Bourne Group’s Face Shields Available for All
At the onset of the COVID pandemic, we were all faced with uncertainty in our respective industries. Also, like many, Bourne Group found itself asking what we could do to help our community.
Bourne Group CNC Programmer, Jeremy Smith, approached our owners with an idea and a production file. Within days, we produced our first prototype and within in a matter of weeks we were mass producing (upwards of 200,000 units) for local and regional hospitals. Now, our shields are available for purchase to all on our website here.
Want to learn a little more about the process? Check out a little local love from Charleston’s WCBD News 2 below:
The idea began when an employee brought in an example of a shield design. Co-owners Patrick McNulty and Gregg LoGuidice got to work making prototypes.
“This face shield in particular was something we were set up very well for,” says McNulty.
The 2 parts of shield is made up of polycarbonate. of This material is used frequently in protective eyewear because of it’s durability and flexibility.
“It’s an incredible, durable material that we were able to source that won’t break during shipping. And there will be longevity fo the hospitals that are using it,” says McNulty.
Polycarbonate can also easily be sanitized and reused; something that goes a long way in a hospital. This could be a vital product to use as an extra layer of protection on top of face masks for patients and employees.
Both MUSC and Roper St. Francis have already placed orders for thousands of the shields. LoGuidice says that their team has worked tirelessly since they started production.
“We had guys just jump right on it and were willing to just do tasks that they weren’t used to doing or learn new things,” says LoGuidice.
He says that their goal now is to ramp up production and refine the process. While they’re producing about 5,000 of the shields per day, they expect that number to rise in the next few weeks.
We’re looking to get up to 6-8,000 in the next few days here. And then from there, continue to refine the process so we can produce more,” Says LoGuidice.
As they continue to supply the community with these shields, they’re thankful to have a team that was up for the challenge.
“It has been exciting to see how quickly this company in particular has been able to pivot, and do something completely different than what it’s used to doing,” says McNulty.
Images and Article Courtesy of WCBD News 2