There are a lot of new names appearing in the fight against the global coronavirus pandemic.
Businesses are being forced to pivot, and many of them are shifting their supply towards demand. A number of high profile companies have switched to making the necessities: sanitizer, masks, and respirators. These are agile companies that are ready to make a difference, and companies that are likely to weather the storm that is the 2020 economic shutdown.
Here are the entities that have stepped into the fray.
Sanitizer: Breweries Get in on the Action
Breweries and distilleries are the primary businesses getting into sanitizer, and it’s easy to see why: They’ve got a surplus of alcohol. Anheuser-Busch is perhaps one of the most famous, but there are dozens of local distilleries that are also starting to develop their own hand sanitizer. Hand sanitizer is often alcohol that has been diluted and mixed with other products, such as aloe. It cannot be known for sure how effective these sanitizers are, but it’s better than nothing.
Masks: Fashion Forward
This one is less about altruism and more about making money. Gap, Zara, and Louis Vuitton are among the brands that are now developing their own lines of face mask. Face masks have become fashionable. It started back when the Hong Kong riots kept making the news, and it’s continued to now.
These masks aren’t designed to be medically viable. They’re designed to be an attractive fashion statement in a world that may no longer be able to see the average person’s face. Since most people want to make a statement with their clothing, these masks may very well become popular. And because the CDC believes that Coronavirus could last 18 months or more, masks may become so commonplace that they become just like a t-shirt.
Respirators: Here Come the Factories
Factories with high tech capabilities are all trying to create respirators and ventilators. That includes Ford, 3M, and GE. Many factories are already closed down because of coronavirus, and other factories are finding themselves on hold while the economy sorts itself out. The ability to make respirators in these factories is undeniable; these factories already mill state-of-the-art products, and many of them are standing idle.
Companies that are reimbursed by the government for supplies may even find this a viable way to shore up their business during the worldwide shutdown. But for the most part, these companies appear to be just focusing on doing what they can.
Ventilators: Just Ask Elon?
Earlier in the month, Tesla founder Elon Musk garnered widespread criticism for offering ventilators to hospitals, and then shipping modified CPAP machines instead. CPAP machines can theoretically be used in place of ventilators, but not for long and not for critical cases. Still, they’re likely better than nothing. They probably won’t be used to replace ventilators for higher risk patients, but rather to move lower risk patients off ventilators so that higher risk patients can use them.
Companies that aren’t currently able to operate, or are operating at limited capacity, are looking to see what they can do. From seamstresses to 3D printers, there’s a lot out there that the average person can do, let alone major corporations. And it’s these corporations that are likely to have developed good will moving forward (at least… some of them).
