Pentagon Picks 3M, Honeywell, Owens & Minor to Make N95 Masks

3M Co., Honeywell International Inc. and a unit of Owens & Minor Inc. have received Pentagon contracts to make 39 million N95 face masks for medical workers under the Defense Production Act.

The military’s first use of the Defense Production Act in the coronavirus crisis was announced April 11 -- $133 million in contracts for the masks. In a briefing Monday, Ellen Lord, the Pentagon’s top weapons buyer, identified the three companies and said they would be producing a total of 13 million masks a month for three months.

“This will help ensure our government has the industrial capacity to meet the nation’s needs,” Lord said. “The objective is to eliminate reliance on the foreign supply chain.”

Earlier: Pentagon Bankrolls N95 Mask Production With Production Act Funds

Under the contracts 3M will receive $76 million; Halyard, the Owens & Minor unit, will get $29 million; and Honeywell will receive $27.4 million.

With the medical-grade masks seen as critical resources in short supply because of the pandemic, the Pentagon has already contributed 10 million of the face coverings from its own stockpiles.

--With assistance from Travis Tritten and Glen Carey.

To contact the reporter on this story:
Roxana Tiron in Washington at rtiron@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story:
Bill Faries at wfaries@bloomberg.net;
Paul Hendrie at phendrie2@bloomberg.net

Larry Liebert

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