NEW YORK CITY — June 11, 2020 — With help from Gerber Technology, FPS Apparel was able to quickly transition from producing promotional apparel to producing personal protective equipment (PPE) in just a week. FPS Apparel’s current production allows the company to produce and donate 10,000 masks per week to various healthcare facilities and first responders.
As COVID-19 began to spread to New York City in early March, FPS Apparel knew it had to do its part to protect the health and safety of those fighting the pandemic on the frontlines.
“It’s a priority for all of us at Gerber to ensure our customers have everything they need to successfully transition to PPE,” said Pete Doscas, vice president and general manager, Americas Sales & Service Delivery of Gerber Technology. “With FPS Apparel being in the middle of an epicenter, we knew we had to help them, not only in regards to cutting equipment but through training and by connecting them with our other customers, which allowed them to get up and running as fast as possible so they could do their part to help stop the spread of COVID-19.”
In order for FPS Apparel to produce a large quantity of effective masks, they needed cutting equipment that would allow for fast, reliable and efficient quality cutting. Gerber was able to deliver and install a Gerber Paragon® multi-ply cutter and AccuMark® fashion design software in just a matter of days, allowing FPS Apparel to dramatically increase production. The cutter was able to seamlessly integrate with FPS’ microfactory setting ensuring little disruption to their workflow. Gerber also provided FPS Apparel with production-ready patterns and expertise on PPE production.
“It was truly a team effort with Gerber,” said Dan Feinberg of FPS Apparel. “They delivered and installed the machine in less than a week while providing the support and training we needed to start production right away. They’ve also connected with several of their customers to find capacity for sewing and procurement.”
By converting their production, FPS has not only saved thousands of lives but they’ve also helped save jobs. Rather than temporarily shutting down their production completely when COVID-19 reached New York City, they chose to keep their employees working by giving them the opportunity to use their skills to help keep those on the frontlines safe and healthy.
Posted June 11, 2020
Source: Gerber Technology
