Kickstart: More money for US-made PPE, safety inspections

The massive infrastructure bill signed by President Joe Biden earlier this month includes a provision that is already prompting more investments in U.S. production of personal protective equipment.

The "Make PPE in America Act" is "critical to keeping the nation's hospitals functioning in times of crisis," Florida-based mask maker US Meltblown said in a news release.

The act requires a wide range of federal agencies to buy U.S.-made PPE while also issuing long-term contracts to U.S. manufacturers.

US Meltblown in Fort Walton Beach launched in 2020 to begin making meltblown polypropylene for PPE. It doubled production capacity once the bill passed and is now committing to quadruple its capacity within 90 days.

"We have done our part by establishing a reliable, domestic source for this vitally important PPE material," said US Meltblown founder and CEO Robert Sires. Sires also built nylon cable tie maker American Elite Molding LLC. "We are asking others to do their part by purchasing PPE products from companies here in the United States, thereby supporting the economy and better protecting American citizens."

A second infrastructure bill in Washington focused on social spending also includes something new that could impact plastics manufacturers. As PN's Steve Toloken writes, the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration is in line for a big budget boost that would also allow it to levy bigger fines on repeat offenders.

The legislation would raise the maximum fine for what federal law terms a "serious" violation from $13,600 to $70,000. For the most dangerous willful, repeated or failure-to-abate violations, the max would go from $136,000 to $700,000.

Higher fines are seen as a way to deter bad actors, since they would apply only to those with repeated violations, although detractors called it "yet another thinly veiled shakedown of employers that would unfairly punish job creators."

Backers note that OSHA's existing funding hasn't kept up with the changing industrial climate. Even with an increased budget, it would take the agency 100 years to inspect every workplace.

Also related to public policy moves, a new agreement between the U.S. and European Union may ease some issues related to accessing steel and aluminum, but don't expect any big changes.

Material prices have been a big hurdle for toolmakers — one mold maker noted he's been told to expect a 33 percent jump in aluminum prices — and lower tariffs on EU-made products should "alleviate some of the challenges ... but not all of them," Cara Walton, a director at consulting group Harbour Results Inc., said.

"We will likely see some mild alleviation of availability first before pricing begins to come down because there are many other forces affecting price including inflation, supply chain challenges and labor issues, to name a few," she told Andrew Schunk from our sister paper Rubber News.

"Prototype tool suppliers may see a bit more relief as they rely more heavily on aluminum for their tooling," she said. "That being said, it will likely still have a net positive effect on the industry as a whole as more steel will be available throughout the market."