Swainsboro, Ga – A coalition of nine high-profile American textile manufacturers have joined forces across the country to produce supplies for COVID-19 response efforts. America Knits, Eastman Machine customer, is a member of this powerful alliance and has been contracted by the U.S. government to produce 1.5 million silver- and copper-infused cloth face coverings as well as isolation gowns.

To meet the demand, America Knits quickly hired employees to work a night shift; enabling 20-hour days to manufacture supplies for the White House Coronavirus Task Force. In just a few short days, America Knits employees have become American heroes.

The past five months have been a very exciting and busy time for America Knits. The American cut-and-sew factory held its grand opening in November of 2019, after investing in an Eastman Talon 75x™, system. This launch restored apparel manufacturing in Swainsboro, Georgia for the first time in more than 20 years.

The Eastman Talon 75x™ is engineered to automatically pull stacked material piles from the spreading table to a modular, bristle-block conveyor bed for reciprocating knife cutting patterns. The Talon offers an industrial-strength solution for cutting up to 7.5cm (3 inches) of compressed material goods, allowing America Knits to fabricate thousands of cloth face coverings and gowns a day.

“I am thankful for our employees and customers who continue to do their part to help America beat this virus,” says Robert Stevenson, Eastman Machine President and CEO. “We all should be proud of our role in this battle.” Eastman Machine Company has been manufacturing American made cutting solutions for more than 130 years is honored to be assisting America Knits, and other customers like them, who have retooled to assist in the COVID-19 crisis.

The Eastman Talon 75x™, along with hundreds of other cutting solutions, is proudly designed and manufactured at Eastman Machine Company’s headquarters in Buffalo, New York. Complimentary test cut evaluations to capture the machine’s speed and recommended configuration are available by contacting the Eastman headquarters at +1-716-856-2200.