Puritan Medical Products, a family-owned swab maker in Maine, said its USA production is helping it grow despite global trade turmoil, Mainebiz reported on May 12, 2025.
The company
- Founded in 1919 and based in Guilford, Puritan also runs plants in Pittsfield. It makes over 1 billion swabs a year.
- Orders rose 25% in the first quarter from a year earlier. The company has about 490 employees and is hiring.
- During the pandemic it became North America’s largest maker of COVID-19 test swabs and peaked at 1,270 employees.
- President and CFO Bob Shultz said Puritan sources some raw materials abroad, but tariff effects on its costs will be “negligible.”
“We’re 100% made in the USA and made here in Maine.”
Bob Shultz, Puritan Medical Products president and CFO
Why it matters for Made in USA
Puritan’s pandemic growth showed why USA production of basic medical supplies matters. Shultz also said some raw materials come from abroad. Under the FTC standard, an unqualified Made in USA claim needs all or virtually all of the product to be USA-made, so imported inputs affect what the label can say.
FAQ
What does Puritan make?
Sterile and non-sterile swabs for health care, diagnostics, forensics and industry.
Where are its plants?
Guilford and Pittsfield, Maine.
How are tariffs affecting it?
The company said the impact on its costs would be negligible because it makes its products in the USA.
Source & credit
Source: Mainebiz, May 12, 2025: “Puritan Medical Products bucks tariff talk with ‘Made in USA’ brand”, by Laurie Schreiber.