Senator Collins Announces $51.2 Million for Puritan Medical Products to Retrofit New Facility, Boost Production of COVID-19 Test Swabs, and Hire Additional Employees

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Susan Collins announced today that Puritan Medical Products, a medical supplies manufacturer based in Guilford, has been awarded $51.2 million to expand its COVID-19 flock tip testing swab production.  This award was funded through the CARES Act and will be used to significantly increase production of flock tip swabs to 50 million per month.  This builds on a $75.5 million contract awarded to Puritan in April, which was used to double production of foam swabs to 40 million per month.  Together, these contracts bring Puritan’s total production of flock tip swabs and foam swabs to at least 90 million per month as well as allow the company to hire additional employees.

“This substantial investment at Puritan is going to make a real difference in the lives of people in Maine and throughout the country.  Increasing the production of COVID-19 swabs to at least 90 million per month will provide a tremendous boost to testing efforts, helping to reduce the spread of the virus and allowing us to safely reopen communities,” said Senator Collins.  “I commend Puritan’s hardworking employees, and I am proud that this manufacturing that is so critical to the health of our nation is happening right here in our great state.”

The CARES Act, which Senator Collins voted for, included $1 billion for the Defense Production Act in order to increase domestic production capacity for materials necessary to combat COVID-19 as well as more than $140 billion for the Department of Health and Human Services to combat COVID-19.  This new award was funded from appropriations provided to HHS by the CARES Act.  

As a senior member of the Appropriations Committee, Senator Collins worked to secure a $75.5 million investment for Puritan using Defense Production Act funds in April, which increased Puritan’s production of testing swabs, created 150 new jobs, and helped to build a modern manufacturing facility in Pittsfield.  Bath Iron Works supplied 30 of the 40 machines needed to make the new swabs.  Senator Collins also visited and toured Puritan’s existing manufacturing facility in Guilford to thank the employees for all of their hard work producing testing supplies that are vital to help reduce the spread of COVID-19 and safely re-open the economy. 

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