C & A Tool Producing Face Masks in Auburn

Article by Dave Kurtz | KPC News | February 19, 2021

AUBURN — Face masks for protection from the coronavirus are being manufactured on Auburn’s west side.

C&A Tool Engineering Inc. produces the high-quality face masks in its Auburn facility on West 15th Street, using imported materials. The masks are available for sale on Amazon and directly from the company at catool.com/masks.

As the COVID-19 pandemic progressed, “and we were seeing critical shortages of face masks and other protective equipment, we saw the chance to pivot and do something to help keep our employees safe and also help the public,” said Adam Heller, sales manager for C&A Tool.

“We wanted to be able to supply masks assembled in the U.S.,” Heller added. Production of the masks started in December, about six weeks ago, Heller said Friday.

As a leading contract manufacturer of surgical and orthopedic devices, Churubusco-based C&A Tool was able to quickly repurpose its medical-grade facilities and build a brand-new, Class-7 clean room to begin producing disposable masks, a news release said.

C&A Tool’s Japan-based parent company, Minebea Mitsumi, has been manufacturing face masks for its worldwide employees and the general public since the beginning of the pandemic.

“We’re proud to be able help our community by producing protective equipment that’s safe and high-quality, right here in Indiana,” Heller said.

The C&A Tool website describes the masks as designed for single use and disposable, with pleated construction and elastic earlobes. A box of 50 masks sells on Amazon for $24.99. The Amazon website says the “3-ply mask is made with a polypropylene melt blown filter and polypropylene nonwoven fabric outer layers.”

Overall, C&A Tool’s Auburn plant employs about 120 people on three shifts, Heller said. Their primary focus is making surgical implants and surgical instruments.

Since 1969, C&A Tool has been a leader in high-precision contract manufacturing, serving the aerospace, medical and industrial sectors. With three locations, more than 750,000 square feet of manufacturing space, more than 650 employees, and more than $100 million in annual revenue, C&A Tool is a member of the Minebea Mitsumi family of companies, a world leader in precision components manufacturing. More information is online at catool.com.

Article source: https://www.kpcnews.com/thestar/article_54dd23c1-1714-5f0f-b5bd-317736fa0a14.html