Surprise-Based Household Products Co. Retools to Produce Consumer Face Masks

IRIS USA, the U.S. division of Japanese-based household products manufacturer IRIS Ohyama Inc., based in Surprise, AZ, announced plans to add face mask production to its 570,000-square-foot, 250-employee manufacturing plant in Pleasant Prairie, WI. The new capability will support federal mask-wearing recommendations issued by the Centers for Disease Control on April 3 to help combat the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S.

The company is investing $10 million in new machinery and planning to hire an additional 60 employees to enable manufacture of an estimated 70 million disposable 3-ply face masks per month. IRIS Ohyama has been producing masks in China for more than a decade and is a major mask supplier to the Japanese government.

The first U.S.-produced masks are expected to be available shortly after the new manufacturing line is completed in September. In the interim, IRIS Ohyama is shipping masks to the U.S. from its factory in China to help address the severe shortage. The first shipment is scheduled to arrive in the U.S. this month.

The Wisconsin plant will continue to manufacture plastic storage and pet products when the mask operation comes online. IRIS USA is also exploring opportunities to add other kinds of masks to its U.S. output.

This effort is part of a broader initiative that also includes adding mask production to IRIS’s manufacturing operations in Japan, Korea and Europe in anticipation of long-term global increases in mask adoption expected after current coronavirus crisis passes.

Since 1992, IRIS USA has become a trusted name in innovative home essentials. From revolutionary clear plastic storage boxes (unheard of at the time) to our latest foray into home electronics, IRIS USA continues to develop products that bring organization, comfort, and convenience to everyday living.  IRIS USA products can be found at almost any retailer, including home and hardware centers, warehouse clubs, supermarkets, online retailers, and specialty stores.  IRIS Ohyama, Inc., is headquartered in Sendai, Japan, and is a global manufacturer of over 19,000 household products and consumables. IRIS Ohyama originated in 1958 and expanded into the U.S. market in 1992, with its principal U.S. headquarters located in Surprise, Arizona. IRIS Ohyama’s attention to its customers has resulted in growth of its operations to Asia, America and Europe.