It wasn’t a long road, but it was a busy one, packed with help from innovative engineers, business investors, Franklin town officials, Massachusetts officials and the Mass ERT (https://masstech.org/manufacturing-emergency-response-team-funding-program), input from local hospitals and milestones to surpass at the federal and state levels, but Contollo Mass Manufacturing began its mission on May 15th  at its Fisher Street location to produce PPE first on the Massachusetts, then on the federal level.

This wouldn’t have happened if Massachusetts didn’t have such a great network for business,” said Peter Berzin, of Contollo. “We stand here because everyone took part in this.” The factory will produce 100,000 surgical gowns, approved for safety at the highest level (4), per week, first in Massachusetts, and then to other states.

The David Scott Company, also in Franklin, will handle distribution

Attending the socially-distanced event were members of Contollo, Franklin’s Tom Mercer and Robert Dellorco, Rep. Jeff Roy, and Senator Karen Spilka, among other stakeholders, who donned the gowns for the event.

Here are some photos from the event:

 

Spilka speaks.jpg

After opening remarks from Franklin’s Tom Mercer and Rep. Jeff Roy, Sen. Karen Spilka speaks to the group gathered to celebrate the successful manufacture of PPE, in the form of surgical gowns federally approved at the highest level, in Franklin.

 

Cutter 2.jpg

Cutter 2

 

Workers feed.jpg

Workers feed the material, obtained from the Cooley Group, of Pawtucket, RI, into the cutter.

 

Workers wiat.jpg

Other workers are positioned on the other