Five things to know:
1. Medline reopened a facility in Waukegan, Ill., March 27 to make it happen. The location, which uses ethylene oxide to sterilize N95 masks and isolation gowns, was recently outfitted with a $10 million emissions control system.
2. With a fleet of 1,000 trucks, Medline is prioritizing shipments to areas hit hard by COVID-19. The supplier is also limiting customers to a fixed percentage of their typical orders.
3. Staff members are asked to accelerate delivery of essential supplies including masks, gloves and hand sanitizer.
4. Hourly workers received raises and paid time off for personal issues. All workers have their temperature taken before they clock in.
5. Medline spokesperson Jesse Greenberg told the Sun-Times that Medline has yet to get a full picture of how intensified production will affect its bottom line.
“We’re so much in a crisis response mode that we’re not focused on the financials,” he said. “We know our margins are slimmer and our expenses are higher as we work to get product directly to customers.”
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