Draegerwerk builds U.S. plant to fill respirator mask order

German medical equipment maker Draegerwerk said it would build a production site on the U.S. east coast to fill a government order for N95-type respirator masks, a key piece of protective equipment for healthcare workers battling the coronavirus outbreak.

The company, which is also working to fill a mass order of ventilators for the German government, said in a statement on Tuesday it agreed to deliver a "high double-digit" million amount of the masks to the U.S. Department of Health over the next 18 months.

The dedicated U.S. production facility that it will now establish should start production in September, it added.