ESTILL COUNTY, Ky. (LEX 18) — Carhartt, a workwear manufacturing company with several facilities in Kentucky, is making protective gear for frontline workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Those pleas were out of desperation. Folks really needed protective gear,” Senior Vice President of Supply Chain William Hardy said.
Employees are hard at work making protective gowns and masks. It started about a month ago, when a textile company asked about gowns. The interest grew and more companies from across the country reached out.
“Most notably, here locally, we received a call from the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce on behalf of the governor’s office of Kentucky," Hardy said. "We also spoke with the Kentucky Department of Emergency Management."
The goal is to produce and distribute 50,000 splash-resistant gowns and 2.5 million masks by the end of May, but they’ll make more if needed.
“Those numbers are a fluid target right now,” said Hardy. “We’re trying to continue to assess our production capacity to understand how many we can make.”
If you’re in need of these supplies or are interested in helping out, you can learn more by visiting www.carhartt.com.
