DeRoyal Industries, Inc. is a proudly American-owned and operated manufacturer of medical devices and PPE. Boasting a dedicated and experienced workforce of 1,900 employees across 20 manufacturing locations on 3 continents, DeRoyal has achieved a groundbreaking feat in the USA with their first-of-its-kind, fully-automated isolation gown production line. Their USA-built, cutting-edge production line can produce 1-2 isolation gowns per second totaling more than 32 million gowns annually; a task that would require Asia to have more than 3,000 manual laborers for the traditional manual gown manufacturing process that takes at least 3 minutes per gown.
At the helm of this highly innovative company is Brian C. DeBusk, Ph.D., MBA, who serves as DeRoyal’s President and CEO. He joined DeRoyal as head of Research and Development after graduating from Vanderbilt University and has since pioneered the development of several medical products, including hydrogel-coated neonatal temperature probes. He also served as COO and subsequently CEO, during which time the company launched products in temperature monitoring, patient protection, risk management, wound care, orthopedic softgoods, and surgical accessories. Dr. DeBusk is also Vice Chairman of Lincoln Memorial University and was appointed to the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) in 2016.
Under the leadership of SVP of Development, Lane Ostrow and SVP of Manufacturing and Supply Chain, Mark Justice, DeRoyal Industries is striving to take USA PPE and medical supply automation to the next level. Ostrow has a distinguished background, having served as VP of Partnerships at Premier, Inc. where he successfully negotiated all major GPO PPE contracts during the COVID-19 pandemic. Justice, with his 34 years of tenure at DeRoyal, manages a system of manufacturing facilities with P&L responsibilities and ERP process design/architecture. DeRoyal is now looking to further expand US-based automation of PPE, including the ambitious endeavor of creating the world’s first fully automated surgical gown machine.
In this conversation, Mary Kurek of Frontrunners Development, along with co-host, Garrett Bolks, President at Bolks Consulting, the DeRoyal team shares plans for further USA automation of medical supplies and PPE and what makes the large company such a great model in the manufacturing space.
Meet DeRoyal Industries:
Video of DeRoyal USA-made fully automated isolation gown machine: https://vimeo.com/657189768
DeRoyal Industries Facts:
DeRoyal Industries, Inc. is a vertically integrated USA manufacturer of health care supplies and PPE. DeRoyal is a 100% American-owned privately-held company with headquarters in Powell, Tennessee and manufacturing facilities in the U.S. states of Tennessee, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and Virginia, as well as in Costa Rica, Dominican Republic Estonia, and Guatemala. DeRoyal manufactures isolation gowns, face shields, and a variety of healthcare products domestically with 2.5 million square feet under roof, operating 20 manufacturing locations across 3 continents. DeRoyal has a broad and deep workforce of more than 1,900 employees, covering more than 25,000 SKUs.
Together with Premier, Inc. (NASDAQ: PINC, the second largest healthcare GPO in the US), S2S Global, and more than 34 of Premier’s member hospitals, DeRoyal created an automated, state-of-the-art production facility in the USA capable of manufacturing between 1 and 2 Isolation Gowns every second, totaling as many as 32 million gowns annually. This is the first fully automated gown machine of its kind in the USA and this intellectual property was developed for the benefit of the U.S. Healthcare Industrial Base and the hospital customers. DeRoyal is also excited to partner with Travis Robbins from WPT Corporation on their further planned man-made fiber (MMF) expansion, as well as Chris Pretorius from MedPlus Supply, LLC on DeRoyal’s industrial base expansion efforts.
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- Brian C. DeBusk, Ph.D., MBA, President & CEO
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- Lane Ostrow, SVP, Development
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- Mark Justice far left – SVP Manufacturing & Supply Chain
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- DeRoyal’s USA-Built Fully Automated Isolation Gown Machine
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- DeRoyal’s USA-Built Fully Automated Isolation Gown Machine
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- DeRoyal’s USA-Built Fully Automated Isolation Gown Machine
DeRoyal Industries Resource Links:
DeRoyal Press Release on Automated Isolation Gown Machine:
Premier Press Release on Automated Isolation Gown Machine:
DeRoyal Website: https://www.deroyal.com/
Garrett Bolks, Bolks Consulting
Special Thanks to Co-Host, Garrett Bolks, Bolks Consulting
Garrett Bolks is a distinguished and accomplished sales leader who has built a career on trust and integrity. His background includes forty years of experience in the hospital arena with a primary focus in the operating room. His focus over the last few years has been in the Government space with an emphasis on the VA and Native American business with contracting. He works closely with several SDVOSB companies in helping them to navigate through the Government RFQ process. Garrett’s contact base includes deep relationships with GPOs as well as very strong relationships in Washington.
BOARD POSITIONS
AORN Patient Safety Advisory Board
Symphony City “Orchestrating Success” – 2005 to current
Allegiance/Baxter/American Hospital Supply- President’s Advisory Board Enovate Advisory Board
Global Mission Ambassador for Essilor in 2017
Trusted Advisory Council for the Blinded Veterans Association 2019 and current
Hartwell Capitol Consulting, current
MDR Resources Partner, current
Mary Kurek
President & CEO Frontrunners Development, Inc.
Global Business Developer
