Hockey equipment manufacturer Bauer has shifted from making visors for helmets to medical visors for those fighting the coronavirus pandemic.
When hockey came to a halt amid the global pandemic, Bauer faced the possibility of closing its manufacturing plant in Blainville, Quebec, but engineers there instead brainstormed the idea of producing medical shields to help protect people on the front lines of the fight against COVID-19.
They came up with a prototype, and Bauer vice president of global marketing Mary-Kay Messier said there were already 100,000 devices ready for distribution. They’re expected to first go to doctors and nurses in Canada, then the U.S.
The medical shields are being produced in Quebec and a facility in Liverpool, New York, that primarily makes Bauer’s lacrosse equipment. The company, which is headquartered in Exeter, New Hampshire, said its Liverpool facility made 1,300 face shields Thursday with a goal of producing 2,000 more Friday and 4,000 daily next week.