Raven begins manufacturing medical PPE gowns
April 2, 2020
Sioux Falls-based Raven Industries is getting set to produce thousands of personal protective gowns for health care workers.
It started March 25, when someone from Sanford Health’s supply chain management area reached out to Raven, knowing about the company’s technology and capabilities.
By the end of the day, Raven Aerostar had created a prototype using film produced by Raven’s engineered films division, and it was on its way to Sanford for evaluation.
After tweaking the design based on the hospital’s feedback, Raven updated the layout and flow of the production process over the weekend. By April 1, it had cut, sealed, finished and packaged more than 600 gowns in two days.
“Embracing Raven Aerostar’s purpose to connect, protect and save lives, we knew immediately that we could make a difference to the people on the front lines of this crisis. We’re so impressed with the team that responded to this challenge and moved so quickly to come up with a solution,” said Scott Wickersham, division vice president and general manager of Raven Aerostar.
Raven expects to produce tens of thousands of the potentially lifesaving gowns in the coming weeks.
“All team members who have the opportunity to work on these gowns are proud to help medical staff stay safe in the fight against the virus. It’s an honor to help in any way that we can,” said Kathy Walsh, assembler and installer for Raven Aerostar, who has stepped up to help lead production of the gowns.
Raven has been approached by other health care facilities locally and regionally. There are no definitive orders yet, but the company said it is ready to produce more.
While the technology and materials are well suited for gowns, “innovation is a cornerstone of Raven, and we believe there are many other potential uses for our materials and technology that could be helpful in COVID-19 efforts,” said Margaret Carmody, director of organizational culture and corporate communities.
“Our purpose at Raven is to solve great challenges. These are not just words on paper; it is our mantra for how we approach our work every day at Raven. As a result, when we were presented with this challenge, our teams took swift and immediate action to help solve it. It’s representative of the strength of our team members and their commitment to our purpose. We also believe that it speaks to the incredible culture of both Raven and the Sioux Falls community to show up to help and serve in times of great need.”
