Mira Plastics Sources and Remains Open PPE Thanks to NJMEP Collaboration 

Background

Mira Plastics Co., Inc. is a full-service plastic injection molding manufacturer located in a 62,000 square foot modern facility in Newton, New Jersey. This manufacturer has been committed to producing custom plastic parts with the highest quality and care since they were established in 1955. The state-of-the-art plant utilizes the latest technologies and green manufacturing practices to provide their customers with the high-quality products while making the smallest possible environmental impact. Mira Plastics is a leader in the plastic injection molding space, supplying life science, food manufacturing, and a plethora of other sectors throughout the tri-state and the nation.

The COVID-19 pandemic forced local governments all over the United States to begin mandating businesses that are deemed ‘non-essential’ to shut down. Many state governments oversaw the selection of which manufacturing companies should be considered essential. This proved disastrous. All manufacturing is essential, especially in the case of a pandemic. Closing a manufacturing plant that a government official deemed ‘non-essential’ would cause a domino effect that impacts an untold number of other manufacturers up and downstream.

Challenge

At the very beginning of the pandemic, factual information was difficult to come by. Business leaders were being bombarded by executive order after executive order. Oftentimes, these executive orders seemed to contradict themselves or provided sets of guidelines without any specific details.

Fear and uncertainty surrounding the manufacturing industry during the first couple weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic created a challenging business landscape for Mira Plastics. They were fearful that their business would close and couldn’t find the information on the executive orders that were being released each day.

Securing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) was a serious challenge for this manufacturer. Without having the proper PPE, Mira Plastics would not be able to help ensure the safety of its employees. Employers needed to provide their workforce with PPE to keep their facility open. Masks, gloves, hand sanitizer, cleaning products, etc. were nearly impossible to source at the start of the pandemic. If businesses like Mira Plastics could not acquire adequate PPE, they would have to close their doors even if the state deemed them essential.

Solution

Immediately upon discovering that businesses were going to be shut down by state government, NJMEP sprang into action. NJMEP is not a lobbying group, but advocacy is a large portion of the business’s efforts. By bringing together the New Jersey manufacturing community to highlight the importance of keeping all manufacturing open in the state, the Governor ultimately allowed these businesses to continue operating.

To address the misinformation that was prevalent during the first few weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic, NJMEP made it a mission to examine, review, and summarize the governor’s executive orders. These summaries were reviewed by NJMEP affiliate attorneys then shared with every manufacturer NJMEP could reach. Only the facts were provided.

NJMEP was able to help Mira Plastics secure the critical Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for their employees. Mira Plastics filled out the COVID-19 Supply Chain Support form and NJMEP connected the company to manufacturers and suppliers that had PPE available. This collaboration allowed the manufacturer to keep their business open and provide their employees with essential PPE.

Results

Keeping manufacturing progressing and competitive in New Jersey is the goal of NJMEP. COVID-19 presented a whole new set of challenges for local manufacturers. NJMEP remained agile and continued supporting businesses through this difficult time.

Mira Plastics was able to benefit in the following ways through their collaboration and work with NJMEP:

• Employees Retained: 20
• Able to Source PPE and Remain Open
• Received Up-to-date Information on State and Federal Guidance

“We all are very thankful for the work NJMEP has done. I hope more folks out there will learn about the good work NJMEP can do for their business,” Tina Miragliotta, Treasurer, Mira Plastics Co., Inc. stated.

Miragliotta continued, “The biggest thing NJMEP did was keep us informed and give us names of New Jersey companies that got us masks.”

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