Companies around the world are showing the miracles of innovation and adaption, shifting their manufacturing processes to producing much needed supplies for the pandemic. Water companies are finding creative ways to re-purpose their technologies for healthcare applications, from face shields to ventilators
Several breweries around the world, such as Anheuser-Busch, Diageo and Brewdog have recently moved into making much needed hand sanitisers. They have joined other companies in the fight with the Coronavirus, like Tesla and Dyson, who have adjusted their businesses to manufacturing ventilators for hospitals. Companies are pushing new decisions through in days, urgently, which normally take months to achieve.
The US modular wastewater treatment company Aquacycl has also switched to producing hand sanitiser as a temporary service for the Covid-19 response.
The water technology company Xylem has started producing face shields at the beginning of the epidemic, and is now moving into manufacturing the ventilators by re-purposing the flow control pumps. Quite impressive, isn’t it? The company is now awaiting the permission from the health ministry to produce the first 30,000 units.
“Just as healthcare workers are on the front lines of critical care, water operators are on the front lines of infection prevention and control, making sure we’ve all got clean water and disinfected wastewater,” said Joe Vesey, senior VP and chief marketing officer at Xylem.
Danish pump company Grundfos started manufacturing 3D printed medical face shields within hours of receiving a request from the Danish Medicines Agency.
Water providers have been very focused on keeping their operations running and making sure there’s no interruption in water getting to every hospital and home. Water companies are also focusing on providing critical services to prevent the spread of the disease, by making sure the necessary equipment is supplied to keep the water treatment and provision operations running in the current economic conditions of uncertainty in supply chains and possible shortages of staff.
