(WBAP/KLIF) — For 13 years a North Texas company has sounded the alarm of a possible PPE shortage. Prestige Ameritech’s Michael Bowen warned capital hill about a possible shortage of N-95 masks. Bowen says it’s a national security risk when China and Mexico control 90% of the U.S. surgical mask supply.
The nation’s largest N-95 mask maker appeared before a Senate committee, Thursday. Michael Bowen of Prestige Ameritech was asked why four mask-making machines at his North Richland hills plant capable of producing 7-million masks a week are idle.
Bowen said the expense to bring the machines into operation was too great a risk for the company when demand would evaporate once the pandemic was over. He also countered that the company has boosted production from 75-thousand masks to 4-million come June.
The Senate committee was gathering information on the reason for the u.s. shortage of key medical supplies. Bowen also reminded the committee that the North Richland Hills company’s production is up more than 5,000%. Prestige Ameritech is the largest surgical mask maker in the United States.
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