Processing Your Payment

Please do not leave this page until complete. This can take a few moments.

April 30, 2020

East Hartford building supplier kickstarts PPE sales amid construction industry slowdowns

By Joe Cooper

Coronavirus disruptions have slowed millions of construction sites across the U.S., making it difficult for material distributors in the industry to stay busy.

That’s why East Hartford building materials supplier AORBIS Inc. recently retooled its procurement supply chain to accommodate sales of KN95 medical and 3-ply face masks, face shields, gloves, goggles, coveralls and other personal protective equipment (PPE). 

“During this time, a lot of our projects slowed down,” President Chirag Thaker said Thursday. “We had many buyers, so we decided to bring masks and PPE materials to the U.S. so we can actually help the COVID-19 situation.”

AORBIS, which has nearly 30 workers at its Main Street facility, started distributing the PPE just days after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) changed course and allowed KN95 respirators made in China to be used in certain healthcare settings. The FDA’s decision came on the heels of continued mask shortages nationwide.

Since April 10, AORBIS has been distributing PPE assembled in China to many of its existing customers who typically buy its imported materials at hotel and apartment buildings, Thaker said. AORBIS is also distributing bulk quantities of the equipment, meant to limit the spread of COVID-19, to hospitals, universities and other individual consumers in 38 states. 

AORBIS stockpiles and distributes PPE out of its two-building, 11,200 square-foot warehouse and procurement facilities at 1111 Main St.

Photo | AORBIS Inc.
AORBIS is based at 1111 Main St. in East Hartford.

Thaker said the size of face mask orders vary greatly depending on the client. 

For example, UConn recently ordered 500 3-ply masks, while another unnamed university in Florida purchased 100,000 masks. Others have ordered 2,000, 5,000 or 10,000 face masks at once.

AORBIS declined to disclose how much revenue it has earned from PPE sales. According to the company's website, it's selling a 1,000-piece mask set for about $3,149. Other prices range from $765 for 200 face shields to $1,680 for 50 coverall suits.

AORBIS will continue distributing PPE across the country for the next month or two, or as long as there’s high demand for bulk orders, Thaker said.

“The whole purpose of doing this was trying to figure out how we can help the community,” he said. “Hopefully in the next month or so we can go back to business supplying construction materials.”

Nationally, many states, including Connecticut, have ordered all essential workers wear face masks to curb the coronavirus outbreak. Grocery stores and airlines are also ordering workers, customers and passengers to wear masks.

Across the globe, N95 masks -- considered the gold standard of respirator masks -- are in short supply. The masks, which filter out at least 95% of small particles from the air, are a crucial piece of equipment for doctors and nurses treating the tens of thousands of coronavirus-infected patients in the U.S.

A CNN report contributed to this story

Sign up for Enews

Most Recent

Most Recent

0 Comments

Order a PDF