Two weeks into the coronavirus crisis, Lisa Morales-Hellebo and Brian Aoaeh, founders of The Worldwide Supply Chain Federation (#TWSCF), knew they had to help.
“The shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) and ventilators was staggering; not to mention the difficulty finding suppliers, red tape in the ordering process, price gouging and fraud”, says Morales-Hellebo. “This creates an impossible hurdle for hospitals, nursing homes, local governments, shelters, prisons, and the like to filter through the noise to place orders."
As an interdisciplinary, grassroots community of innovators and enterprises devoted to building supply chain networks of the future, #TWSCF is in a perfect position to help.
Morales-Hellebo and her team created a global clearinghouse to carefully vet and onboard PPE and related suppliers along with set fixed pricing. This is orchestrated with the help of numerous donations and both U.S. and overseas manufacturers.
#TWSCF partnered with JOOR to provide a private marketplace for their verified suppliers and buyers, which enables instant access and scale for manufacturers, and the ones who need it most on the front lines.
“We are taking orders through our private marketplace platform and harnessing the time and energy of JOOR employees who have volunteered to reach the thousands of brands who use us and engage them in the effort,” says Kristin Savilia, CEO of JOOR.
Airtable has also been helping with the global database while logistics partners are in place to manage shipments from four regional hubs around the country.
Manufacturers are encouraged to participate by going to www.theworldwidesupplychainfederation.com to match production capabilities with a list of healthcare products in demand. Healthcare facilities can sign up for the PPE they most need and will be granted access to the private marketplace once onboarded. Also, local Government offices are encouraged to connect so they can take pressure off their resources and healthcare facilities in orchestration of PPE supply.
