Mohawk Industries and Fabric Sources International (FSI) are combining resources to address urgent medical supply needs at Hamilton Medical Center in Dalton, Ga. and Emory Healthcare in Atlanta during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Using fabric provided by FSI, Mohawk Home’s Dalton-based rug manufacturing facility is providing industrial sewing equipment for their skilled employees to produce vitally needed medical protective gear for doctors, nurses and other care providers.

Healthcare providers wear these gowns in non-surgical settings to prevent their clothing from being contaminated by patient body fluids. The gowns are worn when a patient’s symptoms are consistent with COVID-19 or other infectious diseases and contact precautions must be taken.

The Mohawk Home team quickly developed a process for cutting the fabric pattern and sewing together the gown components.

The sewing team adapted quickly to the new product and material. Production has now expanded over the past two weeks from a handful of gowns to 1,200 per day, with plans to continue speeding up the process.

About 1,000 of these medical gowns are being donated to Hamilton Medical Center, and the groups have also begun supplying gowns to Emory’s hospital system.

The group has also begun the process of creating plastic face shields, another item needed by healthcare providers for protection when they treat patients. The face shield design has been approved by the hospitals, and the group is refining its manufacturing process to determine its capacity.

Mohawk has a history of providing support in times of need. During World War II, the company converted woven carpet looms to produce more than 5 million blankets for use by U.S. soldiers on the European and Pacific fronts. Mohawk also manufactured millions of square yards of cotton canvas cloth that the military used for tents, sandbags, tarpaulins, duffle bags and more. 

Along with manufacturing surgical gowns and plastic face shields, the Mohawk team is also working to identify sources for certified, protective face masks for AdventHealth to help ensure that the providers in their Calhoun and Chatsworth, Ga. hospitals have the protective gear they need to keep themselves and others safe. Mohawk is offering their logistical and supply chain resources and expertise to help with the sourcing of these items.

Floor Trends interviewed Mohawk about this story which will be released soon, stay tuned.

To learn more about Mohawk Industries, visit mohawkind.com.