The Fallon Company and Shawmut Corporation announced the creation of a new domestic manufacturing operation to produce N95 respirators. State of the art manufacturing equipment installed in an expanded facility based in West Bridgewater, MA, will enable end-to-end production of up to 180 million masks per year. Additionally, the operation is expected to create as many as 300 new jobs in Massachusetts.

The new effort will also be supported with a $2.7 million grant from the Commonwealth’s Manufacturing Emergency Response Team (MERT), a state-led initiative that has facilitated the production of more than 11 million pieces of personal protective equipment (PPE) and other critical items by manufacturers that pivoted operations to address Covid-19 at the onset of the public health crisis. Announced on Oct. 15, this is one of 13 grants totaling $6.5 million being distributed to multiple organizations during October, or “Manufacturing Month,” to support the production of PPE in Massachusetts.

“The MERT program continues to identify and support successful ‘Made in Massachusetts’ manufacturers like the Fallon Company and Shawmut Corporation, that will produce N95 masks and other PPE equipment locally, for Massachusetts front-line responders, business owners, and residents,” says Governor Charlie Baker. “We are pleased to welcome the expansion of this manufacturing facility in Massachusetts and appreciate the role these companies are playing in the Commonwealth’s fight against Covid-19.”

The operation brings together two well-established, successful family businesses to serve as one of only a handful of high-quality mask manufacturers in the U.S. The West Bridgewater facility will extend existing Shawmut manufacturing capabilities, which include medical gowns, to add polypropylene meltblown extrusion and mask conversion capabilities to create respirators, shoring up the U.S. healthcare supply chain with domestic production. The 60 tons of machinery was fast-tracked from Reifenhauser REICOFIL GmbH & Co of Germany on an expedited timeline and, last week, landed in the Port of Boston.

In addition to a financial investment by Joseph Fallon, CEO of the Fallon Company, the effort will be supported by president Michael Fallon and the company’s development, legal, and construction teams. Funds will support infrastructure upgrades, utility improvements, and capital investment to Shawmut Corporation’s manufacturing facility in West Bridgewater. Widely recognized as the leader in meltblown polypropylene production equipment, the Reifenhauser production line will enable the conversion of nonwoven materials into N95 respirators in Massachusetts.

“With all that’s at stake right now, we must shore up domestic manufacturing of lifesaving personal protective equipment for the people whose lives are at risk,” says Joe Fallon, the initial investor in the new facilities. “So this isn’t just about making masks here in the U.S., it’s about ensuring we have the equipment needed to keep our frontline workers safe and in a position to take care of people over the long term.” 

In addition to having full control of the manufacturing process to ensure ongoing quality and safety and eliminate potential price gouging, domestic production will allow first responders and medical personnel to conduct fit testing in the factory, as well as allow for rapid prototyping and testing of future PPE products.

Shawmut, which has decades of experience in the healthcare sector, is currently producing isolation gowns and surgical barrier fabrics, and will now be producing high-quality FDA- and NIOSH-approved N95 masks made of meltblown nano fiber material. The company plans to start with an initial run rate of 5 million masks per month, gradually building up to producing 15 million masks per month.

“These health risks are not going away. We need to plan ahead to ensure our state and country never run out of N95 masks again,” says Shawmut CEO James Wyner. “Shawmut is proud to be partnered with Joe and others at the Fallon Company to bring this advanced PPE manufacturing investment to Massachusetts.”

“We have a 104-year history of manufacturing in the state,” adds Shawmut’s 95-year-old chairman Justin Wyner. “We are honored to have been chosen for this important grant from MERT, and grateful for the opportunity to bring these vital manufacturing capabilities home to the Commonwealth.”

A fourth-generation, family-run company with locations across the country and around the world, specializing in high performance materials for automotive and medical applications, Shawmut has been working with Massachusetts MERT and federal officials, including members of FEMA, to support the production of as many as 4M isolation gowns per month.

The Fallon Company is rooted in family values, sustaining strong partnerships and helping others, which is fundamental to the Fallon Company’s identity. With a long history of “quiet generosity,” the family has received notable recognition for helping those in need, including military families and single parents, along with children’s healthcare and youth enrichment organizations, among others.