Novolex Named Winner of 2020 Manufacturing Excellence Award for Innovation

Novolex®, a pioneer in packaging choice, maintainability and development, has been named the victor of the 2020 Manufacturing Excellence Award for Innovation.

The honor, introduced by the Association of Washington Business (AWB), respects the activities of Shields, a Novolex brand situated in Yakima, Wash., for retooling its assembling abilities to deliver defensive seclusion outfits during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Utilizing complex gear, the Shields plant regularly creates food bundling and compartments at its Washington offices in Yakima. However, after the pandemic hit, the organization rapidly repurposed its hardware to produce clinical seclusion outfits, which have been among the most desperately required kinds of individual defensive gear (PPE) and hard to find.

"When we learned there was a critical need for PPE, we immediately got to work adapting our facilities to produce medical gowns," said Scott Houtz, Regional Manufacturing Director of Novolex. "We're very honored to receive this award, and we're incredibly proud to help protect the many frontline workers who continue to protect all of us."

AWB President Kris Johnson introduced the honor basically during the affiliation's 2020 Manufacturing Week web broadcast this week.

"Novolex is a great example of how Washington manufacturers responded during a time of need and quickly adapted their production facilities," Johnson said. "In March, Shields Bag in Yakima – operated by Novolex – responded to a call from AWB asking our manufacturing members for help. We sent out a call asking for manufacturers that could retool their operations to make PPE like masks, gowns, face shields and other gear. By May, Novolex's nearly 1,000 employees in Yakima had ramped up to produce a million isolation gowns per week using equipment that had been used to make bags for tortillas and other food products.

"It was an incredible response during an unprecedented time and we're proud to recognize Novolex for their contributions to our state and nation," Johnson added.

The Innovation Award was the first of four Manufacturing Excellence Awards that AWB is reporting this week. Novolex is additionally one of three finalists for the Operational Excellence Award.

About Novolex:
Novolex develops and manufactures diverse packaging and food service products that touch nearly every aspect of daily life for multiple industries ranging from grocery, food packaging, restaurant and retail to medical applications and building supplies. The Novolex family of brands provides customers innovative paper and plastic solutions for their business needs today while investing in research and development to engineer more sustainable choices for the future. With more than 10,000 employee families, Novolex operates 61 manufacturing centers and administrative offices in North America and Europe, including two world-class plastic film recycling facilities.

About the Association of Washington Business:
Formed in 1904, the Association of Washington Business is Washington's oldest and largest statewide business association, and includes nearly 7,000 members representing 700,000 employees. AWB serves as both the state's chamber of commerce and the manufacturing and technology association. While its membership includes major employers like Boeing and Microsoft, 92 percent of AWB members employ fewer than 100 people. More than half of AWB's members employ fewer than 10.