GOSHEN, Ind. — Normally, GDC Inc. in Goshen manufactures automotive parts and materials to companies like Ford, Toyota and GM. Like many other businesses in the automotive industry though, work began to slow down as the coronavirus pandemic progressed.

Last month, the company announced plans to lay off 300 employees.

However, some of them were called back.

“As this pandemic unfolded, we were concerned, and we met with our local healthcare workers to find out how we could utilize our production and our engineering capabilities to help them,” GDC Director of Sales Andy Kitson said last week during Governor Eric Holcomb’s daily briefing.

The company teamed up with Ford and General Motors to make face shields and other materials.

Kitson says the surging demand for these items has started to positively affect its laid off employees.

“We started out hoping we could make 4,000 shields a day, and now we can make 30,000 per day,” Kitson told Inside Indiana Business. “As operations continue, our plan is to continue to bring back people. A big concern is their health and well-being so all of our employees that are working here now are following strict guideline.”