Maryland Energy Administration grantee Maryland Thermoform now making COVID-19 PPE

by Kaymie Owen, CMP, communications manager

Face shield currently being by produced Maryland Thermoform workers photo credit WJZ news

Maryland Thermoform, located in Baltimore MD, has been in the plastic packing manufacturing business for 37 years. The company serves a variety of industries including cosmetics, personal care, medical, food, industrial, OEM and defense. Per their name, the company specializes in thermoforming which is a manufacturing process where a plastic sheet is heated to a pliable forming temperature, formed to a specific shape in a mold, and trimmed to create a usable product.

Maryland Thermoform is a recent awardee of a Maryland Energy Administration’s Jane E. Lawton Conservation Loan Program. This program provides eligible borrowers with loans that typically range from $50,000 – $500,000 to identify and install energy conservation measures and improvements in their facilities. Maryland Thermoform was awarded $134,228 to upgrade the following components of their facility:

• Install Variable Speed Air Compressor Equipment and System Upgrades
• Install Air Compressor Waste Heat Recovery and Controls (to include modifying warehouse heating duct system)
• Alter HVAC Makeup and Exhaust Fan Controls to allow for variable speed controls

The estimated annual energy savings of these improvements is 474,958-kilowatt hours (kWh) or $59,128. These savings could alter after the final project inspection which is on hold now due to COVID-19.

The company also received a $50,000 grant aimed at producing much needed PPE from the Baltimore Development Corp. (BDC) Maryland Thermoform is now manufacturing face shields and aerosol intubation boxes, which are used to protect doctors and nurses during high-risk procedures like placing or removing patients’ ventilators. See Maryland Thermoform in action here.