Spokane-based custom awnings, sunshades, and canopy maker Vestis Systems Inc. has shifted its manufacturing operations to make and install clear vinyl barriers for businesses.

General manager Dan McGee says retailers and restaurants in the region are buying the barriers, designed to protect customers and employees from exposure to the coronavirus. 

At Vestis, McGee says, some of the company’s normal operations are considered essential, but the revenue brought in for those projects wasn’t enough to keep the company’s 11 employees working. The company had to lay off eight of its full-time employees, he says.

The idea to manufacture clear barriers was pitched by an employee, he says, and the company decided to pursue it as a way to bring back its employees who are currently laid off due to the shutdown. McGee says he expects to be able to rehire all eight employees as demand for the barriers increases. 

“It’s really about finding a way to try to get my guys working again,” says McGee. “We’re not seeing cancellations or anything like that. It’s just that the jobs we would normally be doing, we just can’t do them right now.” 

The bulk of Vestis’ projects support the construction industry, which is currently shutdown during the outbreak, McGee says.

Vestis currently occupies about 15,000 square feet of space at 213 E. Ermina, in the Logan neighborhood.

The company also has been approved for a Paycheck Protection Program loan, which will aid the company in bringing back its employees, McGee says.

The clear vinyl barriers start at $199 for materials and installation and have a lead time of one to two days for the standard 3 foot-by-3 foot barrier, McGee says. The barriers can also be customized to fit customers’ needs.

“I don’t know what kind of revenue this will bring in for us, but I’m honestly not really looking at this as a revenue source,” he says.

The company is making the first barrier is free to local companies, and those businesses don’t have to commit to purchasing more to receive one, he says.

Vestis didn’t have to change its manufacturing processes, McGee adds, as the barriers are constructed with similar methods and materials used to make awnings or canopies.

The flexible clear vinyl is stretched over an aluminum frame, much like fabric would be, he says. 

“It was very similar manufacturing processes that we’re already good at,” he adds. “We’re just finding a different application for it.” 

Vestis had received orders from four companies for batches of two to five barriers within a week of making the switch, McGee says.