Maine swab maker points to factory jobs as U.S. manufacturing holds ground
Puritan Medical Products’ leaders say the rural Maine company’s pandemic surge shows domestic manufacturing still has room to grow.
By Maya Lindqvist · Senior Technology Correspondent
3 min read
Puritan Medical Products’ leaders say the company’s pandemic-era expansion shows U.S. manufacturing remains a major economic force, especially outside large urban centers. In a Fortune commentary, CEO Timothy Templet and marketing director Virginia Templet pointed to Puritan’s rural Maine operations as evidence that domestic factories can still scale quickly and compete globally.
The company, based in Guilford, Maine, became North America’s largest supplier of COVID-19 testing swabs during the pandemic, according to Templet and Templet. They said Puritan hired and trained hundreds of workers and reached production of up to 100 million swabs a month at a time when testing supplies were in high demand.
Puritan now makes swabs and single-use specimen collection devices for health care, diagnostics, forensics, controlled environments and environmental sciences, according to the company leaders. They said the company uses American inputs and makes its products in rural Maine.
Manufacturing data
The argument comes as manufacturers remain central to debates over jobs, trade and U.S. industrial policy. Templet and Templet cited Bureau of Labor Statistics data showing nearly 8 million job openings across the U.S. economy, saying the figure reflects business formation and demand for workers.
They also cited National Association of Manufacturers data that domestic manufacturers contribute nearly $3 trillion in economic output, account for about 10% of U.S. gross domestic product and employ more than 12 million workers. NAM data cited in the commentary also says each dollar spent in manufacturing generates nearly $3 in additional activity in other parts of the economy.
Manufacturing still faces a labor gap. Templet and Templet cited NPR reporting that about 500,000 manufacturing jobs are unfilled, including many in rural states such as Maine. They argued that artificial intelligence has not removed the need for workers in the sector.
Rural production and expansion
Guilford has a population of barely 1,000, according to the commentary, but Puritan serves customers around the world. Templet and Templet used the town’s size to argue that industrial innovation is not limited to technology hubs such as Silicon Valley.
The company is expanding in liquid transport systems and entering the industrial disposable market, according to the Puritan leaders. They said other manufacturers may focus on areas such as national defense or AI-related development.
The commentary tied the case for manufacturing to the country’s 250th anniversary and to early U.S. industrial history. Templet and Templet noted that the first permanent cotton-spinning mill in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, dates to 1790, during George Washington’s first presidential term, citing National Park Service material.
Templet and Templet rejected the idea that U.S. manufacturing is fading, saying the sector is changing rather than disappearing. Their view reflects the perspective of Puritan’s leadership, whose company became a visible supplier during the COVID-19 testing push and continues to market itself as a domestic manufacturer.
This story draws on original reporting from Fortune.