product in the hospital. And every time she sees the Medline logo on it, I can say, “Hey, we made it over there,” Tran said.

The Department of Defense awarded Medline a $ 6 million contract to increase domestic production. This is crucial due to disruptions in the global supply chain.

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