Blog Details

As people and companies around the world come together in the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, Gems Sensors is proud to do our small part to meet the increased demand for ventilators.

Gems manufactures air and gas valve manifold assemblies used in ventilators and other essential medical equipment. To meet the urgent ventilator need, the Gems team worked quickly to scale production capacity of our ventilator components from 1,000 assemblies per week to nearly 20,000 per week. 

Using the principles of lean and kaizen, the team transformed a 55 sq. ft production cell with one operator into a 160 sq. ft cell that accommodates four full-time operators and can be run multiple shifts.  Additionally, the team achieved significant gains in takt time and cycle time to further increase production capacity. As demand continues to increase, this new cell area is set up for additional expansion as needed.  The new production area also accommodated social distancing to ensure the safety of our operators. 

In addition to the cell redesign, all functional groups from Customer Service to Operations have been innovating to deliver for our customers through actions such as rigorous new standard work and adoption of virtual tools for remote collaboration. Our Supply Chain team has responded to this fluid situation by setting up a COVID-19 war room and conducting daily stand-ups to ensure we have the required materials on hand to support the increased capacity and supply essential products to our customers.

We’ve also adapted how we operate to protect the health and safety of associates through a combination of remote work and increased safety protocols for those working onsite.

Our teams are energized and inspired knowing that their work directly ties to life-saving ventilators being supplied to hospital around the world.  We’re committed to continuing to innovate to meet the increased demand for ventilators and other essential technologies needed during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. For our customers who serve these essential industries, we are here to support you.

Should you have any questions or concerns, our customer service team is ready to assist.