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Area Development - Site Selection, Facility Planning and Workforce Development

Honeywell Expands Manufacturing at Smithfield, Rhode Island, Plant

03/31/2020
To address the growing demand of N95 masks during the outbreak of the coronavirus disease, COVID-19, Honeywell is ramping up production and making millions of the N95 masks in the United States. The company is expanding manufacturing operations at its factory in Smithfield, Rhode Island, which also produces UVEX safety glasses, and in Phoenix, Arizona.

Honeywell expects the new mask production line in Smithfield will create at least 500 jobs. Recruiting, hiring and training manufacturing workers will begin immediately.

Honeywell also announced it is adding manufacturing capabilities in Phoenix to produce N95 face masks in support of the U.S. government's response to the novel coronavirus.

“We are honored to support the U.S. government’s efforts to protect Americans with personal protective equipment made right here in the United States,” said Darius Adamczyk, Honeywell chairman and CEO. “Our Rhode Island facility already produces industry-leading safety gear and soon will play a critical role in supplying the Strategic National Stockpile with N95 masks.”

The company's Phoenix expansion, coupled with new production in Rhode Island, will allow Honeywell to produce more than 20 million N95 disposable masks monthly to combat COVID-19 in the U.S. New manufacturing equipment to support the effort will arrive in Phoenix beginning this week, officials said.

"We at Honeywell are proud of our role in providing essential equipment to the first responders and medical professionals we are relying on during this crisis," said Adamczyk. "We have moved quickly to expand our production capacity for N95 masks globally and are pleased to announce our second new U.S. manufacturing line to supply the Strategic National Stockpile."

Honeywell anticipates that the new mask production line in Phoenix will create more than 500 new jobs in Arizona. The company has already begun recruiting, hiring and training manufacturing workers on the site. Today's announcement brings the total number of U.S. jobs created by Honeywell's new mask manufacturing capabilities to more than 1,000.

Honeywell's Phoenix Engines campus is one of the company's largest, and since 1950 has been dedicated to the design and manufacture of propulsion engines and auxiliary power units for a variety of commercial and military aircraft. The facility will continue its aircraft technology manufacturing operations alongside the new protective gear production.

According to company officials, the N95 face masks will be delivered to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for use to support health, safety and emergency response workers. The company said it also increased production of the masks around the world, as part of our efforts to respond to the coronavirus.

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