Cadillac plants producing gowns for use by frontline health care providers
A local industry is using its resources in an effort to aid the cause. Cadillac Products companies, headquartered in Troy, with a plant south of Rogers City, are an example of this great humanitarian effort seen in many parts of the state. The Williams family, leaders of Cadillac Products Automotive Company (CPAC) and Cadillac Products Packaging Company (CPPC) have pooled talents, capabilities and factories by manufacturing and providing much needed medical personal protective equipment (PPE) for frontline doctors and nurses.
The company is producing gowns for use as PPE for medical personnel. Cadillac produces films that are comparable to specifications required for protective medical gowns used by doctors, nurses and technicians treating those infected by the devastating coronavirus. Having this capability, Robert Williams Jr., president and CEO of CPPC, and in discussions with his daughter Maggie Williams, a certified registered nurse anesthetist at Sinai Grace Hospital in Detroit, came up with the idea to utilize available raw materials and idle factory capacity to produce medical gown material.
Together with his brother Michael Williams II, chairman CPAC, the two companies are using Cadillac Products Automotive tooling, talents and people to convert this film into much needed gowns.
“This has not been an easy task, however the might of the organization and the company’s cultural determination to help has driven a group of highly talented and experienced engineers, technicians, machine operators and other members of Cadillac staff to adapt current automotive production equipment for the effort,” stated a press release from Cadillac Monday.
To make it happen raw material was expedited and Dow Chemical Company stepped up and provided much needed resin.
Tooling and other needed equipment was designed and manufactured, taking into consideration the challenge of sizing mis-match between machinery and gown dimensions. Michael Williams III, CPAC general manager, has overseen the effort of process design and production from the beginning, channeling all the volunteer effort to ensure a high-quality finished product can be brought forward.
“I’m extremely proud of how quickly our team responded to this manufacturing challenge. We definitely don’t have the optimum machines for making gowns, but we have machines and people that can make gowns. All our team members were excited to help, working through the weekends to bring our capability online. It’s great that we have such a capable team that can make a difference in this time of need,” he said.
The manufacturer is currently utilizing volunteer labor to produce more than 300 finished gowns per hour. As of Monday 2,600 gowns were delivered. Plans call for an additional 8,600 gowns to be produced and donated.
Should a continued need for gowns exist after the automotive industry returns to work and the Cadillac factories be needed once again to produce their normal production, manufacture of these gowns can transfer entirely to the Troy site, which is now being prepared for such a move.
Additionally, Cadillac Products has donated 180 N95 respirators from its inventory. These respirators are normally used in Cadillac’s manufacturing processes, however, because normal production has been suspended due to the pandemic issue, Cadillac leadership felt the respirators should be used to help. Sinai Grace Hospital received these respirators Sunday, April 5.
A press release from Cadillac stated, “Cadillac Products Automotive and Cadillac Products Packaging companies are saddened by the devastation that this h
Cadillac Products Automotive and Cadillac Products Packaging companies are fourth generation, family-owned, Michigan-based organizations that have a long history of producing plastic films, packaging, and various engineered acoustic, thermal and aero insulating components for the automotive, military and other industries. Its history dates back to World War II, when Cadillac provided war materials to the U.S. Government.
