Inventive spirit in corona times
Since March 2020, the use of face masks in public places was mandatory in the Czech Republic. Because far too few masks were available at that time, people in the country began to make their own masks – including Bühler employees in Zamberk.
The team in Zamberk, Czech Republic, went even further and decided not only to produce masks but also to manufacture face shields on Bühler 3D printers. Thanks to instructions from the internet, anyone with a 3D printer can produce such shields. The Czech company Prusa Research provides all models, requirements, and production steps for the manufacture of 3D-printable face shields free of charge. By mid-March, over 65,000 shields were printed and donated to doctors and other professionals in the Czech Republic.
Based on this model, the Bühler team produced 40 face shields in the first week of production from April 6 to 10 alone.
They were used by employees with more contact with external people, working in areas such as dispatch and warehouses. Some of them were also be donated to healthcare centers and doctors in Zamberk.
Jana Škopová explained that at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, people at Bühler Zamberk were very apprehensive. But after the first weeks, when the teams realized that they were not alone and could count on the support of the whole company, people got energized. “People pulled together in amazing ways. It’s a difficult time, but we can manage it together,” said Jiri Appeltauer, Managing Director of Bühler Zamberk.
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