WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) – Chairman of the Commerce Subcommittee on Manufacturing, Trade, and Consumer Protection – today chaired a hearing titled “Examining the American Manufacturing Industry’s Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic.” This hearing examined how the manufacturing industry adapted to meet the public demand for personal protective equipment, ventilators and other equipment and goods essential to the nation’s public health efforts.

Three Kansas-based organizations were represented on the witness panel: MolMas based in Haysville, InkCycle based in Shawnee and Kansas Manufacturing Solutions based in Lenexa.  

“During this pandemic, many in the manufacturing community have adapted their operations to help provide the products needed to prevent the spread of the virus,” said Chairman Moran. “Whether it is an early stage pharmaceutical wholesale distribution company that completely pivoted to manufacturing face masks in response to a dire national supply shortage, or a successful printer cartridge re-manufacturer shifting to production and distribution of hand sanitizer and other innovative sanitization solutions, we have examples of manufacturing businesses in Kansas taking the lead in bolstering U.S. manufacturing to compete globally.”

Click HERE to Watch Chairman Moran’s Full Remarks

To view the hearing in its entirety, please click here.

MolMas, represented by founder Ravi Bulusu, is an early stage pharmaceutical wholesale distribution company that began producing facemasks in response to the pandemic to help provide lifesaving PPE to frontline health care workers.

InkCycle, represented by President and Chief Executive Servant Rick Krska, is the largest inkjet re-manufacturer in the world and began producing hand sanitizer in response to the pandemic. InkCycle recently shifted to producing hypochlorous acid, an EPA-recognized solution used to sanitize airplanes, bathrooms, stairwells, factories, warehouses and office areas.

Kansas Manufacturing Solutions, represented by Chief Executive Officer Tiffany Stovall, is the state’s designated NIST Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) Center that has worked to support small to mid-sized manufacturers throughout Kansas.

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