Piper To Manufacture Medical Face Shields

Piper Aircraft announced on Thursday that it will begin making protective gear to support the Cleveland Clinic Indian River Hospital in Vero Beach, Florida, during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. According to Vero Beach-based Piper, its manufacturing engineering team designed a prototype face shield using off-the-shelf materials. Once the prototype was approved, the team created a manufacturing line at the Piper factory and sourced materials from wholesale suppliers.

“It is a time for action, cooperation and collaboration,” said Piper Chief Operations Officer James Funk. “As a team, we can make a difference for people in need and directly support those fighting the battle on the front lines of this unprecedented crisis … We want healthcare providers, especially, and patients to be safe, therefore it’s vital that we all pull together to help our community, weather this crisis and come out the other side stronger than ever.”

Piper says its current supply of materials and labor give it the ability to produce “thousands of face shields daily.” The company will begin production this week. Piper is also donating more than 1300 3M N95 approved masks to the hospital.