Cover Story
Pivot to High Performance: Tales of How Converters are Making a Difference in the Fight Against COVID-19
n early March of 2020, COVID-19 turned the world — and the manufacturing sector — on its head. Manufacturers were faced with the threat of losing customers and potentially their workforce. At the same time, there was a surge in demand for PPE. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services initially reported that healthcare workers would need 3.5 billion face masks if the coronavirus outbreak in the United States were to hit pandemic proportions, which it did. Compounding the problem was the fact that China, which had previously produced approximately half of the world’s face masks, had stopped exports due to COVID-19s impact on their own country. The converting industry had all the demand it could handle, but would manufacturers be flexible enough to provide the required supply? Three contract converters answered the question with a resounding yes.
I
STROUSE UPS CAPACITY TO 2.5 MILLIONS MASKS AND 250,000 FACE SHIELDS PER WEEK Strouse Corporation, a contract converter that takes flexible materials and changes them from a roll form to a discrete part, lived up to their “more than tape” motto when the pandemic took hold. To meet the critical need for surgical masks and face guards, Strouse rose to the occasion by putting their experience with medical device manufacturing to work. They first tapped their supply chain to find the materials necessary for N95 and N95 PPE. Next, they worked with Delta ModTech to automate the assembly process. Their Crusader machine was configured to allow for assembly in only one pass, dramatically reducing the need for manual assembly. Strouse was able to refine the process to the point where they can produce 2.5 million masks and 100,000 face shields per week — all while continuing to service their other customers. Please visit the Delta ModTech blog for the full story.
PLITEK PRODUCES 280,000 VISORS PER DAY Plitek, a narrow web converter based in Illinois, USA faced a similar challenge. With experience in die cutting services for the medical industry, they were accustomed to meeting the high-quality requirements of
8 October 2020
production lines. The company is in the process of specing and installing equipment that will produce 50 million masks/year, with commercial product expected in Q4. Please visit the Delta ModTech blog for the full story and other relevant case studies.
MAKING THE TRANSITION REQUIRES RUSH UPGRADES AND PROCESS SUPPORT The experience and expertise of all of these contract converters allowed them to make a successful pivot. But having flexible equipment and a support team to back it is also a critical part of the equation. Delta ModTech has been extremely busy
PPE. But with COVID-19, the need for speed was just as important. Plitek believes “no task is insurmountable,” so they immediately developed a prototype using their laser and digital die cutting capabilities. After ironing out supply chain issues much like Strouse, the big hurdle was moving from prototype to high-volume production. Using Delta ModTech’s Crusader, Plitek was able to transition from 3,500 prototype visors per day to 280,000 per day and meet the needs of three big customers. Please visit the Delta ModTech blog for the full story.
BOYD TECHNOLOGIES CREATES LOCAL SUPPLY CHAINS FOR RAW MATERIALS After the FDA authorized emergency use of personal respiratory protective devices in March, Boyd Technologies identified and produced proof of principle products that used readily available raw materials from local supply chains. Boyd Technologies engineering team also
made tooling so that their Delta Crusader could produce proof-of-principles products, working in conjunction with the Manufacturing Emergency Response Team (MERT). Having successfully produced proof of principle products, Boyd engaged with state and commercial partners to provide long-term solutions to the PPE shortage crisis. Boyd was one of the companies awarded grant money by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts through MERT to purchase dedicated mask
convertermag.com
performing rush upgrades and process support for clients worldwideto meet the intense demands of COVID-19. Remote service, and even installations, have been invaluable. “Our ability to log into a customer machine remotely to help them work through a new process, like manufacturing a face shield, is essential when there are visitation and travel restrictions,” said Marketing Manager David Grenwis of Delta ModTech. “We have serious horsepower when it comes to service personnel,” he said. The road to recovery will be a long one
with COVID-19, and the manufacturing world will certainly be called on to provide protection and potentially much more. Companies like Plitek, Strouse and Boyd are ready to meet the challenge, and we’re here to ensure they will succeed.
udeltamodtech.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48
