Kickstart: 'We get to be heroes'

First up, an update to a story we first published on plasticsnews.com in March about Ford Motor Co. working with GE Healthcare on a ventilator project.

At the time we first posted that story, it was clear that plastics suppliers would be involved with the program, but none had been named yet. Now one of them, Everett, Wash.-based Toolless Plastic Solutions Inc., a manufacturer of specialized housings for medical devices, has spoken up.

Toolless will do an initial production run of 500 housings for the program and its 17 employees will set aside all other projects to meet the demands for the ventilator. The company has implemented social distancing and suggested hygienic procedures for its employees to safely work on the production line.

"When we told our crew that we would be jumping into this project one of our employees said, 'So we get to be heroes,'" Kathryn Harja, vice president and chief financial officer, said in a news release.

Most days, the tunnel and bridge that mark the international border between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, is busy with auto parts moving from one country to another as part of the complex auto supply web.

Now two auto suppliers are joining forces across the border in efforts to make protective equipment for both Canada and the U.S.

Woodbridge Inoac Technical Products is a 50-50 joint venture making auto interior parts by Woodbridge of Mississauga, Ontario, and Inoac, a Japanese company with North American offices in Troy, Mich. Now the JV is converting plants in Chattanooga, Tenn., and Kitchener, Ontario, to make high-end face masks.

And they're "exploring options" to increase production for Mexico.

The provincial government in Ontario has already placed an order for 15 million masks. In the U.S., they'll be made available to hospitals and other industries.

"These are challenging times that are impacting us all," said Mike Simpson, president and general manager, Woodbridge Inoac. "We are extremely grateful to the medical personnel at the frontlines who are fighting the pandemic, and we are honored to do our part and to produce face masks that are needed."

In addition to that international cooperation, the collaboration has also involved input from Canada's Automotive Parts Manufacturers Association, Hematite Inc., McMaster University, Magna International Inc., TS Tech Americas Inc. and Toyota Boshoku Canada.

How many days would it take you to launch new production?

For Eastman Chemical Co., the response was four days to deliver enough sheet to make 10,000 face shields.

Frank Esposito has the story about how Eastman answered a call from Austin Peay State University to provide material when it was running out of acetate sheet it had been buying.

"On March 21, Eastman was asked to produce and donate emergency material. By March 23, a unit of the Eastman Polymer Technology Division — led by operators Jill Cline and Patsy Barton — was turning out rolls of PETG film for the face shields," Frank wrote.