Chemicals maker pivots to sanitizer

As the severity of the pandemic became apparent in March, Amanda Richie got a desperate message from friends who were physicians in Michigan. Medical supplies were running low. Could anyone help?

The message sparked an idea. Richie, CEO of Plymouth Technology Inc., a maker of specialty chemicals auto plants use to treat wastewater, knew some of the equipment her company uses to make its anti-foam was similar to what's needed to make hand sanitizer. She quickly met with her husband, Chance Richie, who is the company's chief engineering officer, and with one of Plymouth Technology's regular suppliers of ethanol, and before long, sanitizer production was underway.

For Richie, the launch has underscored the close nature of a business that's been in her family since its inception in 1991. Her five children, ages 15 to 22, have all helped with the effort, from designing labels to making deliveries.

Plymouth is now producing 10,000 to 20,000 gallons of hand sanitizer each week and has donated it to hospitals, fire departments, nursing homes and homeless shelters in the Detroit area, and to people affected by floods in Midland, Mich. Further, it has established a long-term business line, selling sanitizer to automakers that have reopened factories.

Plymouth's experience in the auto industry has helped it create a product that exceeds standards set by the Food and Drug Administration.

"We didn't realize how many people would be producing bad products, and I think that's why we're seeing a surge in demand," Richie said. "We approached it the right way. We're automotive, and you do things the right way, or you don't do business."