Disposable gown production begins at Petoskey Plastics

Apr 15, 2024

Business writer

PETOSKEY — A northern Michigan manufacturing company that switched gears during the pandemic is growing its gown production business.

Petoskey Plastics announced earlier this week the installation of a manufacturing line specifically to make disposable gowns for the health care industry. The company has invested about $2 million in engineering and the first phase of the project, according to a release.

Petoskey Plastics first manufactured disposable plastic gowns at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. The company converted its automotive original equipment manufacturer (OEM) lines to produce and ship more than 5 million gowns for several hospitals, including 13 in Michigan.

“The (personal protection equipment) shortage during the 2020 pandemic made it clear that we were too heavily reliant on imported product,” Packaging Division Manager Matt Keiswetter said in an email. “We ramped up production to be a reliable long term domestic manufacturer that can compete with global prices while providing jobs in northern Michigan.”

Company officials said they are devoting 10,000 of their 90,000 square feet in the Petoskey plant to the production of these non-surgical gowns. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration-registered facility expects to turn out 2 million gowns a month. A second proprietary machine is expected to come online in 2024 that will double that production.

“We have worked hard to engineer and design a high-speed production line to produce high-quality gowns at globally competitive prices,” Vice President of Sales Mike Barto said in the release. “We look forward to further ramping up our gown production over the next few years in support of our customers’ demand.”

Its first foray into manufacturing gowns was from “a 32-pound industrial 200-count roll,” according to the release. Now the gowns come individually folded and bagged in a 15-count box.

Consultations with health care workers also led to several other improvements in the design process, including “thumb loops (to) prevent sleeve slide and offer maximum arm coverage,” according to a release. The gowns are designed with an open and perforated-tear back with a waist tie to ensure it fits all different sizes securely.

A veteran-owned company, Petoskey Plastics’ high-speed machine is dedicated to producing polyethylene gowns. The raw materials are extruded at its plant to produce the three-layer medical grade Linear Low Density Polyethylene (LLDPE) blown film.

Gowns are sold through distribution under the company’s Steelcoat Medical brand.

The manufacture of the gowns will add 10 new job openings at its Petoskey plant. The second gown production line in 2024 will increase its gown workforce to 25 total packers and operators, according to the company.

Founded in 1969, Petoskey Plastics began operations the following year. It currently employs 128 at its U.S. 31 plant and another 34 at its 1 Petoskey St. headquarters it opened in 2007.

Petoskey Plastics has a total of 492 employees across the company. In addition to northern Michigan, the business has plants in Tennessee, Indiana and Texas and a Birmingham sales office in southeastern Michigan.

In addition to medical, Petoskey Plastics makes products for the automotive, industrial, institutional, retail, construction and home improvement industries. More information about the company — including job openings created by the gown expansion — is available at www.petoskeyplastics.com.

Business writer

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