CORRECTION: Corky Peek is with the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development. This article previously stated he was with the Kentucky Association for Economic Development. Spelling of Corky Peek and Pavel Smyshlayaev’s names have been corrected. Pavel Smyshlayaev’s title has also been updated. WKMS regrets the errors.
A plastics company in Murray is producing 6,000 faceshields a day in an effort to support state and local personal protective equipment (PPE) needs.
TPG Plastics began production of face shields when Corky Peek, with the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development, sent the company a request of 200,000 face shields for the state’s National Guard, said TPG Plastics Chief Financial Officer Pavel Smyshlyaev.
“We have a friend in northern New Jersey who helped us with the design of the band,” said Smyshlyaev. “We kind of figured out where to get the other parts. And right now we're making them right here in Murray. So we fulfilled our order to the National Guard and the state Department of Health.”
Now his main goal is helping his region return to normal as safely as possible.
“We make 6,000 units per day. We have 100,000 units in stock and we're ready to supply anybody in the WKMS coverage area,” Smyshlyaev said. “We're trying to help the schools. I want to get the PPE out to everybody.”
Smyshlyaev said all his face shields are 100% FDA compliant, and the shields will be available at cost or $8 a unit for locally owned businesses, schools, and hospitals in western Kentucky. A unit includes two face shields.
He said TPG Plastics is currently working alongside Murray-Calloway County Hospital to design new PPE equipment, including an “incubation box.”
“We're also working with a Murray hospital and its EMT department to design a new product, an incubation box.” Smyshlyaev said. “It's a unique product that nobody else is going to manufacture. We're going to have a patent on it.”
He said he hopes providing affordable PPE to his region will allow for a successful return to school and business in the coming weeks.
TPG Plastics is a financial supporter of WKMS.
