COVID-19 has impacted most facets of life globally, and now the coronavirus is transforming the way buildings and products are being designed and manufactured. For Medline Industries, a manufacturer of face masks, the best solution for unprecedented demand was to create a modified manufacturing plant.
Medline, the largest privately held manufacturer and distributor of medical supplies in the U.S., is building a modified plant in Lithia, GA. Once complete, the plant will be capable of producing 36 million masks each month.
The company also recently finished constructing a new call center in Dubuque, IA to support its booming business, all due to the coronavirus. The LEED-certified facility is 130,000 square feet and houses more than 1,000 workstations. The call center has created more than 100 new jobs.
A Solution for Vaccination Logistics
As the U.S. scrambles to vaccinate its massive population against COVID-19 in a timely manner, a number of new solutions are coming to market. VaxMod, from design firm Boulder Associates, is one of the leaders. The modular system offers prefabricated units for COVID-19 vaccinations. The units are safe and efficient and geared toward the needs of healthcare workers. They are also designed for speedy delivery.
“Our experience in prefabrication means we can manufacture these facilities with better speed to market,” said Will Lichtig, executive vice president and chief of staff with The Boldt Company, which manufacturers VaxMod. “This allows us intense quality control, increased safety for our workforce, and the ability to meet an urgent need for healthcare organizations and our communities.”
The VaxMod solution includes three 12x40-ft modules which operate as freestanding units. They may also be connected with segregated spaces for healthcare workers and patients.
The Boldt Company claims the offering may be used to vaccinate more than 1,100 patients in an eight-hour shift, utilizing 27 full-time employees. That number represents 39 percent more vaccines delivered per hour, using seven percent fewer staff, than model vaccination clinics outlined by the CDC.
VaxMod may be used for walk-in as well as drive-through patients and is also scalable. When configured as a drive-through hub, the offering can handle 104 vehicle vaccinations per hour. It can also serve 35 walk-in individuals per hour.
To provide more information about new technologies, products and standards being developed to meet the needs of a changing world, TMC is hosting its Future of Work Expo from June 22-25 at the Miami Beach Convention Center. The show will examine how AI, machine learning and other transformative technologies are changing the future of work and reshaping the entire global business landscape.
Edited by
Maurice Nagle
