IBI Group Joins Global Community to Support Production of Personal Protective Equipment
Date
April 24, 2020
IBI Group’s global design technology professionals are supporting local governments and initiatives in their coordinated responses to the overwhelming demand placed on existing supply chains. By leveraging our global footprint, we’ve been able to respond quickly to numerous calls for support in North America and the United Kingdom, often in partnership with the firm’s existing clients.
In Canada, we joined Fitzrovia Real Estate, DiamondCorp, Tricon Capital Group, and CentreCourt Developments in their efforts to raise $75,000 for the production of PPE for healthcare workers. We’ve established a laser-cutting station in our mid-town Toronto headquarters, and are working collaboratively with design and architecture firms Quadrangle and Turner Fleischer to produce polycarbonate face shields, an invaluable resource to those working on the frontlines of the crisis.
In the United Kingdom, we’ve answered a nationwide call-to-action in support of frontline staff working in National Health Service (NHS) centres. Organized by palliative medicine doctor, James Coxon, 3DCrowd UK began actively recruiting individuals and organizations with the equipment and ability to 3D-print shortly after the viral outbreak, and is now coordinating the efforts of over 7,000 volunteers. Since then, our studio in London has supported staff in the at-home production of PPE, with the goal of producing plastic faceplates en masse, as well as providing the requisite materials to attach and adjust the masks once received. We’re coordinating deliveries with the support of DPD, who have donated their services free-of-charge in an effort to meet the recorded demand for over 586,000 new face shields.
Similarly in the United States, 3D printing has been relocated from our southern California office to the remote workstations of our design technologists, who are working diligently to connect the resources they’re able to produce with local healthcare workers in need. In coordination with the University of Southern California, our efforts in the western U.S. are supporting Governor Gavin Newsom’s rallying cry for volunteers, who can assist the state’s efforts to slow the spread of the virus by donating their time, resources, or skill.
When asked about the significance of a united design community in the face of a global health crisis, our Global Director of Buildings, Mansoor Kazerouni, said, “We are inspired by the effort of many individuals and companies who are doing everything they can to help. It instills a lot of confidence in the basic humanity that exists within each of us, and signals the overwhelming desire to give back when the need arises.”
