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New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that Aero Healthcare in Rockland County will be awarded $800,000 in state support to produce supplies to combat the pandemic by increasing and accelerating the supply chain of PPE for the state at a reasonable cost.
Other companies tasked with creating supplies are Atelier and Borden Manufacturing in New York City, ARX Sciences in Western New York, and Genesis Disposables LLC in the Mohawk Valley.
“New York State is home to many of the world's most innovative companies. ESD's support for these businesses not only answers Governor Cuomo's call for New York industries to assist with efforts to fight the coronavirus,” Empire State Development Acting Commissioner and President and CEO-designate Eric Gertler said.
“(This) also reflects the investment that is being made to strengthen the state's manufacturing sector to adapt quickly to new market opportunities and continue its record of smart growth as we build back better.”
According to Cuomo, Aero Healthcare will expand its existing facility to bottle hand sanitizer and manufacture the plastic bottles and pumps for its containers. The ramp-up will include the purchase of machinery and equipment and raw materials.
At full production, Aero Healthcare is expected to produce 200,000 units of hand sanitizer per week. The project will include an investment of $2.1 million and 10 new jobs to reach full capacity.
“This is the first phase of a larger plan to bring the batching and mixing of hand sanitizer to the company's Rockland County facility,” officials said.
The announcement comes on the heels of Cuomo criticizing the federal government for being ill-prepared for the pandemic last spring, when state and local governments were forced to scramble to ascertain necessary PPE.
“Our country was ill-prepared for a global pandemic when it arrived early in 2020, and New York State was left to scour the earth in search of personal protective equipment," Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul stated.
"We are proud to support domestic manufacturing of critical medical equipment that will not only save lives and reduce dependency on overseas products, but also retain local jobs and support New York State companies.”
Cuomo has also proposed the Medical Supplies Act to prioritize buying American-made PPE and medical supplies as part of his "2021 Reimagine | Rebuild | Renew agenda” that he announced during the State of the State.
This new policy will help create and retain local jobs while ensuring the health and dependability of the sector moving forward.
“The COVID-19 pandemic exposed serious issues in our nation's medical supply chain, and we were forced to compete overseas and pay exorbitant prices for these life-saving products," Cuomo said.
"We learned the hard lesson that these resources need to be manufactured here in the U.S., and we are taking steps to build the infrastructure we need here in New York to keep us prepared for future crises while helping local companies create new jobs."
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