Medtronic, DePuy Taking Steps To Help Fight COVID-19
March 30, 2020 at 10:10 p.m.
By Amanda Bridgman-
Kevin Chookie, director of Warsaw Medtronic manufacturing, said the orthopedic manufacturer at 2500 Silveus Crossing, hasn’t laid any local employees off. Chookie said the company has implemented working-from-home policies and has a critical employee list.
“We are deemed as a critical industry ... based on being a health care provider, so we are running with a limited, on-site support resources, and we’re trying to staff-direct our hourly employees,” he said.
Chookie also said last week that the Medtronic site in Galway, Ireland, began making face masks to help support those on the front lines of fighting COVID-19, but that Warsaw wasn’t doing that.
On Monday, a news release from Medtronic said that the engineers at Warsaw’s Medtronic were contacted last Wednesday by Product Development at Operation Headquarters in Minneapolis with an opportunity to help support the national health care professionals.
The release said Medtronic is working with Stratasy – the global leader in 3D printing – to produce face shields and help supply hospitals with supplies needed to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The U.S. currently is experiencing a shortage of supplies for healthcare workers, and Medtronic in Warsaw is rapidly moving to assist and help in the crisis,” according to the release.
“The team jumped on the challenge, as Stacy Grubbs, production coordinator, quickly ordered additional materials; Scott McDevitt, tool design engineer, sprang into action and reviewed all the material specification and blueprints; and Mike White, tool design technician, responded by changing over both of the 3D printers to the required materials and started growing parts by early afternoon,” according to Medtronic. “The first group of 60 units was ready by Friday morning.”
A rotational schedule was established so the face shields can be produced 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with an expected output of 200 units per week. Once manufactured, Medtronic said, the face shields will be shipped to Minneapolis for distribution to needed U.S. medical workers, with the goal being to produce more than 5,000 face shields over the next week in partnership with Stratasy.
“These are extraordinary times in our lives, and the team, lead by Ray Blair, engineering manager, answered the call an in record time started production on this essential equipment to aid the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic,” the release said.
In October, Medtronic announced it would be moving some of its manufacturing jobs from Warsaw to other locations over the next two years, but how many jobs weren’t detailed.
DePuy Synthes, 700 Orthopaedic Drive, Warsaw, part of the Johnson & Johnson family of companies, is also taking steps to help fight COVID-19.
Judy Moore, DePuy’s manager of communication and public affairs, said, “In our role as a global health leader, Johnson & Johnson has been working directly with governments and health authorities to help end this fast-moving COVID-19 pandemic since January, including collaborating to accelerate the development of a vaccine for COVID-19. Earlier today (Monday), Johnson & Johnson announced that it expects to initiate human clinical studies of its lead vaccine candidate at the latest by September 2020 and anticipates the first batches of a COVID-19 vaccine could be available for emergency use authorization in early 2021, a substantially accelerated timeframe in comparison to the typical vaccine development process.”
Locally, DePuy has implemented precautionary procedures and support to its employees, contractors and the communities they work in and serve by suspending travel, providing medical professionals for COVID-19 questions, enhancing site cleaning and disinfection procedures and enabling work-from-home arrangements for those who can do so, Moore said.
“While this remains a dynamic situation, we are not experiencing significant product supply interruptions related to COVID-19 at this time,” Moore said. “To meet the needs of patients and customers globally, we have robust business continuity plans in place across our global supply chain network, including maintaining critical inventory at major distribution centers away from high-risk areas and working with external suppliers to support our preparedness plans.”
Kevin Chookie, director of Warsaw Medtronic manufacturing, said the orthopedic manufacturer at 2500 Silveus Crossing, hasn’t laid any local employees off. Chookie said the company has implemented working-from-home policies and has a critical employee list.
“We are deemed as a critical industry ... based on being a health care provider, so we are running with a limited, on-site support resources, and we’re trying to staff-direct our hourly employees,” he said.
Chookie also said last week that the Medtronic site in Galway, Ireland, began making face masks to help support those on the front lines of fighting COVID-19, but that Warsaw wasn’t doing that.
On Monday, a news release from Medtronic said that the engineers at Warsaw’s Medtronic were contacted last Wednesday by Product Development at Operation Headquarters in Minneapolis with an opportunity to help support the national health care professionals.
The release said Medtronic is working with Stratasy – the global leader in 3D printing – to produce face shields and help supply hospitals with supplies needed to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The U.S. currently is experiencing a shortage of supplies for healthcare workers, and Medtronic in Warsaw is rapidly moving to assist and help in the crisis,” according to the release.
“The team jumped on the challenge, as Stacy Grubbs, production coordinator, quickly ordered additional materials; Scott McDevitt, tool design engineer, sprang into action and reviewed all the material specification and blueprints; and Mike White, tool design technician, responded by changing over both of the 3D printers to the required materials and started growing parts by early afternoon,” according to Medtronic. “The first group of 60 units was ready by Friday morning.”
A rotational schedule was established so the face shields can be produced 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with an expected output of 200 units per week. Once manufactured, Medtronic said, the face shields will be shipped to Minneapolis for distribution to needed U.S. medical workers, with the goal being to produce more than 5,000 face shields over the next week in partnership with Stratasy.
“These are extraordinary times in our lives, and the team, lead by Ray Blair, engineering manager, answered the call an in record time started production on this essential equipment to aid the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic,” the release said.
In October, Medtronic announced it would be moving some of its manufacturing jobs from Warsaw to other locations over the next two years, but how many jobs weren’t detailed.
DePuy Synthes, 700 Orthopaedic Drive, Warsaw, part of the Johnson & Johnson family of companies, is also taking steps to help fight COVID-19.
Judy Moore, DePuy’s manager of communication and public affairs, said, “In our role as a global health leader, Johnson & Johnson has been working directly with governments and health authorities to help end this fast-moving COVID-19 pandemic since January, including collaborating to accelerate the development of a vaccine for COVID-19. Earlier today (Monday), Johnson & Johnson announced that it expects to initiate human clinical studies of its lead vaccine candidate at the latest by September 2020 and anticipates the first batches of a COVID-19 vaccine could be available for emergency use authorization in early 2021, a substantially accelerated timeframe in comparison to the typical vaccine development process.”
Locally, DePuy has implemented precautionary procedures and support to its employees, contractors and the communities they work in and serve by suspending travel, providing medical professionals for COVID-19 questions, enhancing site cleaning and disinfection procedures and enabling work-from-home arrangements for those who can do so, Moore said.
“While this remains a dynamic situation, we are not experiencing significant product supply interruptions related to COVID-19 at this time,” Moore said. “To meet the needs of patients and customers globally, we have robust business continuity plans in place across our global supply chain network, including maintaining critical inventory at major distribution centers away from high-risk areas and working with external suppliers to support our preparedness plans.”
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