COVID-19 roundup: 3M helping battle counterfeiting, price gouging

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic – companies reach out to help produce necessary medical supplies, people shelter in place state-by-state, and healthcare systems are being pushed beyond limits – of course price gouging occurs.

3M, working overtime to increase production of necessary personal protective equipment (PPE) and other medical supplies sent a letter from 3M Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Mike Roman to William Barr, attorney general of the United States; Larry Hogan, governor of Maryland and chair of the National Governors Association; and Tim Fox, attorney general of Montana and president of the National Association of Attorneys General, highlighting 3M's actions to curb counterfeiting and price gouging of personal protective equipment (PPE) during the COVID-19 pandemic. The letter also urges federal and state governments and law enforcement officials to continue to lead the fight, with 3M’s support and assistance, against those who are exploiting the crisis by marketing counterfeit products or gouging the public.

So while sad, yet typical of people taking advantage during times of crises – a pandemic – many, like 3M are open and helping keep manufacturing going across medical and other industries.

Titan Robotics is working with local health professionals to be of assistance in any way in the wake of protective equipment shortages while also continuing to provide crucial services to industrial customers with its in-house 3D printing capabilities and team of experts.

GMN USA, maintaining a safe and secure environment for employees and their families while continuing to support our customer's needs, remains open with all commercial activities in place.

BIG KAISER is open for business, maintaining and shipping inventory essential to OEMs and manufacturers throughout the United States, providing high-precision tooling, measuring systems, and applications support for a range of critical industries including those companies producing life-saving medical and surgical equipment and supplies. They will continue to answer questions, take calls, and ship orders. 224-770-2999 or email; TMS; Sales; Marketing

Okuma America Corp.’s President and COO, Jim King, lets all know they are open for business. King said, “While many companies are operating with altered work schedules and environments, some unique opportunities may exist for your employees to engage in activities such as equipment maintenance and continuous learning. To aid in this process, we have compiled select resources which are immediately available to you and your employees."

The Okuma Knowledge Center
The Knowledge Center includes helpful information, such as:

• Preventive Maintenance Checklist for Machines
• 3+2 vs. 5-Axis Machining: What's the Difference?
• Would Your Shop Benefit from Multitasking Machining?

Zeiss Industrial Metrology is up and running, letting everyone know that they are following the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and all relevant authorities for country-specific requirements to ensure the actions we take are comprehensive and suitable. Zeiss support and services continue as normal for our customers. Zeiss has engaged its Business Continuity Plan. This plan, which includes remote work for staff, is designed to support the safety and security of our employees while still providing support in the safest manner possible to our valued customers. We are prepared to continue our daily operations, therefore anticipate no interruptions to customer service and support.

Fanuc is available and also offer the option is to use the Fanuc Online Portal. In its online portal, users have the ability to order parts, search manuals, and get easy access to other helpful troubleshooting assistance.

Vesconite willing to manufacture ventilators - Last week, Vesconite sent 25,000 emails to customers and contacts throughout the world asking whether any had experience in making ventilators.

With no expertise in this technology but, with 70 CNC lathes and machining centers, and injection-molding and mold-making departments, and a desire to assist those who may require ventilators, the company received several favorable replies.

Among these are the recommendation that companies come together to produce a current design if a manufacturer makes their drawings available, or licenses them for use over this critical time.

Alternatively, it was proposed to manufacture a traditional design, the Manley Ventilator, which is a simple and robust mechanical device that the company may be able to reverse engineer if it can find a unit in working order.

"If you have ventilator expertise or know a company that does have the expertise, we would like to hear from you,” says CEO Dr Jean-Patrick Leger.

The coronavirus is likely to result in a need for hundreds of thousands of ventilators worldwide: data shows 5% to 10% of people infected need to be supported on ventilators for two to three weeks.

"We know nothing about making ventilators, but we can help,” Leger says. “If you have ventilator expertise, please email vesconite@vesconite.com and join with us so that together we can manufacture the thousands of ventilators that may be needed.”