HOLLISTER, CA — ICU Eyewear, in partnership with Contour Optik, has pivoted its production resources to produce personal protective equipment and COVID-19 test kits.
Nationwide demand for personal protective equipment far exceeds supply at the moment, putting healthcare workers and other essential service providers at risk, the company noted in a press release.
“We are working with our partner companies in China to assist them in going through the FDA regulatory process,” said ICU CEO Kirk Hobbs. “This ensures that our products meet U.S standards so they can be imported and placed into the hands of the providers who need them.”
ICU is able to produce and ship the following in mass quantities:
– N95 face masks
– KN95 (Emergency Use Authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the KN95 is underway)
– ASTM Levels 1, 2, and 3 face masks
– Goggles, face shields, gloves and other protective equipment
For example, ICU can manufacture KN95s at a rate of 1 million per day, and ASTM Levels 1 and 2 face masks at a rate of over 5 million per day.
ICU is also North America’s exclusive agent for Mole Bioscience.
“Together we are working to get COVID-19 test kits to market as quickly as possible,” ICU said in the release. “The FDA’s requisite EUA process is underway and once that approval is granted, tests will be available immediately.”
“ICU and Contour are pleased to be donating a total of 100,000 masks and 50,000 face shields to medical organizations in underserved communities throughout the state of California in this time of great need,” added David Chao, CEO of Contour Optik.
California-based ICU Eyewear is an FDA-certified supplier of eyewear focused on the retail channel with customers including Target, Whole Foods and Office Depot.
ICU noted that it is “able to support the emergency demand for these materials in the United States because Contour has specialized knowledge and experience in the production of PPE,” adding that Contour “was drafted by the Chinese government to produce surgical goggles and face shields during the peak of their own COVID-19 crisis.”
According to the release: “As a member of the consortium of companies called upon to produce PPE for the Chinese outbreak, Contour developed connections and relationships throughout the Chinese PPE supply-chain. Contour and ICU have developed supply relationships with key manufacturers for all of the PPE items, and are currently taking purchase orders and delivering.”