INDEVCO North America Shifts Production of House Wrap to Isolation Gown Materials

RICHMOND, Va. - April 29, 2020 - PRLog -- In early 2020, INDEVCO North America's Barricade® Building Products brand announced new house wrap products at the NAHB International Builders' Show. However, the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus has since prompted both a decrease in US housing starts and a surge in demand for personal protective equipment (PPE).

These conditions inspired a manufacturing shift for Barricade Building Product and its sister company, Specialty Coating and Laminating (SC&L), which shares the same industrial complex in Doswell, Virginia. Together, the two manufacturing plants were well positioned with raw materials and equipment to produce isolation gown material. Gowns and other PPE have been in great demand by first responders, medical personnel, and healthcare workers on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic.

SC&L now manufactures isolation gown rolls in 1-3 layers and in white, blue, and yellow colors. The rollstock is sold to conventional medical disposable converters that cut and sew isolation gowns, as well as to apparel and other companies now producing disposable medical gowns.

"Our isolation gown fabrics are made with our water repellent and moisture vapor breathable composites using microporous resins," explains Geoff Baldwin, President of INDEVCO North America Paper Division. "When healthcare professionals wear these materials, they'll find them lightweight and breathable. Most importantly, they meet ANSI PB70 standards (https://wwwn.cdc.gov/PPEInfo/Standards/Info/ANSI/AAMIPB70), which means they're reliable in protecting against fluids and cross-contamination."

Until recently, PPE materials were heavily sourced from overseas manufacturers. INDEVCO North America considers the shift to manufacturing isolation gowns in line with its corporate philosophy: "What is good for the community is good for the company."

"As local manufacturers," says Pierre Khattar, CEO of INDEVCO North America, "we have a social responsibility to pivot production to help keep our communities safe and healthy. We're taking assets geared towards construction and producing isolation gown fabric that will protect givers and receivers of care in clinics, hospitals and nursing homes."

For information about isolation gown rollstock from Specialty Coating & Laminating, visit https://www.specoat.com/products/isolation-gown-fabric