Puritan Medical Products Co. received national attention this past Spring as the demand for medical testing swabs skyrocketed. Puritan is a family-owned business headquartered in Guilford, Maine, and is one of only two major manufacturers of COVID-19 testing swabs in the world. In response to the increased demand, Puritan partnered with the federal government and Cianbro to expand its operations to a new swab-making facility in Pittsfield, ME.
The expansion, and increased demand, required an immediate increase in staffing. Due to the nature of the business, and the strict regulations, the new employees would need a robust onboarding process in addition to on the job training. Puritan Medical Products, Maine Quality Centers, and Maine MEP rapidly developed a partnership to create a training curriculum for the new employees.
Maine MEP project managers have many years of experience with employee training, and deep knowledge of manufacturing operations, quality and safety regulations. On short notice, Maine MEP built a customized curriculum and delivered interactive workforce training for the more than 350 new hires needed to support Puritan’s expansion.
“I want to thank the Community College and Maine MEP for the work that you did. In my career, I’ve never seen the speed and support for a program like this happen as fast and as well as it did.” Michael Ballesteros, Director of Regulatory Affairs and Quality Assurance, Puritan Medical Products, Co.
The new hire training program set a tone for the Puritan culture, emphasizing safety, quality, and FDA Compliance. The program also provides skills training, tailored to the requirements for machine operators.
This work was made possible through a partnership with Eastern Maine Community College and Maine Quality Centers.
Contact us to learn more about Maine MEP’s customized employee training programs.