PPE / Air Filtration / DTC Ecommerce
How Armbrust USA Maintained 100% Order Accuracy Across 100+ SKUs
American-Made PPE at Scale
Armbrust USA is an Austin-based manufacturer of NIOSH-certified N95 respirators, ASTM-rated surgical masks, and residential HVAC air filters. Founded by Lloyd Armbrust during the COVID-19 pandemic, the company built domestic manufacturing capacity when most PPE was imported — producing millions of masks on automated production lines in Central Texas.
As the product line expanded beyond masks into air filters and filtration accessories, Armbrust USA's fulfillment complexity grew. With over 100 active SKUs spanning different mask types, filter sizes, and multi-pack configurations, pick accuracy became the critical challenge. Each product also required brand-specific quality checks — inspecting seal integrity, verifying lot numbers, and confirming correct packaging before shipment.
Founders 3PL operates as Armbrust USA's fulfillment partner under a transparent cost-plus model, with direct warehouse communication and custom QC protocols built into every order workflow.
High-SKU Pick Accuracy
Armbrust USA's catalog includes N95 respirators in multiple sizes, surgical masks in several ASTM levels, air filters across dozens of HVAC dimensions, and multi-pack bundles of each — creating a SKU matrix where similar-looking products are easily confused during picking.
Founders 3PL implemented barcode-validated picking for every order. Each item is scanned at pick and again at pack, ensuring the correct product, size, and quantity reach the customer. The scan-based workflow eliminated the substitution errors that plagued Armbrust's previous fulfillment process.
Brand-Specific Quality Control
As an FDA-registered manufacturer selling medical-grade products, Armbrust USA requires every outbound shipment to meet brand QC standards. This means visual inspection of packaging integrity, verification of lot numbers against inventory records, and confirmation that promotional inserts match the current campaign.
Founders 3PL embedded these QC checkpoints directly into the pick-and-pack workflow. Warehouse staff execute a documented inspection protocol on every order — not a random sample — ensuring that each package leaving the facility meets Armbrust USA's manufacturing-grade quality standards.
Packaging Engineering
N95 respirators and surgical masks require packaging that protects product integrity without adding unnecessary dimensional weight. Armbrust USA's previous shipping process used oversized boxes that inflated carrier charges and occasionally allowed products to shift during transit.
Founders 3PL engineered right-sized packaging solutions for each product category — flat mailers for single mask boxes, structured cartons for multi-pack bundles, and reinforced boxes for air filter shipments. The result: lower dimensional weight charges and better product protection.
Returns Processing and Inventory Recovery
High-volume DTC ecommerce generates a steady flow of returns. Armbrust USA needed returns processed quickly — inspected, sorted by condition, and either restocked or quarantined — to keep inventory levels accurate and minimize write-offs.
Founders 3PL's returns workflow includes item-level inspection, condition grading, and immediate inventory reconciliation. Products that pass inspection are restocked the same day they're received, while damaged or expired items are quarantined and reported. This closed-loop process keeps Armbrust USA's inventory data clean and reduces shrinkage.
We needed a 3PL that understood manufacturing-grade quality standards. Founders 3PL inspects every order the way we inspect every mask on the production line — no shortcuts, no sampling, every unit verified.
Armbrust USA Team