Smart manufacturing company Bright Machines has announced a new initiative to combat potential medical product shortages during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Available immediately, Bright Machines aims to enable no-cost automation for up to a year for manufacturing devices essential to the treatment of the novel coronavirus.
As the world works to stymie the impact of COVID-19, access to testing and an adequate supply of treatment resources – especially ventilators and respirators – is critical. To aid in the effort to make necessary medical devices as readily available as possible, Bright Machines will provide no-cost access for up to 12 months for any Bright Machines Microfactory deployment associated with the COVID-19 response.
Bright Machines Microfactories help manufacturers quickly scale up production using modular automation. Bright Machines Select is the company’s microfactory-as-a-service model, which has the benefits of Software Defined Manufacturing to manufacturers without the upfront costs associated with traditional automation equipment purchasing.
In a blog post, Amar Hanspal, CEO of Bright Machines, said: “As a leader of an organisation that has employees in the US, Europe and Asia, many of whom were the first to get impacted by the disease and others who are now in mandatory shelter in place directives, I can’t help but to feel that where we can, we must help be a part of the solution.
“The most valuable and timely contribution Bright Machines can offer is removing barriers to quickly get these critical products into the hands of as many healthcare providers throughout the world as possible. And, as the part of the supply chain helping to manufacture products like these, it is our responsibility to help do so.”
Bright Machines has experience in this space, and earlier this year they announced a partnership with Diagnostics for the Real World (DRW) to automate the production of DRW’s SAMBA diagnostic and testing platform.
Following this announcement, Bright Machines is optimistic that manufacturers who might have otherwise been constrained by cost, labour shortages, or slow production cycles can now better meet the increased demands of healthcare systems that are preparing for unprecedented demand for their medical devices.