A Middlesex Township-based company that manufactures military equipment is training its sights on helping Butler Memorial Hospital deal with the coronavirus pandemic.

Ibis Tek, a company known for making bullet-resistant glass for the U.S. Department of Defense with its main office on Pittsburgh Road, donated 111 boxes of personal protective equipment to the hospital, which has served as the main treatment facility for the virus in Butler County.

The county had its third death due to the coronavirus recently, according to Friday's state-collected data.

Bill Rosemeyer, Ibik Tek senior vice president of business development, said the decision was an easy one to make.

He said that the company's inventory manager, Katie Bertram, noticed the company wasn't using the extra equipment.

“She knew this stuff was just sitting around,” Rosemeyer said. “So she came to us with this idea and it was an absolute yes, let's do this. So we made the decision right away.”

Rosemeyer noted that the company recently switched to using reusable versions of the equipment and donated the reserves of the former items to the hospital.

Rosemeyer said their employees use such protective gear when manufacturing windows for the Department of Defense. The windows cannot have any impurities in it like hair or clothing lint, requiring employees to wear gear that fully covers them.

Of the 111 boxes, 108 are frock coats like the type typically worn by doctors. In each box there are 24 coats, Rosemeyer said.

The other three boxes hold coveralls, a one piece overall that covers a user's whole body. In each box are 25 coveralls, Rosemeyer said.

Rosemeyer said he doesn't know how the hospital plans on using the equipment. A hospital staffer couldn't be reached for comment in time for publication.

A hospital spokesperson previously noted that the system's medical supplies are adequate at this time, but it continues to accept any donations of personal protective equipment. These arrangements may be made by emailing covid19donations@butlerhealthsystem.org.