3 Mohawk Valley firms start producing COVID-19-related equipment to support in-state needs

Three Mohawk Valley manufacturers are among 12 New York companies that have recently received support from New York State to help combat the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Here are the three Mohawk Valley companies and how much they received in grants, according to New York State government:

Environmental Composites, Inc. (ECI), Utica: $772,259 

ECI is a custom manufacturer of advanced textile materials and filtration products. The company, located at 2200 Bleecker St. in Utica, will manufacture N95 respirators. ECI, seeking to increase New York state-manufactured personal protective equipment (PPE) supplies, identified a supply-chain bottleneck, and developed an alternative manufacturing solution to quickly increase the domestic production of N95 respirators in the state. ECI says it will invest nearly $3.25 million in the production of N95 respirators with a target production rate of over 6 million units per month. The effort is expected to create an estimated 50 jobs. ECI is working with local distributors and the state government for allocation. N95 respirators will not be available for direct purchase by the general public. 

Genesis Disposables, LLC, Frankfort: $135,000 

Genesis Disposables has manufactured disposable garments and accessories for a diverse customer base for more than 30 years at its facility located in Frankfort in Herkimer County. The company carries a wide range of raw materials that can be rapidly converted into finished goods, enabling fast turnaround time. The initial company goal was to produce disposable hospital garments and has been expanded to include products for maintenance and industrial use as well as products designed to fit specific specialty needs within the disposable market. Genesis Disposables will invest $390,000 to produce 65,000 level 1 & level 2 isolation gowns and will create 20 jobs. New York Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul and Congressman Anthony Brindisi toured the Genesis Disposables facility in mid-July.

HPK Industries, Utica: $1 million 

HPK has an established reputation for manufacturing high quality, technologically advanced disposable garments and accessories, the state says. It designs and manufactures protective garments for health care, pharmaceutical, scientific, cleanroom, and industrial safety. HPK Industries, located at 1208 Broad St. in Utica, is a currently a New York State supplier of PPE and it will produce 3-ply surgical masks, level-3 barrier-type gowns, and level-2 gowns. The company will invest nearly $6.7 million, produce 1 million units, and create 30 jobs, expanding production to keep the state’s supply levels high. 

New York State says the grant funds disbursed to the winning companies will help alleviate product shortages due to supply chain issues that could lead to unfair pricing practices. The recipient companies will also increase the state’s manufacturing capacity while creating new jobs and market opportunities. To date, more than $11 million in grants have been awarded to 20 qualifying New York state–based companies to retool their business lines and pivot to manufacturing vital supplies for ongoing response and recovery efforts. 

 In March, Gov. Andrew Cuomo asked companies with New York–based operations to retool production lines in order to manufacture approved COVID-19 critical supplies, such as ventilators, test kits, and PPE, including N95 respirators, surgical masks, disposable surgical gloves, gowns, face shields, and biohazard bags. More recently, the governor announced Empire State Development had identified 20 companies for state investment to manufacture supplies to address COVID-19, eight of which were previously awarded $4 million to help make the products in New York state. The 12 latest companies to win awards include the three Mohawk Valley firms, four in Western New York, three companies in New York City, one on Long Island, and one in the Southern Tier.