One of my favorite podcasts is 99% Invisible, which covers various issues in design. This week’s episode is largely about the history of masks and managing pandemics (Masking for a Friend, April 21). That part is interesting in its own right. But the tail end of the show (starting around the 28:45 point) is on what the host terms “the great manufacturing pivot of 2020.” That is, how are are companies that have never medical equipment or other necessary supplies shifting on the fly to serve these new markets?
There are two great examples here. The first is Sound Devices, a Wisconsin manufacturer of recording equipment. They are now making face shield — which makes their product page rather trippy. The interesting discussion here is about lead times. Sound Devices is using their existing suppliers for some of the necessary components (preamps need molded plastic parts too) but that doesn’t mean that they can get the parts you want to you tomorrow. While a month and a half wait ahead of product launch may be tolerable in normal times, it can be a huge problem when the goal is to pivot in less than a week,
The second interesting example is the Industrial Sewing and Innovation Center (ISAIC), a Detroit nonprofit that aims to develop a sustainable apparel business in the US. There are two really interesting points. The first is around prioritizing values. ISAIC is now producing disposable protective gowns, which doesn’t exactly jive with having sustainable, environmental production. The second is about adjusting manufacturing processes given the need for social distancing. ISAIC wants to run a lean operation and particularly produces in cells. How do you compromise an efficient layout with the need to space out?
You can find out a little bit more about the role ISAIC is playing in coordinating the work of multiple Detroit firms here.
