BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Indiana has doubled the amount of personal protective equipment (PPE) orders and donations, which now total 6.3 million. Nearly half come from Indiana companies.
PPE like masks, gowns and face shields have been in high demand.
“Our goal is to be the largest face shield provider, plastic provider in the world,” said John Goode, Owner of MSP Aviation.
That’s a goal Goode never thought he’d have for his Bloomington based aviation company. About 80 percent of his business is aerospace, while the other 20 percent is defense. But right now, defense against this invisible enemy is priority number one.
“Our people reached out to the government at the state level to see, ‘Can we help assemble ventilators? Can we help do something?’” Goode said.
Goode heard the state was in desperate need of PPE, so production shifted from aircraft parts to face shields. Thanks to nearly 20 other Hoosier companies doing the same, the state has already distributed over one million pieces of equipment with millions more now on its way.
“Our goal is to do at least 25,000 shields a week,” Goode said. “We have the ability, if we ramp up properly, to do about half a million a week. The demand has been incredible.”
MSP just started production this week with orders going to hospitals, dental offices and even the IU Police Department.
“We’re just getting started,” Goode said. “We want to do what we can for the community and hopefully also keep our people engaged because we have a lot of talented folks.”
With the production, Goode can keep his workers employed while also helping front-line workers. They’re all pitching in for one common goal.
“This has really been fun, it’s been great, and it’s great to give back,” Goode said. “It’’s so good to have hope and to be doing something positive.”
Indiana has now secured 6.3 million PPE orders and donations. Over 500,000 pieces have been donated.
