Crisis-resistant supply chain is the ability of the flow of goods and services to withstand barriers or circumstances that would reduce or end progressive movement from production to consumers.
Published in Chapter:
Local Lessons During a Global Crisis: Inclusive Entrepreneurial Solutions to Supply Chain and Production Deficits
Ronald Coleman Williams (Coppin State University, USA), Will Holman (Open Works, Baltimore, USA), and Jeff Fuchs (Neovista Consulting, USA)
Copyright: © 2022
|Pages: 21
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-6684-4322-4.ch013
Abstract
The impact of the COVID-19 global pandemic has been pervasive. From the first report by the World Health Organization (WHO) of a “mysterious pneumonia” sickening dozens in Wuhan, China to 5,680,741 deaths, every social and economic system has been challenged. This descriptive case study utilizes a process of analytic induction to examine Makers Unite, a collaborative personal protection equipment (PPE) production project spearheaded by Open Works, a makerspace in Baltimore, Maryland. The organization produced 28,270 face shields in 56 days, averaging a production rate of 496 per day, serving over 100 clients, and resulting in a contract to produce face shields for meatpacking inspectors. The project included six full-time staff members, five temporary part-time staff members, a network of 388 volunteers and 3D printers, and two partner organizations. The study reveals best practices for establishing Lean small-scale manufacturing, developing institutional trust, community collaboration, and developing a more inclusive, agile supply chain in healthcare equipment production.