Memphis-based Radians sees face mask demand skyrocket

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — In an era of urgent need, Radians CEO Mike Tutor is glad to have much of the company’s protective gear made close to home.

Radians is leaning on its North Carolina manufacturing facility to churn out more gaiter face coverings for COVID-19-driven demand. The company’s southeast Memphis facility is also keeping busy producing alcohol wipes, and Radians’ cloth face masks are made in Honduras.

Radians having facilities concentrated in North America allows for quicker turnaround times to satiate local customers needing masks fast, said Tutor, who founded the Memphis-based safety equipment maker in 1997.

“We were selling tens of thousands of masks a day when (COVID-19) first broke out,” Tutor said. ”... If you were an importer, it was four to six weeks before you could be getting any masks. By having local manufacturing, it paid off quickly.”

PRODUCT SALES MIXED AMID COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic sparked a demand surge for Radians’ N95 respirators, face coverings and alcohol wipes, along with anti-fog products as mask-wearers struggle to keep their glasses de-fogged. But the overall sales picture is a bit more complex for Radians, employer of 230 in Memphis and 354 overall.

Some of Radians’ safety products are struggling to sell like they did pre-pandemic, Tutor said. Uncertainty about how long the coronavirus can stay alive on surfaces affected that, leading to declines in Radians’ high-visibility clothing sales.

“Think about it — would you want to put on the same vest every day, 10 days in a row at work?” he said. “Or would you want to put on the same pair of gloves every day? Maybe disposable ones, but not ones that were worn yesterday.”

Radians is also grappling with the same question every other business is...