Textile mill leading push to make millions of face masks per week

GASTONIA, NC (The Charlotte Observer) — A North Carolina textile company is organizing a national effort to produce up to 10 million face masks per week for healthcare workers as they treat coronavirus patients.

The Charlotte Observer reports that Gastonia-based Parkdale Mills Inc. is working with companies such as Hanesbrand, Fruit of the Loom and others to build a manufacturing supply chain for the masks.

Parkdale is one of the country’s largest yarn spinners.

The National Council of Textile Organizations said in a news release that the companies are often competitors in the marketplace, but are banding together “for the greater good of a nation facing one of its most monumental challenges.”