Mainebiz

W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 9 M AY 1 8 , 2 0 2 0 BIW teams up with Puritan Medical Products to boost swab production B y M a u r e e n M i l l i k e n P i t t s f i e l d — Bath Iron Works finalized a contract with Puritan Medical Products to deliver 30 indus- trial machines to help meet demand for COVID-19 testing components. Puritan, which is based in Guilford, leased space in a 144,000-square- foot Pittsfield warehouse owned by Cianbro Corp. so the medical prod- ucts maker can double its production of clinical swabs used in COVID-19 testing. Puritan currently makes about 18 million swabs a month, but will boost its output to 40 million with its expan- sion in Pittsfield. Besides space, the increased production requires building industrial machines to provide sterile packaging for each swab. The U.S. Air Force, which is coordi- nating contracts, identified BIW as uniquely capable to perform the work within the necessary time frame, according to a BIW news release. Other work is being done in Massachusetts. "BIW is able to devote engineering, design and production expertise to this important humanitarian project while remaining focused on our critical mission of building ships for the U.S. Navy," said BIW President Dirk Lesko. "We are also leveraging a wide network of supplier relationships to quickly meet this acute need." Made possible by $75.5 million in Defense Production Act money included in the CARES Act, the expansion involves renovating the building Cianbro owns at 129 Main St. in Pittsfield. BIW will manufacture the industrial machines, using Puritan's design, at its machine shop and outfit fabrication facilities in Bath and Brunswick. Because of the quick timeframe, BIW will subcontract with 10 other Maine businesses, either to provide materials or to machine specialized parts. The subcontractors include General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems in Saco, according to BIW. Room to grow Governors across the country have called for an increase in testing for the novel coronavirus, but medical officials have cited a shortage of swabs as one reason tests are not being produced faster. By mid-April, Puritan had about 320 employees on two 10-hour shifts, six days a week, making swabs as fast as possible, CFO Scott Wellman said at the time. The production increase means that once the plant is up and running, Puritan will be making 10 million swabs a month more than what the federal govern- ment requested in mid-April. Puritan expects to hire 100 to 130 people in the coming weeks to work in the Pittsfield plant, which is expected to be operational in about a month. B R I E F P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y G E N E R A L DY N A M I C S B AT H I RO N WO R K S Bath Iron Works Bath Iron Works has has finalized its contract to finalized its contract to make 30 machines that make 30 machines that will help produce will help produce Puritan Puritan Medical Products Medical Products swabs swabs for COVID-19 testing at for COVID-19 testing at the Guilford company's the Guilford company's new space in Pittsfield. new space in Pittsfield. BIW is able to devote engineering, design and production expertise to this important humanitarian project. — Dick Lesko BIW

• Cover