Normally at this time of year, Lavigne’s Canvas would be ramping up to produce boat covers, trailer covers and other materials for summer.

But since Thursday, the small family business in North Bay has been manufacturing masks and face shields to help battle the coronavirus.

“We started Thursday to come up with masks and shields,” Pat Lavigne Sr., patriarch of the business, said Monday as he made masks, his son, Pat Jr., worked on face shields and another son, Matt, cut material for the masks.

Soon, he says, they will start getting gowns into production, although that, and production of other personal protective equipment (PPE), hinges on the supply of materials.

Lavigne also hopes that, with the PPE demand, he will be able to take on experienced seamstresses, material cutters and others to help the company evolve to help with the crisis.

“We bought up everything we could,” Lavigne says, but it will probably be a few more days before more material can be delivered.

The entire family was in the Booth Road shop over the weekend to help put things together, while the company website has been modified to help those customers needing PPE to order them online.

“All four sewing machines were going,” Pat Jr. says.

“We just can’t cover the number of calls that are coming in,” Pat Sr. says.

They haven’t made any calls to potential customers themselves, Pat Jr. says.

“They’ve been contacting us. We’ve been too busy to make any calls.”

Meanwhile, suppliers “are flooded with calls” for more material.

Lavigne’s Canvas has been getting tips from other manufacturers from as far away as Alaska for what is needed to produce the masks.

Pat Jr. says the original plan was to make about 100 masks. But since Thursday, “we’ve had close to 10,000 orders.”

Most are from local organizations and institutions, but a number of businesses and personal support workers also have put in requests.

Already, some of the approximately 350 masks have been shipped out as far afield as Belleville, Bancroft, Cobalt and Temiskaming Shores.

“That’s the power of the web,” Pat Sr. says.

“It’s a slow process,” to go from producing prototypes to getting things made. They’re all handmade.

“It’s not like China,” Pat Jr. says. “We don’t have all those robotics.”

Lavigne’s Canvas is considering the purchase of an ultrasonic welder to help with manufacturing, but the price tag for the five-year-old business is a bit steep, and Pat Sr. admits it will depend on whether the machine can be used in normal operations.

“But from all the feedback we’ve been seeing, this is going to last a long time,” he says. “For years, we’ve watched people in China wearing face masks in everyday life,” and he wonders if that is what’s in store for North America, as well.

And while they have the time down to about three minutes to manufacture one mask, again, everything hinges on the supply chain.

“What we need now is workers and supplies,” Pat Sr. says.

The masks are made with a four-layer, non-woven fabric that will resist droplets but is breathable.

The face shields are clear plastic with an elastic headband. The elastic material is something else that suppliers are having a hard time getting to manufacturers.

Pat Sr. says the company was easily able to step up to retool and rejig its schedule to help out. That means boat and trailer covers have been put aside for now, at least until the emergency is over.