ST. LOUIS – Spartech, a leading manufacturer of engineered thermoplastics and custom packaging, has pivoted production at its Paulding, OH, plant to plexiglass to meet increased demand due to the coronavirus. The company also has plans to immediately hire more than 20 new full-time employees. Spartech has 15 manufacturing facilities in the United States including three in Ohio.

The company's Paulding plant normally produces various thermoplastic polymer and high impact polystyrene materials, not clear acrylic (plexiglass). But in the “new normal,” the Paulding team nimbly shifted to producing plexiglass, which is used for sneeze guards and other clear protective barriers at grocery stores, retail outlets, schools and municipalities.