By Oregon Small Business Association

The global spike in coronavirus cases is paying off for a manufacturing company in Gresham, which has switched from creating recycled containers to making N96 masks and face shields.

D6 Inc. in East Multnomah County shifted its business focus to fulfill the need for personal protective equipment needed by frontline workers in the battle against COVID-19.

Both of Oregon’s senators—Democrats Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden—spoke in late October at the grand opening of the new medical production plant. The senators helped the company navigate the Food and Drug Administration’s bureaucratic paperwork to transition the company’s focus.

D6 is one of only five manufacturers of N95 masks in the United States. Since the pandemic began, much of the PPE used in the United States has been imported from foreign countries.

The company previously cleaned discarded clamshells, water bottles, and other recycled materials to create new moldable products, such as food packaging and 3D models.