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Custom processor  (BPI), St. Louis, has been providing PE film to manufacturers across the U.S. for making impermeable isolation gowns for healthcare workers during the coronavirus pandemic. More than 1.6 million gowns were made in April alone from BPI film, and orders have been at a similar pace throughout May. On March 23, BPI and its employees were recognized by the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency as “workers essential to critical infrastructure during the COVID-19 response.”

Brentwood makes relatively thin (mostly between 1 and 12 mils) blown PE films that traditionally are either converted or used for packaging by its customers. The material used is a blend of LDPE and LLDPE “subtly tweaked and unchanged for 15 years,” according to Joel Longstreth, BPI’s marketing manager.

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BPI President Sam Longstreth (center) with blown film operators Mirsad Dolic (left), Mersud Pilipovic (right) and Shaun Kenney (rear, on tower).​​​​​​​

Says Sam Longstreth, company president who owns the company with his brother Joel, “Our work with Lockheed Martin is a good example. When Lockheed Martin called, they were not really sure what specific material they needed to make the gowns. At that time, we were very busy with a full truckload order for a legacy customer. We found a roll of what we knew would meet their requirements, and it was put on a plane that night. The film ran perfect on the test run. They then placed an order for enough film to make 110,000 gowns." To date Lockheed Martin has produced more than 200,000 gowns from BPI film.

Not new to the healthcare ´óÏó´«Ã½, BPI has been providing flexible PE film for a variety of medical supplies, including ostomy bags, ophthalmic drapes, and laparoscopy drapes.

Adds Longstreth, “In an industry filled with commodity providers, we’re known as problem solvers. When a life or death challenge like this comes along, it's gratifying to put our lifetime of experience to work to deliver a solution.”