ZVerse Announces Plans to Produce 20 Million Face Shields
07 Abril 2020 - 12:59PM
A 20-person digital manufacturing company has overhauled its
business model to become one of the largest producers of reusable
face shields in the U.S. ZVerse is currently producing 50,000
shields per day. By mid-April, capacity will grow to 100,000
shields per day. ZVerse Founder and CEO John Carrington
projects the company will produce 20 million shields by July.
After hearing from local hospitals, Carrington sprung to action
to build a strong domestic supply chain and meet demand for
personal protective equipment (PPE) – specifically face shields.
Leveraging ZVerse’s digital manufacturing ecosystem, Carrington
brought together designers, materials and manufacturing partners,
including Protolabs, the fastest digital manufacturer in the U.S.
(NYSE: PRLB), to accelerate mass production.
“The need for face shields is dramatic and urgent,” said
Carrington. “Our lives transformed overnight as we mobilized our
network to get as many shields as possible to the front lines. We
are hearing from hospice workers, anesthesiologists and other
medical personnel who are desperate to order protective gear for
their employees. Our critical care community is vital and
vulnerable. We are working hard to shield them as quickly as we
can.”
Carrington is investing $4 million in upfront capital expenses,
which include the professionally engineered injection molds.
Initially ZVerse used 3D printing to produce the first 1,000
shields. However, the overwhelming demand led the company to use
injection molding to increase production to 100,000 shields per day
at a price hospitals can afford.
“We’ve been working with ZVerse from day one on this project,”
said Gurvinder Singh, Injection Molding Product Director at
Protolabs. “We were able to leverage our digital injection molding
process to go from CAD to production in 48 hours and have been
delivering thousands of critical parts every day since then.”
ZVerse has orders from hospitals and government agencies for
nearly 3 million shields. Customers include Prisma Health, Veterans
Affairs, Concourse Federal Group, the state of South Carolina,
Kaiser Permanente, South Carolina Department of Corrections and
Roper St. Francis Healthcare. First deliveries went out on March 31
to Prisma Health.
“Prisma Health was an early customer with our order for 50,000
shields,” said Matt Rivers, supply chain manager at Prisma Health.
“We were looking for reusable, easy-to-clean face shields that
could be produced in large quantities quickly. ZVerse’s domestic
supply chain gave us confidence in its ability to deliver. With the
initial 500 shields arriving last week, our nurses, doctors,
respiratory techs and other clinical providers are now using the
face shields to treat our COVID-19 patients.”
In addition to bulk orders, ZVerse has made shields available
for the general public to purchase in single quantities, 5-packs or
10-packs. They are designed to be reusable and to protect the face,
mouth and eyes from spray and splatter. Each unit comes in three
parts, a headset, visor and application band. The shield takes 30
seconds to assemble.
The shields are designed, sourced and made in the U.S. According
to Carrington, it’s critical to create a strong domestic supply
chain that isn’t hindered by international shipping or customs
interference. In addition to its 20 team members, ZVerse estimates
hiring at least 50 people in South Carolina as well as contracting
local companies to help with sales support and logistics.
South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster said, “American business
is overwhelmingly comprised of small businesses like ZVerse. The
rise of these local businesses aiding in a time of need is a
time-tested American story that tells us we will prevail. We are
incredibly proud of the work ZVerse is doing to provide much-needed
PPE and jobs to the state of South Carolina, and across the
country.”
Last week ZVerse launched its Be the Shield campaign, a movement
meant to inspire people to shield healthcare workers by staying
home, washing hands and practicing social distancing. For more
information, follow ZVerse on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and
Twitter and visit the website BetheShield.info.
About
ZVerse:ZVerse bridges the design gap for
digital manufacturers at scale through its AI-enabled CAD as a
Service (cadaas) platform and certified designer network. Its
modular solution of services, fully configurable to specific
customer needs, aims to disrupt the traditional manufacturing
landscape with vast efficiency by providing the fastest path from
idea to finished product.
Media Contact: Liana MoranThe
Wilbert GroupLmoran@thewilbertgroup.com
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