Santa Barbara electronics company now producing much-needed masks
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - Santa Barbara-based Nomad Goods normally makes accessories for phones, laptops and other devices. But the ongoing coronavirus crisis has changed its business plan.
In just the past week, the company began making surgical masks at its production center in China and distributing them around the world.
The change happened very quickly, the company says, thanks to its staff and its partners in China committing to the plan.
"Typically, maybe a product cycle’s more like you’re working on it for six months," Nomad co-founder Noah Dentzel said. "And we got this to happen in six days."
The move is to help fulfill the enormous global demand for masks and other personal protective equipment (PPE).
Roughly 500 masks were sent to Nomad's Santa Barbara headquarters; those masks will be donated locally.
About 500,000 more are currently on order to be sent to health care providers and others around the world.
"We were thinking, 'Wait, we can actually do something here,'" Dentzel said. "And if we can do something, it’s kind of our responsibility to do something.
"What felt like a very 'out there' kind of idea at first, when we digested it, we realized that the equipment that we use to make our product was able to switch over quite easily."
The company says it is not looking for a commercial edge, but looking to help make a difference during this pandemic.
"The goal, really, is to get as many masks to as many people who need them, as quickly as possible and as inexpensively as possible," Dentzel said. "We’ve already had a lot of good communication going with other companies in our space to let them know how we’re helping out, how they can help out… and I think that what this mission shows is that even smaller, medium-sized companies, if they work quickly to adapt themselves, they can be part of this and have a meaningful impact."
Dentzel says the company is now looking into how to potentially produce and distribute other PPE products.
