If Your Company Needed to Make Masks or Respirators, Could Your Company Do It?
Posted on: April 3, 2020 | By: Guy Logan | Logan Consulting News
If your company needed to make masks or respirators, could your company do it? That’s a question our country is asking companies like General Motors and Ford.
In the wake of this pandemic, medical device manufacturers are being asked to adapt to the new COVID-19 reality. But this request goes beyond the medical device industry.
Our nation’s largest automobile manufacturers are being asked to make respirators instead of cars. Ford has partnered with GE and 3M to produce respirators, ventilators, and face masks. GM has partnered with Ventec. GM’s facilities and resources will now be used to assemble the ventilators produced by Ventec. The automobile manufacturer is also considering using one its facilities in India to produce more ventilators. Tesla has also stepped up to the plate. CEO Elon Musk purchased roughly 1300 surplus ventilators from China that were unused during the country’s outbreak.
Clothing manufacturers are being asked to make personal protection equipment. Gap Inc. announced they will begin producing surgical masks, hospital gowns, and scrubs. Nike is working with Oregon Healthy & Science University to prototype new face masks. Food and beverage manufacturers like Anheuser-Busch and Tito’s Vodka are using their supply and logistics networks to begin manufacturing hand sanitizer under the guidance of the American Red Cross.
The FDA has even issued new guidelines for manufacturers attempting to adjust their product lines. For example, ethanol made at factories that produce fuel ethanol can now be used to produce hand sanitizer so long as there are no additional additives or chemicals. Ethanol manufacturers must also ensure water purity and the proper sanitation of equipment.
Manufacturers across the country may need to change production plans in the near future. In order to prepare, manufacturers need to ask themselves the following questions:
- What must be done in order to change your product line?
- How flexible is your ERP system?
- Will your ERP system be able to support possible changes? If so, how?
- How flexible is your supply chain?
These are unprecedented times not only for manufacturers, but for American society as whole. We hope you and your families remain healthy and safe. Do not hesitate to contact Logan Consulting to discuss solutions to help your firm adjust to our new reality.