Made in Dalton: The Heat Max Company
Despite the warm temperatures.. it's still the heart of cold weather season for most of the country, and there's one item that's flying off the shelves.
Have you ever seen those pouches that you shake, and they instantly warm up? The one company that's cornered the market on that, is right in our own backyard. The Heat Max Company in Dalton has 125 employees, and they're cranking out thousands of hand warmers to millions of people every year.
Hot Hands was the first in a long line of heat warming products made in Dalton for the past 20 years. Before that, they were made in Japan. Chief Financial Officer John Weathers says it was made on a shoestring budget back then. "We bought some used equipment from the company in Japan, and most of that equipment we're still using."
I have personal knowledge of the Hot Hands Hand Warmers. During President Barack Obama's 2009 inauguration, I loaded up my shoes with them.. In fact, I put them anywhere I could,and then stood with thousands of people for hours on the U-S Capitol lawn in Washington D-C, in 20-degree weather with a bunch of hot hands hand warmers. "Whenever I needed the heat," I told Mr. Weathers, "I would just shake my leg, which always drew a lot of stares from people near me."
So what's the scientific formula that generates heat? The ingredients say iron powder, water, salt, activated charcoal, and vermiculite, a mineral that expands when heated.. it looks a little like potting soil. You're supposed to shake the packet to activate the elements, but unbeknownst to you, exposing the package to oxygen, has already activated them. "It's an oxidation process," Weather says, "and oxidation generates heat."
How hot is it? "Depending on how the warmer is constructed, it may be from 125 to 145 degrees," Weathers says.
On the assembly line, speed is of the essence.. Since the heating process has already started once the elements are combined, the object is to get them inside a foil-sealed package as soon as possible. "They fill the pouch with material, the warming ingredients," says Weathers, as we watch package after package come down. "They come down the belt, and go into foil-sealable containers. They are sealed, which stops the oxidation process until the customer opens it after purchase. Meanwhile on the assembly line, the technician inspects them to make sure they are the proper weight."
In this case, another technician puts the finished package with other Hot Hands products for sale as one item.
The sealed package has a shelf life of 4 years..
The Heat Max Company has already bought out its nearest competitor, who imports its products from China. Mr. Weathers tells us, those products are now made in Dalton. "With our customer base and everything, we have about 95 per cent of the U.S. market as far as hand warmers," he says.
Since air starts the process, I found a handy little hint. You can stop the heating process to make it last longer, by robbing it of oxygen. After you've used it, place it in a zip-lock bag.
As long as the air is not present, it should last a few more times.
