COVID-19 Ramifications: Random Thoughts and Speculation

This is an article that is speculative in nature and is meant to stimulate discussion on the topics covered. And while it is speculative, many of the trends discussed were trends that were beginning to occur before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Secondly, there is a major role for 3D Printing, globally, as we look forward to the changes that are occurring, now on an accelerated basis, in manufacturing and the global supply chain in multiple sectors.

Here we go…

What is Happening Now

Aside from what international, national, and local governments are doing, we are seeing the business community beginning to bring significant resources to bear on combating the COVID-19 pandemic.

Large and small businesses around the world are mobilizing and making changes to their manufacturing in order to contribute their expertise and capacity to this effort.

Some are building ventilators and other medical devices, some are producing N95 masks, and some are making their 3D models available online so that other companies, countries, hospitals, makers, and individuals can create locally what may be needed.

This convergence of resources from multiple sectors is happening now faster than can be documented on this site, or any site for that matter, but it truly is a global phenomenon at this moment in time.

There are probably companies we have not really heard of who will emerge from this as leaders within the 3d printing arena. Expect to see some very creative minds come up with unique solutions that often come out of times of crisis.

What Can We Expect to Happen?

Changes in global supply chains and in global manufacturing in response to the COVID-19 pandemic are coming. Many of these changes were already beginning to happen beforehand, but the pandemic has shown us just how fragile these supply chains were to disruption.

COVID-19 pointed out just how vulnerable the global supply chains were to massive and unforeseen disruption.

Disruption not merely to a region or a nation, but to the entire global economy. China, for example, is the leading producer of pharmaceuticals by a fairly substantial margin. China provides, or provided, up to 90% of some antibiotics and other medications.

Whether it is a pandemic or a natural disaster, such as a major earthquake or flood or something else, this kind of fragility and dependence on a single nation has been shown to be a significant risk to supply chains around the world. I believe we can expect more regional segmentation globally, especially within the pharmaceutical industry, to mitigate against this.

Stay tuned for more to come.