New Balance makes its elite running and walking shoes at locations throughout the world, but unlike other major athletic shoe manufacturers, New Balance also has a domestic presence with five factories located in the New England region.
It’s the reason why the Boston-based New Balance has been able to quickly retool to make much-needed face masks to help in the response to the Coronavirus pandemic.
Two of the company’s manufacturing plants – one in Lawrence, Mass. and the other in Norridgewock, Maine – have halted shoe production and are making prime face masks for both medical workers and essential employees who are still at their jobs every day. As of today, its other three American locations are idle, but are available should the New Balance team increase production of personal protective equipment (PPE).
