Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Maryland manufacturers have stepped up in a huge way to support the needs of our essential workers and keep our state economy moving forward.
In May, MD MEP partnered with the Maryland Department of Commerce to launch the Maryland Manufacturing Network Supplier Portal. This website was designed to connect local manufacturers who were able to quickly produce personal protective equipment (PPE) and other essential items with buyers in need.
The response has been overwhelming, as in just a few short months, connections made through the MMN Supplier Portal have generated $1 million dollars in sales. More than 336 local suppliers have registered on the site and have connected with more than 423 requests from potential buyers.
For health care facilities like the Clifton T. Perkins Hospital Center in Jessup, the MMN Supplier Portal has been extremely helpful in securing the supplies they needed for their 600+ staff members to continue caring for their patients safely. Kelli Francis, Director of Procurement, said that locating N95 masks, gloves, hand sanitizer, disinfectant, wipes, and other items was initially difficult.
“Because of the high demand, a lot of our typical state vendors couldn’t supply what we needed,” she said. “I came across the MMN Supplier Portal while searching for PPE suppliers on Google, and the website was very helpful and extremely easy to use. Within minutes of submitting our request online, we heard back from High Touch Business Services, and we placed our order. We had our supplies within just a few days.”
Michael Myers, Bureau Chief of Purchasing for the Carroll County Government, was tasked with obtaining PPE for a large array of county agencies, including fire stations, EMS agencies, health care facilities and nursing homes, among others. In addition to the lack of supply, he says another challenge was finding trustworthy vendors.
“From day one, we received a crazy number of unsolicited offers for PPE, but the sources were unreliable and untrustworthy,” he says. “We saw a lot of price discrepancies, products of poor quality, and fraud.”
So, when MD MEP invited Myers to a webinar about the new MMN Supplier Portal, he was interested to learn that the website would be able to connect him with local companies who could deliver quality product at competitive prices. In less than 48 hours he had quotes from five local companies who could fulfill his request. He placed a large order for masks, gloves, gowns, N95 masks, face shields and more from Strategic Factory, who fulfilled 80 percent of the order within just two weeks, with the rest expected soon after.
“The delivery time has been outstanding compared to colleagues I’ve spoken to,” says Myers. “Some people are still waiting for supplies that were ordered two or three months ago.”
From Myers’ perspective, the MMN Supplier Portal has been a win-win situation for everyone involved, as the local vendors are able to generate sales and the buyers are able to secure the products they need while supporting the local economy. “The response to the MMN Supplier Portal has far exceeded our expectations,” says Mike Kelleher, executive director, MD MEP. “Facilitating more than $1 million in sales for Maryland businesses as a result of connections made through the site is a great indication of how significantly Maryland manufacturers have contributed to our state’s response to this pandemic. We’ve seen many manufacturers overhaul their operations overnight to fill critical needs, and we’re proud that the MMN Supplier Portal has supported their efforts.”
