Drive Partner Spotlight - Milliken

This week's spotlight Drive partner is Milliken & Company. Headquartered in Spartanburg, SC, Milliken has been solving everyday problems with innovative solutions for more than 155 years. Driven by an endless curiosity and world-class collaboration, Milliken seeks the discoveries that spark tomorrow's breakthroughs. From protective textiles used by military, first responders, and healthcare workers to medical equipment, sanitization, agriculture, food storage, and WELL-certified flooring, the average American touches a Milliken innovation more than 50 times a day. And today, as the world continues to battle the COVID-19 pandemic, Milliken's community commitment and industry-leading expertise is proving more valuable than ever.

Here are a few ways Milliken's curious minds and inspired solutions are positively impacting the world today.

In April, Milliken pivoted manufacturing processes at many locations across the United States to begin producing materials for critical personal protective equipment (PPE) for the heroes working on the front lines of the healthcare industry. Milliken's new advanced medical fabrics and barriers are currently being used to make medical uniforms and hospital curtains. The company also continues to quickly research and develop additional materials for use in protective masks. Read more about this pivot here: http://www.milliken.com/news-overview/our-stories/milliken-pivots-manufacturing-to-produce-fabrics-for-medical-ppe

In light of the current shortage of plastic materials used for protective face shields, Milliken is collaborating with plastic producers across the globe to use its NX® UltraClearTM polypropylene concentrate to expand the offering of clear plastics viable for face shields. Read more about this impactful initiative here: https://upstatebusinessjournal.com/business-news/milliken-boosts-plastic-industrys-face-shield-production/

Even further, Milliken has joined forces with Spartanburg-based Contec, Inc., an industry-leading manufacturer of cleanroom supplies, to produce mass quantities of its Sporicidin® brand disinfectant, a disinfectant typically used for mold and water damage but also qualified to kill coronavirus. The demand for antibacterial cleaning supplies is at an all-time high, so the quick response of both Contec and Milliken will provide this hospital-grade disinfectant to institutions around the globe at scaled quantities. Sporicidin® production began at Milliken on Tuesday, May 12, after an impressive ramp-up of only four weeks. Other joint ventures of this nature typically require six months or more to become fully operational. You can learn more about this local partnership with global impact here: http://www.milliken.com/news-overview/press-releases/contec

As COVID-19 continues to change so many aspects of daily life, it's inspiring to see the continued service to our community from our Drive partners. The Greenville Drive salutes and thanks our friends and partners at Milliken & Company for their ongoing and unwavering commitment to keeping us all safe and healthy.