https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/coquitlam-factory-medical-surgical-mask-n95-production-1.5525206
Jason Zanatta, President and CEO of Novo Textiles in Coquitlam, British Colombia, has converted his dog bed factory to making medical masks in the fight against the COVID pandemic.
Zanatta quoted to the Vancouver Sun on April 8th, 2020 that “The first machine was air-freighted to Vancouver — a near miracle, its delivery eased through international channels with help from “various levels of government,”
Novo Textiles will be the first Canadian Manufacturers of the N95 masks. N95 medical grade masks protect against airborne and droplet precautions.
Zanatta’s company is certified by Health Canada with a Class One Medical Device License. He has requests from Hospitals under the Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA) and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) already to fulfill orders for 530,000 masks. He will get the equipment for N95 masks by the end of April 2020, and then will be producing the basic medical grade masks, N95 medical grade masks and hospital grade pillows.
“Fast-thinking and a versatile business plan has created more business when Novo Textiles were threatened with closures like many other business. “Vancouver Sun, April 8th, 2020.
It’s been a wild three weeks since Zanatta looked out over the floor of his 20,000-sq.-ft. Coquitlam factory, agonizing about how to save his business. Dog beds and pillows were not what people were shopping for during a pandemic. When COVID-19 isolation mandates were announced, orders dried up quickly…Three weeks ago, I was walking the factory floor, and with the majority of my clients announcing closures, I was thinking about how I was going to keep everyone employed. And these people have been with me for so long, I knew that they had families and it was important to keep the family business running.” –Vancouver Sun, April 8th, 2020.