Page 51 - Stuff Made and Built in Delaware 2020

Cool Stuff Made
in Delaware
BY ROGER MORRIS
DELAWARE MIGHT BE SMALL, BUT OUR COMPANIES MAKE AN INCREDIBLE RANGE OF INTERESTING (AND USEFUL) PRODUCTS.
WE’VE GOT NATIONAL BRANDS AND MOM-AND-POP SHOPS MANUFACTURING EVERYTHING FROM SPACE SUITS TO PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT FOR DOCTORS, TO ICE CREAM, BEER AND HAND SANITIZER.
BEST OF ALL, DELAWARE’S MAKERS ARE LOOKING FOR NEW TALENT. THEY NEED SMART PEOPLE WHO COME IN WITH FRESH IDEAS AND SOLID TECHNICAL SKILLS — AND A LOT OF JOBS AT THESE COMPANIES DON’T CALL FOR A COLLEGE DEGREE.
HERE IS JUST A SMALL LIST OF SOME OF THE COOL STUFF YOU COULD SOON BE MAKING.
SHOES THAT KEEP RUNNERS’ FEET DRY
» W.L. Gore & Associates
Since 1976, runners have been wearing weather-resistant jackets constructed from W.L. Gore’s “Gore-Tex” fibers and membranes. The company has been gradually adding other gear under the Gore-Tex brand — hats, shorts, gloves, shorts, even shoes.
The most recent addition: Gore-Tex Invisible Fit for running shoes, which features reduced weight, decreased water pick-up and faster drying times. Based on W.L. Gore’s consumer surveys, 65 percent of runners hit the roads and the running trails even in wet, rainy or snowy conditions, and 75 percent run in colder weather.
Gore’s goal with Invisible Fit has been to ensure the membrane that is central to the shoe’s performance has the same fit and feel of a conventional running shoe, while adding moisture protection. The key is to make sure the membrane exactly matches the footwear’s upper material and directly bonds to it to eliminate wrinkles and folds as well as reduce pressure points.
For runners slogging through soggy turf, that’s a big step in the right direction.
GEAR TO PROTECT HEALTH CARE WORKERS FROM INFECTION
» ILC Dover
Did you know that the first astronauts who walked on the moon wore space suits made by ILC Dover in Frederica?
But the company makes other cool stuff too. For example, the Sentinel XL HP powered air-purifying respirators, or PAPRs, protect doctors and other health care personnel from infection while they work to save lives during the current coronavirus crisis.
“Our biggest market is frontline medical care,” says ILC VP of Marketing Paul Cannon, “and that demand increased by about a thousand times when the coronavirus
S10 STUFF | DelawareBusinessTimes.com
struck.” Importantly, the PAPRs have provided medical workers with clear face shields and respiratory protection, yet are light and flexible.
“Our design team immediately started working on a new hood design,” Cannon says, “and we set up an additional production facility and hired 70 to 80 new people. NIOSH [National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health] gave us record approval, so we had a complete turnaround in record time — five to six weeks.”
In addition to gear for medical workers and astronauts, ILC Dover also manufactures safe suits for pharmaceuticals workers and escape respirators for overseas government employees who may need to get out of dangerous situations.