As the pandemic swept across the nation in March, so did urgent questions about the virus’ potential strain on the healthcare system.

Among top concerns: whether the nation’s hospitals had enough ventilators to provide breathing support to critically ill patients with the disease COVID-19, which mainly attacks the lungs.

As experts predicted a surge in coronavirus cases and a possible shortage in intensive care unit equipment, University of Michigan teams immediately got to work on a solution. The mission: to quickly develop an efficient, affordable and more controlled way to expand ventilator capacity.

Now, just weeks later, U-M and Michigan Medicine researchers have invented an individualized vent-splitter that may allow multiple patients to receive customized pressures while sharing a single ventilator. U-M has filed for patent protection on the technology, and a local start-up, MakeMedical LLC, has licensed the technology and developed it into the VentMI device.

Continue reading at Lab Log U-M…

John Kennedy operates three manufacturing plants, including one in West Michigan, that have remained opened throughout the COVID-19 pandemic to produce essential medical devices.

Of 500 employees, only one, in Plymouth, Mass., has come down with the virus, and has recovered. It’s not by chance.

Kennedy’s Autocam Medical has instituted rigorous precautions to protect worker safety, including social distancing within the plants, mandatory face masks and a zero entrance policy for workers who show any symptoms of illness.

“We take everyone’s temperature before they enter the facility,” Kennedy says. “We took most of the chairs out of the conference rooms and stand up in meetings to maintain social distancing.”

All day long, cleaners wipe down every flat surface with cleanser. No visitors are allowed inside. And the social distancing rule is strictly enforced.

Kennedy, who is also chairman of the West Michigan Policy Forum, believes a large number of businesses in the state could safely reopen using the practices Autocam employs. The policy forum Friday endorsed a blueprint presented by Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey that offers guidelines for a safe reopening of the state economy.

Continue reading at The Detroit News…

John Kennedy, IV, General Manager of Autocam Medical, was named the Grand Rapids Business Journal’s Newsmaker of the Year in the Manufacturing category.

Among the three finalists for the honor was Kevin Lobo Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Stryker.

Mr. Kennedy has been a driving force behind Autocam Medical’s participation in the Advanced Manufacturing Partnership (AMP), a program that facilitates development of students pursuing careers in engineering and manufacturing. He has also helped propel development of the Advanced Manufacturing Partnership Laboratory (AMP Lab) located in Western Michigan University’s Grand Rapids campus.

“It is an honor to be ranked among business leaders that have helped spur the development of West Michigan,” noted Kennedy. “The growth of our area and our industry is also one of my key objectives. Our involvement in the AMP program and The AMP Lab will help raise the profile of advanced manufacturing in downtown Grand Rapids and draw more people into skilled trade careers. We also offer an apprentice program that provides students with the opportunity to become Certified CNC Machinists and earn their Journeyman’s card.”

Autocam Medical provides drill bits, drivers, taps, bone plates and screws. Decades of DFM and lean manufacturing experience in CNC milling, turning, mill/turn and cutter grinding offer OEMs a single-source solution.

Continue reading at BONEZONE…

With 2019 about to slip into the rearview mirror, it’s time to reflect on the people and events that shaped West Michigan during the past 12 months.

The Grand Rapids Business Journal Newsmaker of the Year event is Jan. 29 at Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park. Tickets for the event, which begins at 7:30 a.m., are available online.

This year, the Journal’s reporters and editors met to discuss almost 250 potential nominees for the honor, finally agreeing on three finalists in each of the following 16 categories: Arts & Entertainment, Beverages, Economic Development, Education, Finance, Food, Health Care, Law, Manufacturing, Nonprofits/Philanthropy, Real Estate/Construction, Retail, Sports, Startups, Sustainability and Technology.

A winner from the three finalists in each of the 16 categories will be revealed at the event, followed by the announcement of the overall 2019 Newsmaker of the Year Award.

The people who made news in 2019 make for an impressive list of leading figures in the business community.

Last year, Tina Freese Decker, president and CEO of Spectrum Health, was honored for a bevy of acquisitions and new construction that grew the health system to more than 40 locations, 450 providers and 31,000 employees. Leading those efforts earned her the overall Newsmaker of the Year Award.

Most of this year’s nominees are familiar to West Michigan residents, especially those who read the Business Journal on a consistent basis, because they are the people who shaped local news in 2019…

Continue reading at GRBJ…

Medtech contract manufacturer Autocam Medical (Kentwood, Mich.) said that three new pieces of its manufacturing equipment have been installed in Western Michigan University’s (WMU) regional state-of-the-art advanced manufacturing partnership laboratory (AMP Lab).

The company is a partner in the AMP program, which focuses on encouraging and aiding the development of students pursuing careers in engineering and manufacturing. As part of an apprenticeship program, Autocam Medical sends workers to the university in Grand Rapids, Mich. to study computer numerical control (CNC) machining. Students who complete 728 hours of classroom instruction while maintaining a full work schedule receive their journeyman’s card in CNC machining and 27 college credits toward an associate’s degree.

Continue reading at Medical Design & Outsourcing…