Plug and Play

Supply Chain

• Supply chains will become more localized: “The pandemic has clearly shown us that if China has a cough, the world economy is in intensive care… Literally. That is why more production will be done locally to ensure that in tough times, supply chains can still somewhat function independently.”
• Just in Sequence or Just in Time will become less heavily deployed: “If the supply chains face major disruptions (i.e., for longer than a few days), production grinds to a halt because a couple of parts are missing. This means greater local stockpiles to account for an extended production buffer during times of crises, or massive investment in 3D-printing to locally produce certain parts at a high degree of customization.”
• Rail and road will become even more integral: “Ocean and air freight are more susceptible to international disruptions, and supply chains will move from global to local, so rail and road are the obvious answers.”
• Governments will be pushed to implement new regulations: “On urban delivery, truck platooning, customs clearance, automated driving, smart infrastructure, etc. These are needed to help rail and road deal with the new demand and ensure that the current infrastructure doesn’t become completely overwhelmed.”
• The pace of automation will pick up: Because robots can't contract COVID-19.

Health

Inside the hospitals

“Hospitals are seeing record amounts of patient overflow, infectious disease risk, and provider burnout. Despite what many believe, the increased amount of patients is decreasing profitability.” When asked about the most-likely evolutions for how hospitals will change because of COVID-19, this is what he responded:

• Increased investment in infectious diseases: “Infectious disease risk was already a significant issue for hospitals, and now it is being exacerbated by COVID-19. Look specifically for software that incentivizes best practices for providers, software that visually shows possible pathogens through video, and self-cleaning textiles.”
• Increased utilization of capacity planning: “Hospitals will find solutions to take existing resources and utilize them more efficiently and faster. Software that finds where unused resources can be found (i.e., face masks) and automated ordering, formal processes for overflow planning, and partnerships with rapid product development companies.”

Outside the Hospitals

“This will be the biggest area of growth because of COVID-19,” said Poll. “Every day, patients and pre-patients are being more exposed than ever before to the resources and value available to getting treated at their own home. They are also getting accustomed to it. Here are the most likely evolutions Plug and Play is predicting for how healthcare will change in the home because of COVID-19:

• Overall increased utilization: “This seems obvious but it needs to be stated. This trend has been significantly increasing in the last two years, but the big hurdle was getting people to change their habits that when you are sick you go somewhere to get treated. The industry most likely to grow is at-home healthcare.”