When a 60-year old company leading the die-cut industry is faced with adversity during a pandemic, what do they do? They innovate, of course. After all, that is what manufacturers do.
As coronavirus began to affect the United States, Gasket Engineering was faced with a familiar problem: how to keep the doors open amid a rapid slowdown of business. Although Gasket Engineering is considered an essential business and their manufacturing work was permitted to continue, business overall was down.
On a Sunday afternoon in March, Boyd Comfort, Gasket Engineering’s Director of Sales, met with his business partners and created an action plan. The need for PPE had skyrocketed, and as manufacturers, they could help fill that need. From that point on, Gasket Engineering would make plastic face shields.
From the beginning, the company’s PPE production was a grassroots effort. After the executive team gathered, they hit the ground running to work with their suppliers. Next came the task of getting the word out that Gasket Engineering was making face shields. Dave McLaren, Gasket Engineering vice president, decided to reach out to KCIC. He knew it would provide great exposure and was sure to spread the word.
Today, Gasket Engineering has the entire PPE manufacturing effort down pat. Their masks are of the highest quality, made with lightweight PET material and soft foam, with a comfortable strap.
What the company initially thought would be a three-week operation to “ride the wave” has ended up being more than two months of work — with no sign of slowing down in sight. Boyd’s mission is to simply provide access to face shields for “any organization that wants to protect their employees.”
Is your business or school is looking for cost effective and reusable PPE? Contact Boyd Comfort for details.