Two local manufacturers located in the Gorham Industrial Park pivoted their businesses over the last two months to assist during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Plas-Tech, a distributor of plastic and metal sheet products, began producing face shields and aerosol intubation boxes after being contacted by the Maine MEP, an affiliate of the United States Department of Commerce, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), and the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD), which helps to meet particular needs in the State.
Owner Terry Webber said, “Materials were already in short supply but we were able to procure what was needed to do a run of 25,000 or so shields. Once materials were ordered, we then manufactured fixtures to help locate the components for quick and precise assembly. Training was simple as we often do assembly type work in conjunction with manufacturing parts. We designated an area of our facility to the production and moved a couple machines so we created a cell to process and assemble everything.”
Plas-Tech also produced 400 intubation boxes at Maine MEP’s suggestion. Some were sent to a doctor in Massachusetts who was distributing them throughout New England, while others were produced for Maine Medical Center and several hospitals around the country.
Webber shared that his eight employees worked extra days and hours to meet the new demand as well as staying on top of current orders. His 11 year old son, Shane, also pitched in daily on the assembly line.
“My goal in doing this work was to help provide the healthcare professionals in our state with the PPE they desperately needed,” he added.
Flowfold, a manufacturer of casual and outdoor gear, took advantage of a “flexible, technologically advanced factory” to suspend its usual production and switch to the production of face shields.
It took the company eight days to switch over and they went from making 250 masks per day to 2,500 masks per day in a short period of time. Flowfold has committed to producing 10,000-15,000 per week for the next two to three months.
James Morin, Flowfold’s chief operating officer and president of sales, recently appeared on Good Morning America and shared, “We feel proud to be able to help those fighting the virus on the front lines. We are grateful for our team and community members that have made our quick pivot to making PPE possible.”
Both companies point out that this is not about praise or profits. Morin said the company’s margins are very thin and they are moving forward with the manufacturing of PPE to not only fulfill a need, but also to keep the company going during a difficult time for small businesses.
“We’re not trying to pay bonuses, we’re not trying to make new profit here, we are basically trying to keep our lights on and break even,” said Morin.
Webber agreed with that sentiment, adding, “It is not something I seek recognition for. I am in a position to help and I think those of us that are should do so. We have all needed a helping hand at some point in life.”