Vaughan company en route to making 800 face shields for Mackenzie Health

Hi-Tech EDM is currently shut down, but is donating time and effort to help those on front lines of coronavirus crisis

Yorkregion.com
April 14, 2020
Dina Al-Shibeeb

Darren Carroll, owner of the Vaughan-based Hi-Tech EDM, has long been in the business of manufacturing parts, with the lion’s share going to the auto industry and aerospace.

But with COVID-19 making its impact, Carroll’s company -- for the first time -- has made 200 face shields.

The four-employee Hi-Tech EDM began making the shields when Carroll’s wife, a nurse at Vaughan's Mackenzie Health, gave him a “template” of her face shield and after she reached out to the doctors at the hospital to see if they needed more.

“We never made any medical components before,” said Carroll, adding they have now made 200. He said there is an issue getting some of the raw materials, as “a lot of companies” are trying to make these shields.

Fortunately, Carroll had some “leftover material” from a previous project, but in order to get a sufficient amount of elastics for the headband, he scouted four Walmart stores.

After purchasing the elastics, he also contacted the company that produces them. “They agreed to supply us,” he said, adding he expected to receive a supply before the end of the week.

Carroll said he expected a batch of 800 face shields to be done by the beginning of next week.

Carroll and his wife are making the donation despite Hi-Tech EDM being closed for the time being.

“We are pretty much shut down,” he said, adding how 75 per cent of his business caters primarily to auto parts. “We service three (auto manufacturing company) Magna facilities and all these three facilities are basically shut down.”

“It’s a trickle-down effect,” he added.