South Windsor Companies Expand To Produce 'Back To Work' Shields

SOUTH WINDSOR, CT — South Windsor sister companies have undergone a quick expansion during the coronavirus pandemic to produce a face shield designed to protect service workers when they open back up while also promoting free movement.

Meet the Total Protection Face Shield, a patent-pending product of Preferred Protective Equipment. The company was formed about three weeks ago from parent firms Preferred Display Inc. and Preferred Visual International, which are headquartered in South Windsor with a plant in Enfield.

Company president Darryl Phillips said the shield, considered a piece of what has become known as personal protective equipment, was designed for hands-on workers like those in hair salons, barbershops, nail salons, casinos, restaurants and medical and dental facilities, along with cashiers, first-responders and grocery store staffers.

The units are also designed to allow "clear facial expression and personal interaction that a cloth mask unmistakably blocks out," Phillips said.

"Being that there is no head or face contact, the shields are extremely comfortable to wear for an extended period of time, versus current disposable PPEs that have proven to be unfavorable at best," he added.

Here is a demo video the company put on YouTube:

The shields atre also resuable because they can be wiped with disinfecting cloths after each client interaction. That's a "short return on investment," Phillips said, consideing standars PPEs like masks have to be tossed out after each use.

Plus, conventional masks can be difficult to acquire, he reasoned.

"The shields also help resolve supply chain issues specific to disposable PPE, which will become tougher to secure once the country begins to resume business," Phillips said. "The units can further reduce reopening costs by minimizing the need for stationary partitions and/or barriers, being that shield is constantly directly in front of the person wearing the unit."

Since one of the parent companies works with printing, company logos can be put on the shields, Phillips said.

The shields weigh 3 pounds each and are made of high impact acrylic and come in two models — the standard package at $194.95 designed for folks like beautucians, barbers, nail salon technicians and cashiers; and the premium model at $247.95 that feautres more side protection for medical and dentistry staffers and some first-responders.

Phillips said majority owner Robert Russo came up with the idea after conversations with medical professionals describing how patients with conoronvirus tend to vomit after having breathing tubes removed. The medical professionals were lameing the lack of protection, Phillips said.

More on the product can be seen here.