Marian Acts Quickly as Customers Shift to Produce PPE
We are very fortunate at Marian to have wonderful customers and awesome raw material suppliers. During these stressful times as our country fights the spread of COVID-19, both our customers and suppliers have stepped up to meet the challenge. And we are proud and fortunate to be able to help. During the month of March, the shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) for front line healthcare workers was rapidly becoming critical in major population centers around the country.
Numerous Marian customers quickly re-focused their design and operations to manufacture PPE solutions, such as masks and face shields. They did so even when their major industries served were far removed from healthcare. Different customers independently contacted every Marian location for help in designing and manufacturing component parts of their various protective devices.
Of course, speed of response was (and continues to be) paramount:
- Our sales engineers have responded to customer requests instantly, providing material recommendations and samples the same day. It was not uncommon for a Marian sales engineer to drive up to 8 hours round-trip to retrieve and deliver material samples.
- Our engineering teams have been actively involved to make design suggestions where needed, giving our customer the most cost-effective product.
- Our customer service teams have kept our customers informed and organized, while coordinating rapidly changing production schedules.
- Our purchasing teams have leveraged strong supplier relationships to identify the best material solutions and confirm their availability in volumes that would ramp quickly to a high demand. Additionally, key suppliers, like 3M, have invariably stepped up to the task.
- Our tooling suppliers (like RotoMetrics!) are top notch. They have supplied the necessary complex tools the day after requesting so that we could start producing parts very quickly.
- Our production supervisors and production staff have continued to work diligently to produce high-quality parts on time, while taking extra precautions to ensure everyone stays safe and healthy. (Click here to view a video about the extra precautions being implemented at our locations)
- With 12 global locations and unmatched capacity, Marian is more than capable of producing the millions of parts estimated in a short time. Our teams work seamlessly together. Our converting equipment and processes are common and interchangeable. We can support our customers from multiple locations when necessary.
We are proud of all our teams and their exceptional work, especially during this chaotic and uncertain time.
These are certainly unusual times. We hope that in time our world will be a safer, healthier place. However, the “need for speed” will never end. As we have grown at Marian, we have tried to never lose focus on the importance of quick response, service, and solutions for our customers. We will continue to do so.
