COVID-19 Response: Lockheed Martin Employees Donate PPE

In times of crisis, people look for ways to serve their communities and those on the front lines. Supporting first responders and healthcare workers is just one thing we are focused on during this global pandemic, and Lockheed Martin employees across the U.S. and abroad have been participating in efforts to provide personal protective equipment (PPE) for the brave men and women keeping us safe every day. 

In our Innovation Centers, which are creative spaces at our facilities across the U.S., we are using 3D printing equipment to create thousands of face shield mounts and visors for local health centers and for manufacturing employee use. Designs for this PPE are shared virtually through our internal collaboration tools, printed and distributed quickly.

Our employees in Palmdale, California, and Fort Worth, Texas, are quickly building over 5,000 face shield frames using a high-pressure water jet as well as additive methods to deliver components to Georgia Tech and other teams across Lockheed Martin for assembly into completed face shields to support local hospitals across the nation. 

Lockheed Martin employees at Hurlburt Field, Florida, who work as upholsterers for our Special Operations Forces Global Logistic Support Services (SOF GLSS) customer, teamed together to produce 600 fabric face mask covers for a local medical facility. Employees jumped at the opportunity to use their skills – manufacturing new and repairing insulation fabric on aircraft – for this effort.

Employees are also using their personal time and equipment to create face shields and fabric face mask covers at home. Like many throughout the company, Leland Shuck, a senior program manager in Orlando, Florida, is producing face shields at his home workshop. “I am waking up at random hours of the night to keep the printers running,” Leland said as he explained his process. “My goal is to make as many (face shields) as possible.” So far, Leland has made about 150 face shields. After they are complete, he plans to send them to Orlando and Detroit area hospitals.

Our team members at Lockheed Martin UK Ampthill and Royal Air Force Valley have joined in on #TheBigPrint, a campaign in the United Kingdom to 3D print face shield frames for frontline workers.

Over 1,500 fabric masks were hand cut and sewn in the Marietta facility just days after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendation was announced. What began as co-workers trying to support each other until the company’s mask shipment arrived, turned out to be a great contribution to cause. These masks were produced in the same shops that build cargo bay linings for C-130s. 

Our subsidiary companies are also pitching in. Derco Vice President of Finance and avid sewer Amy Skaar worked closely with Derco Engineer Adam Anderson to use 3D printers to print a small tool to help make sewing straps for face masks at home even faster. One day while browsing the internet, Amy came across a Facebook group, "The Masked Sewists for Southeastern Wisconsin." This group identifies local facilities in need of face masks and, with nearly 22,000 masks being requested, depends on members in the group to assist with this big task. For Amy, it was a no-brainer to pull out one of her four sewing machines to help them reach their goal. Using one yard of fabric, Amy can sew 12 masks in 90 minutes. Once complete, she delivers them to a drop off location where they get distributed local to medical facilities. 

Meanwhile, Corey McBride, Derco Director of Engineering, had the same thought in mind. When Corey’s friend asked for help with making face masks, he immediately agreed as he reflected on his family and friends working in aviation, farming/food production and the health care industry. While his schedule is normally filled with work, robotics and travel, Corey took advantage of the down time to produce more face masks. Contrary to Amy, Corey hadn't sewn since high school. Still, he was determined to join forces and a YouTube tutorial video did the trick! In just a day, Corey had sewn 20 masks. While the first mask took an hour, he's gotten the process down to about 15 minutes per mask. 

In addition to face shield mounts, we are also working with local hospitals in Colorado and California on medical gown design. Our teams are in the process of producing approximately 2,500 gowns per week to help protect medical workers.

As we move forward during this global pandemic, we are proud of the efforts the men and women of Lockheed Martin to support the missions of their local communities. Learn more about what we are doing to support this global crisis effort by clicking on the below links:

• Supporting Supply Chain and Healthcare Workers
• Additional COVID Recovery Support
• Initial COVID-19 Response
• Lockheed Martin in the Community
• Commitment to Hiring