The American Medical Manufacturers Association mobilizes its network of domestic manufacturers to crank out supplies for first responders.
In response to the devastating wildfires that swept across Southern California earlier this month, the American Medical Manufacturers Association (AMMA) mobilized its network of domestic personal protective equipment (PPE) manufacturers to provide critical support to impacted families, first responders and healthcare workers.
Formed in early 2023 with a goal of having a continuous stockpile of American-made PPE, AMMA is a consortium of approximately 20 American manufacturers who understand the United States can never again get caught without critical PPE, like it was during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the immediate aftermath of the fires, the Alliance for American Manufacturing spoke with Eric Axel, the executive director of the Washington, D.C.-based support group, about AMMA’s goals and challenges.
Question: Why did you feel there was a need to continue domestic PPE production beyond COVID?
Answer: As these fires spread, AMMA is working to ensure access to high-quality personal-protective equipment (PPE), notably N95 respirators that are NIOSH-certified and domestically produced. Our members make respiratory products, nitrile gloves and medical supplies that provide top-level protection. They are made in America and are ready to deliver.
Q: So, you’re advocating that the American manufacturing community rally to support our own citizens, so we do not get caught short-handed again?
A: Our mission extends beyond manufacturing; it’s about safeguarding our communities when they need us most. We’ll continue to work tirelessly to connect communities with the equipment to stay safe.
Q: Why is it so important to have American-made PPE on hand for immediate distribution when needed?
A: When lives are at stake, quality matters. U.S.-made N95 respirators produced by our members are rigorously tested and certified to provide maximum protection. Families, workers and responders deserve the best safeguards available. These wildfires are much different than the spreading of a virus; chemicals and other toxic materials are in the air of these fires and could be quite dangerous.
Q: What is the immediate goal of AMMA members?
A: This is not a push for anything more than for people to know that there is a whole host of domestic manufacturers of PPE and medical supplies that can be really helpful in this time of need. But I can talk about the big picture of all of this: Our main thrust out is that we should have a resilient supply chain. We would love it to be 100% domestic, but we understand that’s not always practical. We’re not going to replace the entire supply chain. But, at the same time, we definitely need a robust, reliable, sustainable and domestic PPE medical product supply chain, and our manufacturers are stepping up.
Q: So the idea is to have supplies and a ready-to-go manufacturing system so we don’t depend on last-minute production during a crisis or time of need?
A: I think there is something to be said for that. We shouldn’t be relying on emergencies to make us wake up all the time. We want to have a robust, sustainable industry that’s selling product and making product all the time for the full spectrum of PPE and medical supplies. We can’t forecast every crisis, and we can’t forecast every issue. Nobody would have guessed [this would happen], and we feel terribly for the people suffering in California in these terrible fires. It’s hard to know when this is going to happen or on what scale it will happen, so we just need to be ready from the start.
Q: How big is the AMMA team?
A: We’re just about 20 companies. We started out with a handful of founder companies about two and a half years ago in this particular medical manufacturing association. We’ve grown steadily and added big companies like 3M and BD. We also have smaller startups.
Q: What is the ongoing role of AMMA?
A: Our job is to help these companies, whether it’s through government procurement purchasing, private sector engagement, telling a story; or customs and trade enforcement, whether it is through tariffs and (addressing) transshipment. There is plenty out there for domestic manufacturing to thrive and survive and grow.
Q: What services are AMMA members offering communities today?
A: AMMA is encouraging leaders of local governments, healthcare systems and community organizations to contact Eric Axel at [email protected] for assistance in identifying and securing PPE, including domestically made certified N95 masks, gloves and other critical supplies.