Friday, the Government of Saskatchewan welcomed Benchmark PPE to the province, a new business which has opened a Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) manufacturing facility in Saskatoon to make surgical/procedure masks.
“This new investment in Saskatchewan means new manufacturing jobs right here at home,” Trade and Export Development Minister Jeremy Harrison said. “This facility will manufacture essential PPE products that will help protect workers throughout our economy, and protect citizens as we continue to Re-Open Saskatchewan.”
Businesses resuming operations as part of the Re-Open Saskatchewan plan may be required to use PPE in order to protect themselves and their clients and customers, and help prevent the spread of COVID-19. Occupations that require workers to come into close contact (less than two metres) with people known or suspected of having COVID-19 need to take extra precautions, including wearing PPE.
“Saskatchewan is a great place to invest and do business, so we are thrilled to be here opening up our new facility,” Benchmark PPE Director of Operations and Co-Owner Olga Bugrova said. “These essential surgical/procedure masks being made in Saskatoon are available today at www.benchmarkppe.ca, and we have exciting plans to manufacture N95 respirators in the next few weeks as well.”
A Canadian company serving the industrial, mining, and construction industries as a manufacturer of specialty engineered products, Benchmark PPE is now producing three-ply medical-grade surgical/procedure masks, which are available to Saskatchewan businesses, individuals, and for export sales outside the province.
These Made in Canada masks were given American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM International) certification earlier this month. The Saskatchewan Research Council assisted in providing product quality assurance in an initial testing phase. The business is currently recruiting about thirty new employees to help produce up to five million masks per month.
“Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, across Canada and around the world, we have seen several examples of critical medical supply chains for things like PPE being disrupted,” Harrison said. “Building the capacity of our essential manufacturing infrastructure to produce more key supplies at home is good news for our economy and our health care system.”
For more information on accessing PPE in Saskatchewan, businesses can visit www.saskatchewan.ca/covid19-businesses.
For more information on Benchmark PPE, please visit www.benchmarkppe.ca.
