Thermoformer Duo-Form Plastics has recovered from the major blow it suffered last year as the COVID-19 pandemic spread, and the plans it had postponed to expand its warehouse space are back on track.
The Edwardsburg, Mich.-based company said March 31 it has broken ground for a 41,700-square-foot addition.
Duo-Form primarily makes aftermarket products for recreational vehicles. When the pandemic clobbered the economy, the company had to lay off 90 percent of its staff a year ago. But it quickly shifted gears and began producing medical personal protective equipment (PPE) including face shields made of thick-gauge glycol-modified PET (PETG), and endotracheal intubation/extubation boxes. The polycarbonate box fits over a patient's head during such procedures and are designed to contain aerosolized particles, providing a safety barrier for medical personnel.
"This new [business] model gave our company new life in unprecedented times, propelling us from a 90 percent reduction in employees to a 33.3 percent increase above our pre-COVID numbers. This new addition will allow us to continue to increase our capacity across all existing product lines," Duo-Form President Shelly Ditmer said in a news release.
Now the RV industry is booming again and Duo-Form employs 250. The warehouse addition, which the company expects to be complete by August, could even allow Duo-Form to expand its product offerings, Ditmer said.
Duo-Form, a division of Duo-Form Acquisition Corp., ranked No. 56 in Plastics News' most recent survey of North American thermoformers, with $33 million in annual sales.