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The Canadian Shield produces one millionth PPE face shield

The Canadian Shield, a Waterloo-based personal protective equipment (PPE) manufacturer, recently reached a key milestone: producing its one millionth face shield. The shield is part of a 500,000-unit order for Ontario Health that will be provided to hospitals and healthcare facilities across the province.

“This shield is a special one for The Canadian Shield team. It serves as a reminder of how far we have come in the span of just over a month, moving from a company of 10 people to one that employs over 300 people, working tirelessly every day to help our front-line and essential workers in the battle against COVID-19,” said the company’s founder and CEO, Jeremy Hedges.

The Canadian Shield manufactures sustainable, reusable face shields that are used to protect frontline healthcare and essential workers from potential exposure to COVID-19. The company was founded in March 2020 by parent company InkSmith, an educational technology manufacturer that retooled its 3D printing equipment to address the critical shortage of medical equipment amid COVID-19.

Within 30 days of the company’s launch, it was awarded a contract by the Government of Canada to produce 10 million face shields by August to be distributed to healthcare facilities and hospitals across the country. This contract accounts for approximately two-thirds of the 16 million medical face shields that have been procured by the government from Canadian companies.

As a result of increased demand, The Canadian Shield has significantly scaled up its operations, including opening a second 50,000 square-foot facility, hiring 300 new staff members, bringing in dozens of new pieces of equipment and adapting its shield design to increase daily production quotas. This increase in production capacity has allowed the company to manufacture the majority of the one million units in the last three weeks. The Canadian Shield says it is on schedule to complete the federal contract order of 10 million shields by August 2020.

Once the contract with Public Services and Procurement Canada is fulfilled, The Canadian Shield plans to extend its reach internationally, providing PPE to healthcare providers and essential workers around the world.