at Alibaba.com Select, North America. “Businesses face challenges identifying supply, shipping their orders due to container shortages, gaining access to vessel space and port shutdowns and congestion.”


Alibaba.com’s U.S.- based team, “facili-


tates global B2B ecommerce trade at scale,” Price said.


“We work with a network of suppliers that offers a variety of products, includ- ing surgical masks, isolation gowns, face shields, goggles, nitrile gloves, vinyl gloves and much more,” Price said. The company, “has the supply chain insights and capabilities to assist customers with getting their orders to where they need them by connecting with a variety of qualified logistics services.” At the height of the pandemic, Healthmark Industries added two new products to its portfolio of PPE acces- sories. Both products are designed to be worn in decontamination areas. The wrap-around decontamination gown, designed for use in device repro- cessing areas, eliminates the need for a plastic apron, according to a website description.


It features a middle section, “manu- factured of a liquid impervious zone, including preventing strikethrough of detergent cleaning solutions even when physically leaning against sinks or other cleaning baths.”


Healthmark’s face shield with drape is meant to be worn, “where added protec- tion from splashing is recommended.” The drape, according to the description,


“adds a 12-inch fluid barrier that extends below the standard face shield and tucks inside a protective garment, providing additional protection in the area under the shield from splashing.” Honeywell also added to its product line during the COVID-19 pandemic. The new Soft Comfort Nitrile Exam Glove, is designed, Pearsall said, “for low-fluid exposure situations.” The gloves offer “easy donning and high tactile sensitivity,” she said, and represent the newest option among the company’s portfolio of exam gloves. Bonte said that Ahlstrom-Munksjo has seen demand for masks -- both medical and civilian grow at an unprecedented pace.since the start of the pandemic. In response, “the company decided


to use its sustainable product offer- ing and momentum to develop its face mask materials further,” Bonte said.


Ahlstrom-Munksjo’s new TenderGuard product portfolio, “offers a full suite of fabrics for medical and civil use face masks.” “The product is biodegradale and com- postable under controlled conditions (by European standards),” bonte said. The masks, “are protective, hypoallergenic and environmentally friendly.” “As the latest wave of COVID-19 recedes, cancer patients have started returning to chemo treatment centers, and physical protection for staff at those facilities is as important as ever. The Cardinal Health ChemoPlus gowns


and sleeves, produced in North America, limit exposure risks for those who handle chemotherapy drugs. The new, compre- hensive PPE line, according to a company description, “provide AAMI Level3 fluid protection, are USP-800 compliant, and are tested for use with 16 types of che- motherapy drugs, from preparation and handling to administration and disposal.”


Building reassurance In the summer of 2020, just a few months after the first wave of COVID-19 had peaked, Vizient embarked on a new series of expansion partnerships.


An agreement with Encompass Group LLC in August 2020 provides access to a much greater supply of PPE. It also allows Encompass to begin manufacturing in the U.S., which it will likely do in early 2022. The company currently uses manufactur- ing lines created in Mexico with Vizient. The move, according to a press release from August, 2020, “is part of Vizient’s larger strategy to outmaneuver uncer- tainty by creating a more resilient supply chain built on transparency and trust between manufacturers and providers.” The strategy, “includes increased visibility of raw materials and product origin, expanded domestic capacity and additional onshore inventory for member hospitals,” according to the Vizient press release.


And Vizient isn’t the only organization looking for new partnerships in the wake of COVID-19.


Honeywell recently announced a col- laboration with Premier Inc. to expand U.S. production of nitrile exam gloves and increase the domestic production capacity for those products. The themes are increasingly familiar: More transparency is necessary through- out the industry. Resilience and flexibility


Cardinal Health gown project


Healthmark Decontam gown


INFECTION PREVENTION must be baked in. And eggs should not


all be placed in one basket.


“The manufacturing competitive land- scape will become a lot more aggressive than it has ever been,” Bonte of Ahlstrom- Munksjo predicts. “The traditional manu- facturer landscape might look differently in two years from now, only making room for the most agile.” HPN


Visit https://hpnonline.com/21246088 for the sidebar, “Tips for selecting the right PPE.”


Featured PPE


Silver Lining reusable isolation gown


Healthmark face shield with drape


hpnonline.com • HEALTHCARE PURCHASING NEWS • December 2021 21


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