Furloughed Consumer Product Manufacturers Team Up to Make PPE Face Shields

Late last month, Granville, New York-based roofing provider Millennium Slate and its parent company furloughed all their employees, pursuant to New York’s directive on non-essential businesses. But after guidance from the state, Millennium reopened on March 31 with a small crew to make face shields and other personal protective equipment to aid the COVID-19 pandemic response. The company announced the news late last week.

Millennium said that prior to the March shutdown, it was using six-axis robots and special purpose, imported glue application equipment to apply hook and loop fastening tapes to a variety of construction materials. With its experience with those fastener types, the company’s first PPE product is a hook and loop-fastened clear face shield.

Millennium said it believes the shield is superior to many similar products that are secured with an elastic tape. The company’s hook and loop fastening is completely adjustable as to fit and is unlikely to slip since it includes a strap over the top of the head.

Millennium is using a glycol-modified version of polyethylene terephthalate (GPET) for the majority of its PPE production, which is rated above the minimum weight called out in some regulations.

“Thus, the material, if not yet the shield, is FDA-approved,” Millennium states.

Millennium has partnered with nearby wood products company JKAdams (based in Dorset, Vermont) on the PPE project. JKAdams has spun up five CNC routers and a laser cutter in support of the project to make face shields. Millennium added that the PPE consortium has received donations from hook and loop tape manufacturer Halco USA of Hayward, California, while tape converter TapeRite (New Hyde Park, New York) and Ink Inc. (of New York City) have also contributed services.

The face shields will initially be sampled for free to as many of the New York and New England hospitals that Millennium can ship to. The company said it currently has sufficient material inventoried to build more than 10,000 shields and is laying plans to produce between 50,000 and 100,000 units per week.

“Producing these products is a win-win,” Millennium president Phil Prehoda said. “We will be able to hire back furloughed workers and perhaps other area unemployed workers if demand develops the way we think it will. At the same time, we are pitching in to protect front line health care workers from this virus. While we can’t afford to give away our entire production, we expect to provide free samples for a significant portion of our early production.”