Not The Reading Room – COVID-19 Response

Strange days indeed! Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) is completely dominating the headlines, so we’re shifting this Friday slot to focus on that topic. Everyone has their own source for numbers, so we won’t cover that. We will try to cover what it all means for the industry.

This has been another week of rapidly evolving trends and the industry showing it has the will and the agility to help where it can. That has contrasted with genuine frustration on the way supply and demand are connected. Here are a few updates worthy of mention:

• On Wednesday at 8am in San Francisco, 10am in Dallas, 5pm in Germany, and 2am here in Melbourne, Australia I shared hosting duties with Eric Miscoll for the first episode of The EMS (Eric Miscoll Show) Goes Virtual. Our guests were Dieter Weiss of in4ma, and Ron Keith of Supply Chain Resource Group. The debate was fascinating, with insight and frustration in large measure. The panel explored the role of EMS in the fight against the virus, but more importantly who is well equipped to help and how demand and supply can be connected. This lively debate will be happening monthly and you’ll be able to watch the recorded version and register for the next show on EMSNOW from Monday.
• This morning (Thursday at 3:30pm in San Francisco) I co-hosted the third weekly episode of the Supply Chain Bunker with Fictiv CEO Dave Evans. Today’s inspiring guest were Lorraine Marchand, life sciences consultant, speaker, writer and professor alongside Greg Schulte, Director of Engineering at Mindtribe (Part of Accenture Industry X.0). The guest shared their own experience and insight into the healthcare supply chain in its current mode, exploring some of the same topics as those explored in The Eric Miscoll Show. These forums and communication tools are becoming increasingly valuable.
• Meanwhile those that connect supply chains are doing so. Modern Machine Shop tell us that “America Makes Partners with FDA, NIH and VA to Coordinate Coronavirus-Related AM Efforts”. America Makes is stepping up to organize an additive manufacturing (AM) response to medical equipment shortages because of the coronavirus pandemic.
• According to WIRED “Decades of Offshoring Led to a Mask Shortage in a Pandemic”. US companies have shifted production overseas, especially to China. We got cheaper products. But now we can’t make vital health care supplies.
• In his own blog, Marco Annunziata tells us we should be “Scrubbing Forecast Models Clean”. In his previous post, Marco discussed why it’s imperative to recognize the limitations of the available data on the coronavirus. It is equally imperative to recognize the limitations of the mathematical models with which experts are analyzing scenarios and forecasting the potential death toll.
• One of my new regular reads is Medtech Dive, who this week ran “AdvaMed wary of Trump’s use of DPA to boost ventilator production”. President Donald Trump invoked the Defense Production Act (DPA) to “compel General Motors to accept, perform, and prioritize federal contracts for ventilators”
• Given the current situation, Industry Week rightly asks, “Is Agility More Important than Lean?”, suggesting that with the right vision, the two go hand-in-hand. Industry Week is also providing excellent daily updates, check out “Daily COVID-19 Updates: April 2” covering Boeing, GE Aviation Cut Workforces; 6.6 Million File for Unemployment Benefits; Are Ventilator Promises Hot Air?
• Amy Feldman of Forbes explains how the “Ford Partnership With GE Healthcare Will Produce 50,000 Simplified Ventilators By July In Fight Against Coronavirus”. Ford will rely on a ventilator design from Airon, which is already approved by the Food and Drug Administration and is currently being produced at a rate of three per day at its Melbourne, Florida factory.
• For more great insight and solid advice, explore McKinsey and Company’s resources to lead through the crisis. Leadership and advice are exactly we need right now.

And that’s the SCOOP for this week. Stay safe, talk to friends, ask for help, your network has never been more valuable!!