In 1995 Mack Molding celebrated its 75th Anniversary. To honor the occasion owner Don Kendall took his employees and their families to Disney. Here’s a photo montage of some memories from that amazing trip!
Mack Adds Machining Centers to Build Ventilators
ARLINGTON, Vt. (May 5, 2020) – Mack announced today the Company has acquired two new Haas three-axis machining centers to be used in the production of ventilator components.
“An existing medical customer asked if we could help them meet the increased demand for their ventilators,” said Mack Molding President Jeff Somple. “After a quick analysis the team determined the work would outpace our current capacity, so we jumped right in and immediately invested in the machines.”
Somple noted Mack’s metals department is supporting the project by making sheet metal parts, and the new machining centers will allow for machining of plastic components, as well as inserting. The machining centers were delivered on Monday, May 4, 2020, and the Company expects set up and testing of the units to last about a week before entering into production.
About Mack Molding
Mack Molding is a leading custom plastics molder and supplier of contract manufacturing services. Mack specializes in plastics design, prototyping, molding, sheet metal fabrication, full-service machining and medical device manufacturing. Founded in 1920, Mack is a privately owned business that operates 11 facilities throughout the world. Don Kendall is CEO and chairman. For more information, go to www.mack.com.
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MACK Molding and Southwestern Vermont Health Care Dive Deep in Search of Personal Protective Equipment
BENNINGTON, VT—April 21, 2020—Mack Molding and Southwestern Vermont Health Care (SVHC) have partnered to develop an innovative alternative for Personal Protective Equipment for the health system. Similar to the rest of the country, southern Vermont has not been immune to the challenges of acquiring PPE during the COVID-19 crisis, and most specifically disposable masks. Through their collaboration, Mack and SVHC began investigating alternative mask options that could be modified since N95s masks and 7700 respirators are in high demand.
The collaboration arose out of personal connections. Kevin Dailey, the vice president of Administration/CHRO at Southwestern Vermont Health Care (SVHC) had led human resources at Mack until 5 years ago. He knew the type of specialty plastics manufacturing and rapid product development Mack was capable of. When it was clear that PPE would likely run short, he gave his friends there a call. Realizing the extraordinary tight time-frame and regionally important challenge, Mack—a leading supplier of contract injection molded plastic parts to companies in a range of industries—called on Adam Lehman, president of their subsidiary, Woodbridge, Conn.,-based Synectic, to identify immediately available options that could be redesigned to function as a respirator. Lehman located a snorkeling mask that the Synectic design team could quickly re-engineer into Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).
“When I informed Synectic’s team about this project, they were ready and excited for the challenge,” said Jeff Somple, president at Mack headquarters in nearby Arlington, VT. “It was an opportunity for some groundbreaking innovation and to make a meaningful difference for our region’s front line healthcare workers.”
After only two weeks of design, testing, and manufacturing, Mack’s team at Synectic fabricated an attachment to a snorkeling scuba mask. The mask covers the entire face and denecessitates the use of disposable masks and shields. Their engineers removed the part that usually protrudes out of the water when snorkeling and replaced it with a new, custom-designed branched component equipped with cartridges containing P100 HEPA filters.
“Mack has always been a tremendous regional partner and an integral supporter of the health system for many years,” Dailey said. “As an essential manufacturer of health care products, I knew that they would want to help and came through with a brilliant solution for us.”
Each SVHC staff member is “fit tested” to ensure an adequate seal and assigned a mask. Each employee receives cleaning and storage guidelines, instructing how to disinfect and store their mask after each shift. The custom snorkeling branch modification and P100 HEPA filter casings can be easily removed for cleaning and screwed securely back in place. Before each use, staff conduct a positive and negative pressure test to ensure the masks are holding up for their protection. The fact that the air intake is above the wearer’s head improves the line of site and allows patients to see their physicians’ and nurses’ faces more clearly.
“Our priority is to ensure the safety of our staff while caring for patients during the pandemic,” said Shiela Boni, RN, MSN, a nursing director and PPE officer for SVHC. “The retrofitted scuba mask accomplishes this while decreasing our dependence on disposable masks.”
Unlike medically approved respirators, the scuba mask has been adapted to meet the filtration requirements of personal protective equipment (PPE). The risk assessment conducted by Mack’s design and SVHC showed that the mask fully seals around the face with silicone, reducing skin breakdown, and the N100 HEPA filters have a higher rate of filtration than the material in the traditional N95 masks. Less than three weeks after the initial request to Mack, their subsidiary Synectic delivered 500 scuba masks and 2,000 N100 HEPA filter casings to the hospital.
Thomas A. Dee, FACHE, SVHC’s president and CEO, expressed relief at having secured the adapted scuba masks to outfit those in the highest risk areas of the hospital. “This is a great example of how collaboration and innovation sustain us during challenging times,” Dee said. “Our gratitude for the hardworking teams at Mack and Synectic, who put many long hours into this project, cannot be overstated. This is another wonderful example of Mack’s continued support of SVHC.”
Additional photos of staff using the adapted scuba masks are available upon request.
About SVHC:
Southwestern Vermont Health Care (SVHC) is a comprehensive, preeminent, health care system providing exceptional, convenient, and affordable care to the communities of Bennington and Windham Counties of Vermont, eastern Rensselaer and Washington Counties of New York, and northern Berkshire County in Massachusetts. SVHC includes Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC), Southwestern Vermont Regional Cancer Center, the Centers for Living and Rehabilitation, and the SVHC Foundation. SVMC includes 25 primary and specialty care practices.
A COVID-19 information hotline is available for community members. The number, 802-440-8844, is answered 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. on weekdays. A recorded message provides the most frequently requested information. Telephone numbers and other COVID-19 information, including frequently asked questions and helpful resources, are available at svhealthcare.org/covid-19.
Southwestern Vermont Medical Center provides exceptional care without discriminating on the basis of an individual’s age, race, ethnicity, religion, culture, language, physical or mental disability, socioeconomic status, sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity or expression. Language assistance services, free of charge, are available at 1-800-367-9559.
About Mack Molding
Mack Molding is a leading custom plastics molder and supplier of contract manufacturing services. Mack specializes in plastics design, prototyping, molding, sheet metal fabrication, full-service machining and medical device manufacturing. Founded in 1920, Mack is a privately owned business that operates 11 facilities throughout the world. Don Kendall is CEO and chairman. For more information, go to www.mack.com.
Media Contacts:
Ray Smith | Larry Hovish |
Director of Marketing & Communications | Director of Communications |
Southwestern Vermont Medical Center | Mack Molding Company |
(802) 447-50003 | (802) 375-0772 |
ray.smith@svhealthcare.org | larry.hovish@mack.com |
Mack Announces New Hires and Promotions
ARLINGTON, Vt. (Feb. 11, 2020) – Mack Molding has announced several new additions to the team, as well as the advancement of internal team members, in the areas of quality, business development, customer management, manufacturing, purchasing and human resources.
“Renewed interest in U.S. manufacturing continues to drive not only program growth at Mack, it has allowed to us attract and retain top talent,” said Mack Molding President Jeff Somple. “As we prepare to celebrate our 100th Anniversary, these manufacturing and engineering professionals will help ensure we are well positioned to serve our customers for another hundred years.”
Lewis Jobson has joined Mack’s quality team as a quality assurance manager, leading external audit coordination and overseeing the Northern Division internal audit program. Lewis brings eight years of quality experience to the role. He most recently served as sr. compliance specialist in the automation department at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals in Rensselaer, N.Y., where he honed his regulatory knowledge on matters related to U.S. Food and Drug Administration, European Medicine Agency, and ISO 9001 and 13485, as well as ensured compliance with Good Manufacturing Practices. He is a U.S. Army Veteran, and has an associate degree in mathematics/science from Columbia Greene Community College in Hudson, N.Y.
Shannon Hildebran has joined the business development team as business development manager responsible for new account growth in the Carolinas, Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado and Utah. He previously served as a Mack South account manager, handling all aspects of relationships from corporate contracts to engineering activities. He has a deep familiarity with resins, having gained significant plastics and sales experience as a sales engineer with Omni Plastics in Evansville, Ind., Mid-Atlantic sales representative for Polymer Resources LTD in Stamford, Conn., and as an inside sales/customer service rep for GE Plastics. He has a bachelor of science degree in business administration from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
Charles Muller has been appointed as a program manager in the sales and engineering department at Mack Headquarters, with responsibilities for planning, product realization, team leadership, sales growth and cost management for new and existing customers. Charlie brings significant medical device experience to Mack, having previously served as a senior packaging engineer for Zimmer Biomet in Parsippany, N.J., where he designed and documented labeling, managed package performance testing and lead CAPA investigations. He began his tenure with Biomet as a product development engineer, and also built engineering expertise as a development engineer with Howmedica. Charlie has a bachelor of science degree in materials engineering from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
The manufacturing engineering team at Mack Headquarters has welcomed Violet Castor as a manufacturing engineer. She will be responsible for shepherding programs from concept through prototyping and clinical evaluations to phase in and ramp up. Prior to Mack, Violet held a research assistant position with the University of California, San Diego, where she helped research and develop a 2D cell flow cytometer that could image cells at high throughput. She previously had a similar role at the Keck Graduate Institute in Claremont, Calif. Violet has a master of science degree in electrical engineering, medical devices and systems, from the University of California, San Diego, as well as a bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering from the State University of New York at Buffalo.
James Holden has accepted the position of manufacturing engineer on the Headquarters manufacturing engineering team. Prior to Mack, James worked as a mechanical engineer at Fafco Inc. in Chico, Calif., where he gained valuable experience in molding, machining, designing and manufacturing. He developed manufacturing processes for a new hybrid solar panel, as well as helped design production-ready components for the solar thermal industry. James has a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering from California State University, Chico, as well as an associate of science degree in automotive technology from the Arizona Automotive Institute.
Ian Avent has joined the quality team at Mack Headquarters as a quality engineer with responsibility for compliance with our customers’ quality requirements. Before joining Mack, Ian was a quality engineer for Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics in Granville, N.Y., where we worked with polyurethane foam, PVC adhesives and medical bandages. Prior to that, he was a consultant for the publishing industry, with a particular focus on providing various IT, project and workflow management and optimizations, and site and app development in relation to e-books. A graduate of Marlboro College, Ian has a bachelor’s degree in computer science.
The quality team at Mack Headquarters has appointed Diana Dreher to the position of quality engineer. Before joining Mack, Diana served as a quality assurance manager at Vishay Intertechnology in Bennington, Vt., where she was responsible for ensuring product quality and customer satisfaction, while also managing programs to meet product performance standards and maintain company certifications. She previously gained significant quality and engineering experience with Energizer Holdings in Bennington, Vt. Diana has an MBA from Clarkson University in Potsdam, N.Y., as well as a bachelor of science degree in production operations management from Plattsburgh State University in Plattsburgh, N.Y.
The quality team at Mack Headquarters welcomes David Puskar as a quality engineer. Before joining Mack, David most recently worked in quality assurance for Pratt & Whitney in East Hartford, Conn., where he performed metallurgic testing and quality control of hollow fan blades for military aircraft engines. He also implemented a frequency based sampling plan and participated on machine/process qualifications. David previously gained quality and engineering experience working in quality assurance at 3M Purification in Stafford, Conn. He has a bachelor of science degree in biomedical engineering from the Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston, Mass.
Seth Peeler has been appointed as a supplier engineer with the purchasing department at Mack Headquarters. Seth will be responsible for conducting preliminary purchased part risk assessments, lead-time and cost estimates, and identifying and qualifying outside manufacturing partners for Mack’s medical customers. Prior to Mack, Seth was most recently a logistics coordinator for NAPA Transportation Inc. in Mechanicsburg, Penn., where he tracked shipments, brokered loads through carrier communications, and handled customer shipment updates and care. He was also a research assistant for Pennsylvania’s Lock Haven University’s Department of Geology and Physics. A graduate of the school, Seth has a bachelor of science degree in physics.
Brittany Berard has accepted the position of business development coordinator on the business development team. Within this role Brittany will be based at Headquarters where she will assist the field-based business development team by providing support for quoting, customer relationship management (CRM) through Salesforce and various marketing initiatives aimed at driving new account growth. She has been part of the Mack family, serving as a sales service representative since April 2013, working with customers on order management, delivery schedules and complaints and returns.
Asa Bacon has been appointed as a program coordinator on the Sales & Engineering team at Mack Headquarters. He will be responsible for maintaining program schedules and records, facilitating document control tasks and interfacing with customers. Asa has held several positions since joining the Mack family as a finisher in 2013, including warehouse utility, production planner and manufacturing administrator. Most recently he served as a sales service representative in the Sales & Engineering Department. An Arlington native and third generation Mack employee, prior to Mack he was facilities manager for the Hill Farm Inn in Sunderland, Vt. He also served nearly six years in the U.S. Army as a sergeant, cavalry scout and team leader.
Amber Lundberg also has been named a program coordinator in the Headquarters Sales & Engineering department after serving as a sales administrator on the team since 2017. Prior to Mack she held roles of increasing responsibility at Big Bear Natural Foods in Morrisville, Penn., and Ewing, N.J., including assistant manager and store manager. Additionally, Amber built significant customer service expertise as a team captain with Merry Maids, as well as in the healthcare and restaurant industries. She holds a master of science degree in sustainable management from the University of Wisconsin Stout and a bachelor of science in environmental management from the University of Phoenix.
Kristin Downey has joined Headquarters’ sales and engineering team as a sales service representative, handling front line interactions with customers. She’ll work in tandem with a program manager as the customer relationship team, with responsibilities for order management, price list management, coordination of shipping and schedule confirmation between our plants and customers, as well as for providing document control, billing and account receivable support. Kristin honed her people and organizational skills while working in retail. Most recently, she held a leadership position at Theory in Manchester, Vt.
The Sales & Engineering team at Mack Headquarters is pleased to welcome Allyson Yannotti as a sales service representative. Allyson has held several positions with the organization since joining the Mack family in 2012, including finisher and material expeditor. Most recently she has served as a production planner since 2015, with responsibility for leading quarterly and year-end inventories, as well as assisting customers with their production needs. The customer service, time management and problem solving skills she developed in these positions will serve her well.
Renee Zobel is joining the department as a sales service representative after serving the organization as a consultant working with Mack’s manufacturing planners since February 2019. Renee brings significant interpersonal communication skills to the role, having built project planning and budget management experience in both corporate and higher education settings. Prior to Mack, she worked as a develop manager for the Southern Vermont Arts Center. Renee also served as a member of the Alumni Board of Marymount College of Fordham University.
About Mack Molding
Mack Molding is a leading custom plastics molder and supplier of contract manufacturing services. Mack specializes in plastics design, prototyping, molding, sheet metal fabrication, full-service machining and medical device manufacturing. Founded in 1920, Mack is a privately owned business that operates 11 facilities throughout the world. Don Kendall is CEO and chairman. For more information, go to www.mack.com.
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Jonathan Whitney Named Mack’s Vice President of Business Development
ARLINGTON, Vt. (Feb. 11, 2020) – Mack Molding, a leading custom plastic injection molder and supplier of contract manufacturing services, announced today Jonathan Whitney has been promoted to Vice President of Business Development.
“Jon’s tenure with Mack has seen significant new product introductions fueled by new market penetration and the further diversification of our customer base.” Mack President Jeff Somple said. “In addition to facilitating the growth of our new business development managers, his leadership has brought a new level of focus and execution to how we approach new accounts.”
As Vice President of Business Development Whitney will continue leading the unified new business development team for Mack’s Northern and Southern divisions. He reports directly to Somple with dotted-line responsibility to Mack South President Bryan Campbell.
In his nearly seven years with Mack Whitney has held roles of increasing responsibility, including business development manager, director of business development for Mack North and most recently director of business development for both the Northern and Southern divisions. An experienced engineer specializing in contract manufacturing, plastics and medical devices, he previously served as senior project manager for the design, development and commercialization of cardiovascular devices at Abiomed. Whitney holds an MBA from Babson College in Wellesley, Mass.; a masters in engineering management from Tufts University in Boston; and a bachelors in plastics engineering from the University of Massachusetts at Lowell.
About Mack Molding
Mack Molding is a leading custom plastics molder and supplier of contract manufacturing services. Mack specializes in plastics design, prototyping, molding, sheet metal fabrication, full-service machining and medical device manufacturing. Founded in 1920, Mack is a privately owned business that operates 11 facilities throughout the world. Don Kendall is CEO and chairman. For more information, go to www.mack.com.
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