BANGOR, Maine (WABI) – Duvaltex, a textile factory in Guilford, has produced fabrics for hospital curtains, furniture, and other things for years.
Once the Coronavirus pandemic hit, business dropped.
“It was around mid-March, we kept operable. But then we noticed the orders were dropping off because people were furloughed and they weren’t placing the orders. We laid off around 130 associates of the 220,” said Rachael Davis, Operations Manager.
As everyone has been forced to, Duvaltex adapted, switching to another fabric that *was* in demand, PPE.
By doing so, they were able bring back their workforce.
“Once we developed this new fabric, we literally had to switch gears. Bring everyone back, change over equipment, do some investments in our equipment so we could then ramp up and make this fabric. Literally, within three to four weeks, we had the whole team back,” said Davis.
One of those laid off workers was Joe McAllister.
More than three decades as a weaver, he had his own concerns over his unemployment but was elated to find out he had his job back.
“I was concerned because like everybody else, I need the paycheck. I waited every day, and they finally called me back and said, hey, we need you to come back on Friday,” said McAllister.
The fabric is sent off to be turned into hospital gowns and antimicrobial scrub textiles.
The company is still new to this manufacturing and continues to look to sell to more American companies.
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