In the early months of the pandemic, manufacturers both in and out of the traditional medical manufacturing supply channels found themselves pressed to create product lines. The output of masks, shields, hand sanitizer and ventilators sprung from need, and the rapid adaptation of manufacturing to meet those needs required a nimble workforce, quick design and prototyping, and then adjustment of the manufacturing process to deliver on those designs.
The normal design-to-operate process normally takes months, but the use of new tools such as artificial intelligence and digital design tools brought those products to market more quickly than normal. As the contents of this e-book will demonstrate, so many of the lessons learned will continue to pay dividends for future product introductions.