WHATELY — A local manufacturing plant is stepping up to produce materials needed to make personal protective equipment (PPE) for medical workers on the front lines during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Covestro, the manufacturing plant on Fairview Way, is producing polycarbonate film, the plastic material used on medical face shields that provides a protective barrier against respiratory spray and droplets.
“Typically, (the medical face mask) market is not necessarily a polycarbonate market,” said Covestro Plant Manager Jim Boehm. “It’s a PETG market, which is another transparent film market. Due to the shortage of material, we had people reach out to us.”
Covestro is a global manufacturing company known for its production of polymers and high-performance plastics, according to its website. Products range from the raw materials used in polyurethanes to precursors for paints, coatings, adhesives and sealants.
Although the plant is located in Whatley, it has a South Deerfield mailing address.
The plant has received a year’s worth of business in a little over a month, Boehm said. Typically, the plant doesn’t receive much business for face shields.
He added the plant is also producing film used in other PPE, such as medical gowns.
The materials produced at the plant are sold nationwide to customers who then assemble the PPE.
“We’re not exporting any facial material,” he said. “Anything we’re producing in South Deerfield is going to some health care user here in the United States.”
Boehm said to meet demand, the plant has had to tap into its global market.
“Normally we supply within the region, but this is a case where the demand has grown so much, we reached out to some of our sister sites,” he said, noting a Covestro plant in Thailand is supplying materials needed for the site in Whately to meet its demand.
The plant switched over to a 24-7 shift schedule last April, which has also given the plant additional capacity to meet the increased demand, he said.
“But for any of this to happen, we have to make sure we’re doing the right things to protect our employees,” Boehm said.
Workers’ temperatures are taken at the start of each shift, he said. The site is closed to the public and outside contractors; social distancing measures are in place, extra care has gone into sanitization practices and workers are wearing the necessary PPE.
“We refer to the health care workers on the front line as the heroes, and I can’t speak highly enough of our production workers and the job they’re doing,” Boehm said.
Boehm said he and the staff at Covestro are proud to take part in the effort to combat the spread of COVID-19.
“They know what they’re producing and what it’s going into,” he said. “And it’s really given them a nice sense of pride to know they are able to do something … in a positive way to support our health care workers.”
Bob Walker, head of external communications at Covestro, said the sense of pride felt at the South Deerfield operation transcends into other areas of the organization, too.
“The work that’s being done at Deerfield is really front and center with our whole U.S. operation,” Walker said. “We recognize and are really proud … to be able to participate in this effort.”
Mary Byrne can be reached at mbyrne@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext. 263.