Butler, Pa.-based IDL, an experiential marketing and retail design agency that is part of Pittsburgh’s Matthews International Corp., has shifted from the production of retail displays to two-piece face shields.
The shields will be used by retail-industry service workers employed at essential businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic, such as grocery, pharmacy and convenience store workers.
The devices consist of an adjustable head strap and a shield made of high-impact-grade material with a foam forehead rest. They are UV resistant and can accommodate eyeglasses and masks worn underneath.
The face shields will be available to retail and medical businesses nationwide.
IDL has produced more than 100,000 face shields and expects maximum capacity to be 500,000 weekly.
“We are immensely grateful for all the heroes in our healthcare community. Their herculean efforts to save lives amid the risk to their own well-being is incredibly inspiring,” Kevin Peters, head of IDL’s print business, said. “As a leader for decades within the retail merchandising sector, we immediately saw the need for personal barrier shields to assist retail service workers who are also putting their well-being at risk to keep stores open so that food and medicine remain accessible to the public. They are our friends, our family members and our clients. They are also heroes.”