Data aggregator platform & distributed manufacturing technologies to distribute PPE in Bangladesh
THE QUESTION
Can a distributed manufacturing ecosystem that aggregates PPE demand from the field and fulfills it through hyper-localised manufacturing deliver PPE to frontline healthcare workers in a quick and efficient manner?
The Challenge
With a population surpassing 160 million and an overall score of 35 over 100 in the Global Health Security Index, Bangladesh has been considerably vulnerable to the Covid-19 pandemic. International and domestic supply chain systems have been disrupted, resulting in scarcity of PPE at the domestic level, thereby exposing frontline workers to the virus. The healthcare system is already fragile with only 8 hospital beds per 10,000 habitants and 6 doctors per 10,000 habitants. The availability of both protective gear and statistical capacity to measure how many resources are needed across the nation is limited. Furthermore, studies have shown that around 60–70% of the total budget of humanitarian operations is spent on logistics and supply chain management.
The Idea
The pilot will test the efficiency and effectiveness of a distributed manufacturing ecosystem to supply personal protective equipment (PPE) to manage the Covid-19 pandemic in Bangladesh. This initiative involves two complementary parts: the first being to aggregate the demand for protective equipment from the field response team via BRAC’S Data Tree, and the second being to fulfill this demand through hyper-localized manufacturing (customer focused manufacturing) by leveraging the existing FabLab network that includes over 17 suppliers. The pilot’s data aggregation platform aims to:
Create a network of local manufacturers in Bangladesh, that can facilitate a convenient needs assessment process for BRAC programmes based on ground demands.
Provide BRAC programmes a platform to explore new products
Test the efficiency of the distributed manufacturing on a system-level within BRAC, so as to ensure that the innovation is feasible to be adopted on a larger institutional scale through regular channels.
All photos on this page were taken by the pilot’s implementing partners, BRAC & SIL
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Read the Pilot’s Story
Learn how BRAC is leveraging local makerspaces, manufacturers and open-source designs to make their on-the-ground efforts more resilient — “Distributed Manufacturing: Building Resilience through Local Manufacturers in a Post-COVID South Asia”
Explore a step-wise guide to test if your organisation is ready for distributed manufacturing — Part 1, Part 2 & Part 3
Learn about how field immersions and impact mapping helped BRAC understand the role of distributing manufacturing in building social surplus — “Using Supply Chains to Create Social Impact in Humanitarian Settings”
Read about the pilot’s fourth sprint and their advocacy work — “Here’s Why the Core of Your Distributed Manufacturing System is Advocacy”
Learn about the pilot’s key learnings from their final sprint — “The Final Sprint in Distributed Manufacturing: Conducting Hyperlocal experiments”
Read our pilot story exploring the role of big data in facilitating more responsive and localised production of PPE in Bangladesh - ‘Data Aggregation and Distributed Manufacturing: Pilot Story’