The COVID 19 pandemic has unravelled the perils of a global supply chain. In a not so thinly vieled threat China showed its fangs to the United States indicating that it could cut off supplies of products to America as retaliation. India which supplies 70% of non-prescription drugs to the US also indicated that it will be stopping it to serve its own population.
COVID 19 seems to have revealed the extreme dependence that the world’s most advanced economy seems to have on others for meeting the most basic needs of its citizens. Advanced post-manufacturing economies have considered defence and high tech as core to its economic and strategic leverage. However, it seems that when it comes to survival mode, our most basic needs of food security, hygiene and the ability to ward off germs is first order of business.
With that as context, I contend that in the post COVID-19 world, countries should identify the bare essentials for which they should have local supply chains that are self sufficient, circular and sustainable.
Face masks, Sanitizers, Essential medicines, Female hygiene products could be considered examples of such products.
We propose that we should move towards local mini factories that are designed to use locally or nationally available raw materials. Additionally, these factories should be designed with recycle, reduce and reuse philosophy.
We are developing a template for a Hand sanitizer microfactory. One might suggest that some products may be complex enough that they cannot be produced at small scales. However, hand sanitizers seem products that can be produced scale free and do not need significant economies of scale.
