Pennsylvania Vinyl Film Manufacturer Produces Critical PPE
As the coronavirus began to sweep through the Greater New York area, swamping hospitals and leaving health care workers wearing trash bags and reusing single-use personal protective equipment (PPE), Pennsylvania-based i2M recognized it could help.
A manufacturer of flexible polymer films for everything from waterproofing liners to roofing membranes, the company knew it already had in its hands a key asset: vinyl. As i2M President Alex Grover put it “Vinyl is the chameleon of plastics – it’s durability and versatility make it the perfect fit for an astonishing array of products.”
“While COVID-19 presented challenges for i2M, it also gave us a remarkable opportunity to innovate,” Grover said.
Vital PPE for Frontline Workers
The company made the decision on a Sunday in mid-March 2020 to make vinyl gowns for frontline hospital staff, nursing home workers, first responders and others on the frontlines of the pandemic. The gowns were designed to fit like a standard, non-isolation gown with long sleeves and thumb loops. By Thursday of the same week, they were up and running, having not only shifted production lines but also the packaging, sales, and accounting processes needed to distribute gowns directly to those who need them most.
“Transforming operations to produce PVC protective gowns allowed us to pressure test our agility – in particular our manufacturing capabilities and our internal systems,” Grover said. “It also helped us reinvent the way we develop new products by creating more efficient pathways to formulating and testing.”
The company’s first PPE run included a 1,000-gown donation to the local hospital system and an additional 1,000 to FEMA and a variety of local first responder organizations and nursing homes. i2M was committed to working with their gown fabrication partner, Mountain Productions, Inc. to ramp up production as much as they could and as needed. From then on, they saw demand skyrocket and produced 15,000 gowns by the end of April 2020. In addition, i2M also manufactured anti-microbial vinyl mattress/stretcher covers and 100% cotton face coverings. These products were donated or sold at cost when demand was high and supply was low to ensure frontline workers had the necessary PPE to keep them safe.
Although the program has since concluded as gown inventory has returned to more stable levels in the U.S., Grover stressed that she was glad i2M had a way to be able to truly support the COVID-19 crisis by providing critical PPE. “It’s our responsibility as U.S. manufacturers to step up to the plate and make sure those who need it have it,” she said.