Local Company Shifts Production to Make PPE's for Frontline Workers

Thursday, 4 June 2020 11:53

North Star Windows and Doors in St. Thomas has shifted production to make protective face shields for frontline workers in the community.

ST. THOMAS - North Star Windows and Doors in St. Thomas has shifted production to make personal protection equipment.

North Star has partnered with various vendors to design and source the materials to produce protective face shields for frontline workers in the community. They are making PPE's for medical practitioners, personal support workers, and even factory employees who have close human contact.

With the reported difficulties of securing PPE for frontline workers and employers who are bringing their workforces back with the phased lifting of distancing restrictions, North Star has expanded current production
capabilities at their St. Thomas plant to enable up to 3,000 high-quality face shields to be manufactured per week. Engineering Manager Glenn Schmitchen says they were happy to jump on board and help out.

"North Star has been supporting the COVID-19 situation by repurposing some of our assembly lines into producing facial protection equipment for the community. Engineering Manager. “At the start of the outbreak, the Engineering and Maintenance team began to brainstorm how we could support frontline efforts by leveraging new capacities in cutting, existing raw materials, and like-minded suppliers to quickly produce a good that was in need. The result is a PPE product that is effective, affordable, and easily accessible."

After a series of prototypes, the team created a high quality, North Star-built face mask that features Lexan, the clear plastic for the shield, manufactured in Ontario and supplied by Polymershapes, a headband made from SuperSpacer, a silicone product for energy-efficient windows, supplied by Quanex IG Systems in Cambridge, Ohio, and a forehead pad from modified patio door roller shim, purchased from Adev Profom Inc. in Laval, Quebec.

Materials were secured at a reduced cost in order to be able to offer the final product at a lower cost to increase accessibility for organizations.