Story highlights Marc Carter posted on social media that he needed a new cup for his son

Soon, Carter was inundated with offers of support, including from the manufacturer

(CNN) A boy with autism needed a replacement for his beloved sippy cup -- instead he got a thousand.

Four machines and a dozen workers in a Chinese factory will be repurposed for a whole week, just to make about 1,000 Pearlized Green Tommee Tippee cups for 14-year-old Ben Carter.

"About a week was spent to retrieve the tools and to check on their condition ... The (original) cup was produced between 2001 to 2003 and production was ceased in December 2003," Mayborn Group Regional Marketing Manager Michelle Lo told CNN.

It was the heartwarming story that went viral around the world.

Marc Carter needed to find a new cup for his severely autistic son, Ben. He'd had it since he was two years old and it was the only thing he'd drink from, refusing other vessels even to the point of dehydration.

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