Hawaii plastics company sees no end in sight to demand for Plexiglas

HONOLULU, Hawaii (HawaiiNewsNow) - The worldwide demand for Plexiglas is so high Hawaii-based company Min Plastics went a month without getting new material.

The supply line’s moving again but it’s taking time to catch up with demand.

"Right now we have about a three-week turnaround. So if an order comes in today you'll get it in about three weeks," said general manager Andrew Min.

The pandemic’s bringing all types of industries to Min’s doorstep, businesses the company never dreamed would need Plexiglas.

"There's definitely more complicated jobs, like different height counters with returns, and cubicle to the wall to the desk," Min said.

Some companies order Plexiglas partitions to separate work spaces. Some schools want sneeze guards for desks.

"We do have a new product we launched. It's a personal protective guard. It's a three-panel system. It just slips together," Min said.

On Thursday, Chasity Lopes picked up an order for Ka Waihona o Ka Naauao Charter School.

"Right now I'm just getting three for three of our desks, for the health room and one of our student support services," she said.

For a time, a hot seller was a polycarbonate product that’s a more flexible form of see-through plastic.

”For a little while we were selling a lot of polycarbonate because we were out of stock with the acrylic stuff,” Min said.

The pandemic is exploding demand for Plexiglas and expanding its uses.

"It's a new way of thinking about how we use it, and how we service our customers," Min said.

As for a Plexiglas projection, Min said his company is already placing orders with suppliers for next year.

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