Maguire Products Inc. is turning part of its business from auxiliary equipment to coronavirus protection shields.
Aston, Pa.-based Maguire is making a flexible PET shield that can be used for social distancing in schools, stores and workplaces in lieu of acrylic sheeting, which is in high demand and short supply for virus-blocking barriers.
The company website says its branded Jordan Defense Shield is similar to portable sneeze guards that can be installed and uninstalled in seconds and made to fit any space. It has a patent pending on the shield.
The shields ship as a roll with rods that can use magnets and adhesive discs for vertical mounting or can use clamps for surface mounting to tables and desks.
The versatility of the Jordan Defense Shield eliminates the hardware and assembly effort required for using rigid sheet plastics as protection from COVID-19, Frank Kavanagh, vice president of sales and marketing for Maguire Products, said in a phone interview.
"You can adjust the legs and roll it up and move it from one desk, restaurant table or serving counter to another," Kavanagh said. "It's completely flexible to deploy where shielding needs are constantly shifting. Our shields can be removed and relocated over and over with appropriate changes in length."
Also, PET is in good supply compared to acrylic sheeting, with delivery dates as far out as October.
"The film is much easier to get than acrylic sheet. That's becoming very difficult," Kavanagh said.
Maguire officials drew upon the company's assembly capabilities to fine-tune the shield, originally conceived by Michael Jordan, the managing director of Tamworth, England-based Summit Systems Ltd. Summit distributes Maguire products in the United Kingdom, and the shield is named after Jordan.
"Mike was working on something to put up around desks in his office. He came up with the idea of using PET film to do wraps so he could protect his workers returning to work," Kavanagh said.
Jordan ran his idea by Steve Maguire, founder and president of Maguire Products, who was looking for ways to bring down the costs and ramp up production at an Aston facility, Kavanagh said.
"We're just waiting for a couple components and then the assemblies will start," he said.
Maguire Products plans to begin shipping products the first week of July.
"This happened so quickly. We started the week of May 11," Kavanagh said. "This isn't our typical machinery line, and we don't know where it's going. Our primary focus is our equipment, but this is an exciting opportunity to put something out there and see if we can help."
Word is spreading and the first orders are coming in, including some from school districts, which Kavanagh said currently are evaluating the different products more than buying in bulk.
The products in the Jordan Defense Shield line include face shields ($66 and up) that can be set up as a clear barrier between desks and the public, L-shaped wraps ($117 and up) for desks that abut walls, and U-shaped desk wraps ($156 and up).
All the products come with options for an arch in the bottom center for passing items or hands underneath.
All the products also show the benefits of plastics, Kavanagh added.
"The ease with which the Jordan Defense Shield can be deployed is attributable to the flexibility and light weight of plastics," he said. "The film is crystal-clear and, like all PET, recyclable."
The Jordan Defense Shield is available worldwide with discounts for bulk orders and standard shipping free in the contiguous U.S. For more information, call 610-459-4300 or email [email protected]