Detroit to Get Mask Factory With Investment From Bangladesh

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Bangladesh’s Beximco Group will set up a plant in Detroit to make masks as demand for protective gear in the U.S., the nation with the most coronavirus cases, surges.

The Dhaka-based conglomerate, which started selling the generic version of Gilead Sciences Inc.’s antiviral drug this month in the South Asian nation, will invest $20 million in the Detroit plant, said Syed Naved Husain, chief executive officer of the group’s textile business. The company will also invest $30 million on a plant at home, he said.

Beximco’s textile unit is tapping new opportunities as luxury brands from New York to Paris scrap garment orders amid the pandemic. The company expects the Detroit plant to be ready in nine months, while the one in Bangladesh will start production in four months, Husain said.

The company will initially supply N95 masks in Detroit before expanding to other parts of the U.S., Husain said.

Beximco said Hanesbrands Inc. bought 6.5 million personal protective equipment from the company to supply to the Federal Emergency Management Agency on May 25.