Production is heating up at Harmac Pacific to produce a special paper pulp used in the manufacture of disposable surgical masks, gowns and other medical products.
Those products, worn to help prevent the spread of disease, are in short supply due to the COVID-19 crisis and the U.S. customer that produces them has doubled its order for the K10S pulp.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a customer out of the States and weB次元官网网址檝e been supplying them for years, but in light of whatB次元官网网址檚 going on in the lack of medical supplies, theyB次元官网网址檝e doubled their order with us in the last week, so weB次元官网网址檙e doing everything we can to meet that demand,B次元官网网址� said Levi Sampson, Harmac president.
Sampson said the Harmac mill is the worldB次元官网网址檚 only producer of the particular grade of paper pulp used in the manufacture of surgical masks and gowns and that the mill has been producing it since before he came to work there in 2008.
B次元官网网址淜10S is the pulp that weB次元官网网址檙e producing for these medical supplies. WeB次元官网网址檙e the only one that produces it,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淒ifferent pulp mills run different grades of pulp B次元官网网址� almost kind of like recipes.B次元官网网址�
K10S pulp is made from western red cedar that produces a soft fibre that makes it suitable for the final products made from it.
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B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 been tweaked over the years to come up with the right formula that allows it to go into the medical supplies,B次元官网网址� Sampson said.
Ramping up production means Harmac PacificB次元官网网址檚 320 full-time employees will continue turning out to do their jobs while people in other industries are off work because of efforts to control coronavirus spread. The mill is located on more than 100 hectares and is running a program of extra cleaning and disinfecting of washrooms, work stations and other facilities, and the workers on each shift should be able socially distance and maintain workplace conditions that will help them prevent spreading the virus.
The millB次元官网网址檚 production output for K10S varies depending on the customersB次元官网网址� needs. Sampson wouldnB次元官网网址檛 get into specific numbers, but did say he has never seen a doubling of an order.
B次元官网网址淭hatB次元官网网址檚 why weB次元官网网址檝e decided to continue to run. We know our productB次元官网网址檚 going into surgical gowns and masks and drapes and caps and those kind of things, so for our employees, theyB次元官网网址檙e really feeling like, even though weB次元官网网址檙e not frontline workers B次元官网网址� like the doctors and nurses and paramedics that have everyoneB次元官网网址檚 utmost respect right now B次元官网网址� weB次元官网网址檙e making a product thatB次元官网网址檚 finding its way to those front lines,B次元官网网址� Sampson said. B次元官网网址淪o, thatB次元官网网址檚 why weB次元官网网址檙e doing it.B次元官网网址�
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The mill currently has an adequate supply of western red cedar chips to meet its production needs.
B次元官网网址淔inding chips and affordable fibre is always a concern for us,B次元官网网址� Sampson said. B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e constantly looking into finding supply, right now, especially. The forest industry had been hit pretty hard even before this COVID crisis came about, with [Western Forest Products] and their strike. ThatB次元官网网址檚 always something that weB次元官网网址檙e looking at, but as of right now, weB次元官网网址檙e getting enough to run the mill and to be able to produce this product.B次元官网网址�
Sampson said the mill will do whatever it can to produce as much of the K10S pulp as it can to fill future orders for more if needed.
He also noted the products made from the pulp will also make it back to Canada to resupply medical staff here.
B次元官网网址淧eople should be proud on Vancouver Island that there is a company thatB次元官网网址檚 producing a product thatB次元官网网址檚 going directly into medical gowns and masks at this time,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淲e all hear the stories of doctors and nurses running out of the product or they already have, so if we can continue to produce this it should be a sense of pride for people. I know it is for our workforce.B次元官网网址�
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