When coronavirus swept the nation, no one was truly prepared for the damage it would cause. As it spread, some lived in sickness while others lived in fear. Meanwhile, healthcare heroes worked endless hours to do all they could. So, when the healthcare workers needed help, CIT Inc. was there.
As more and more people in the United States fell ill, more and more hospital beds were needed. There just weren’t enough. Larger cities couldn’t give help to all who needed medical attention because the hospital bed shortage was real and serious. How could those patients get treatment when there is nowhere to put them?
CIT had the answer – A portable, versatile hospital bed. The team got to work designing and manufacturing a bed to meet the needs of the coronavirus crisis. They had one main goal in mind, to create a bed that would accommodate the overflow of patients while still offering the support of a traditional hospital bed. People needed the beds, and they needed them fast.
Standard business hours and days did not exist. The design and engineering team worked around the clock to get their product ready. The first bed was sent to be tested just one week after CIT received the assignment. The following week, shipments were ready.
The CIT team took their responsibility seriously. These beds weren’t just another project. They were an urgent, critical need. The country needed them. The healthcare workers needed them. The many patients needed them.
During the coronavirus crisis, many businesses have changed their ways to help make ends meet. But CIT didn’t change ways, they just fulfilled their duty – to provide a high-quality product in a short amount of time.
The client, Direct Supply, deserved the hospital bed they asked for. The sick deserved, and desperately needed, a place to rest and heal. Now, they have it. The CIT designed hospital bed has been important during these uncertain times. It helped eliminate the hospital bed shortage.
The CIT team didn’t just accomplish another task. They didn’t just create another innovative design and product. They helped save lives.
Company goes from concept to first beds in 2.5 weeks
As coronavirus (COVID-19) rapidly spreads throughout the United States, it is causing a shortage of hospital beds impacting the delivery of healthcare services in places like New York. This has highlighted the critical need to ensure plenty of capacity for COVID-19 intensive care patients. With a shortage of beds, a portable, rapid-response bed was needed to shore up shortages in health care facilities during a crisis like COVID-19.
Indiana-based CIT Inc. was contacted by Direct Supply to manufacture a portable, versatile hospital bed designed to accommodate an overflow of patients while offering the support of a traditional hospital bed. CIT designed the first prototype and rolling out the first of thousands of beds this week. The to-market process has taken two weeks to complete. The design and engineering team collaborated and worked around the clock to complete this process in record time.
“Normally this process takes eight to 12 weeks. We’ve done it in two weeks,” said Wuertemberger, founder of CIT. “To go from concept to manufacturing beds is pretty amazing.”
“I’m happy to keep our employees working to support medical services, so that emergency ‘healthcare heroes’ can have more beds for patients,” he said.
CIT is focused on design, prototyping, and manufacturing solutions for companies in aerospace, automotive, cab and canopy, material handling and medical industries. Learn more at c-i-t.com.
Direct Supply is an employee-owned company committed to Bringing What’s Next to Senior Health™ via world-class procurement, building management, care technology, and design and development solutions. Learn more at DirectSupply.com.
