Since this global pandemic, that is, the COVID-19 has started, we are facing constant threats. One prime threat that the producers are exposed to is shortage and deprivation of critical supplies like ventilators, masks and test kits for the healthcare sector as well as the population.
The policy makers are asking the firms that are part of the manufacturing sectors, to repurpose, all their productions so that the global production capacity of essential items can be increased as much as possible.
That said, now it is implied that repurposing is a much required step for the well being of the entire world. Most of the manufacturing units have to get themselves involved in the production of life saving products.
The World Health Organisation has, in its report, listed out some critical items that are facing worldwide shortage. These items need to be produced in huge quantities.
Repurposing is basically asking the manufacturing units to abolish their older purpose of manufacturing products and to imbibe a new purpose of manufacturing life saving products.
Challenges that manufacturers are facing while repurposing:
Repurposing is not at all an easy task. A particular manufacturing unit has to change its entire line of production. It has to fit in the new frames and the new compartment to produce the new desired life saving products.
It is a call for a ‘wartime effort’ to tackle the current situation but the results that have been produced so far are too limited. Goods that have been manufactured through repurposing facilities have been rejected due to non compliance of the quality index.
This is partly not a mistake committed by the manufacturing units since they are manufacturing these products for the first time and so, they are prone to mistakes.
Why are the efforts of these manufacturing units going in vain?
Normally what happens is that these manufacturing units have proper planning to execute while manufacturing a new product.
A successful plan is made after scrutinizing the available resources, anticipating the demands, learning from the past failures, preparing for alternative ways, etc. But in the case of repurposing, the manufacturing units are not getting the proper time for making a full proof plan.
They have to go ahead with all that they have in their possession at the current time and have to form a plan using these resources only. Moreover, in the case of manufacturing lifesaving products, a proper backup plan is absent and no past experience is there. Therefore, these repurposed products are failing.
It is a sure shot fact that we need to produce more life saving items but we have to produce these with perfect safety and the quality needs to be maintained as well.
Therefore, a perfect roadmap for repurposing is a much needed step. Repurposing is associated with the requirement to meet the shortage of critical supplies that are created due to this pandemic.
Therefore, the manufacturing units have to properly plan, beforehand, all the essential steps that need to be taken during the course of production of the critical supplies.
In this time of global disaster, where the lives are being destroyed on a mass level, proper planning and execution is the key to prevent the pandemic.
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