Shifting Operations to Aid in the Fight Against COVID-19

 

On this episode of the MarketScale podcast, host Tyler Kern was joined by ModTruss Vice President, Worldwide Sales David Ostmann.

ModTruss typically centers its operations on providing strong, durable metal building kits that see use in a variety of industries and applications.

However, as is the case for many companies, the COVID-19 pandemic has shifted that focus, and ModTruss is doing what it can to support the frontline effort in the fight against the novel coronavirus.

“We’re in this together,” Ostmann said. “It’s going to take all of us working together to beat this and get our ‘normal’ back.”

To that end, CEO Patrick Santini, an Army field medic with an extensive engineering background, leapt into action.

Working with his wife, an ER physician, Santini developed a negative pressure containment unit.

“Really, within about four days, we went from an idea to a working prototype for our negative pressure (containment unit), or what they call an airborne infectious isolation room,” Ostmann said. “Furthermore, we repurposed our entertainment plastic panels … to introduce those as hard-barrier, bedside applications.”

These barriers are particularly useful for replacing inadequate pipe-and-drape separation methods and allowing for increased safety for patients and healthcare professionals, alike.

Looking ahead, Ostmann said added efficiencies and innovations could help develop the “new normal” the world will enter in the wake of COVID-19.

One such solution is already available in the form of LED screens that could be adapted to meet new needs highlighted by the pandemic.

“One of our partners in the entertainment world is Absen (America). They make beautiful LED panels,” Ostmann said. “Well, maybe they can repurpose their solutions into our COVID solution centers, where we’re not using our valuable resources – our people – to direct traffic. Maybe there’s signage that way that can direct traffic. … It’s looking at your solution from a different aspect.”

For the latest news, videos, and podcasts in the Healthcare Industry, be sure to subscribe to our industry publication.

Follow us on social media for the latest updates in B2B!

Twitter – @MarketScale
Facebook – facebook.com/marketscale
LinkedIn – linkedin.com/company/marketscale

Follow us on social media for the latest updates in B2B!

Image

Latest

Cleanroom
What’s One SOP or Protocol You Wish Every Cleanroom Leader Would Rethink
December 23, 2025

Too many cleanroom teams still assume that more disinfectant is the answer, but Annex 1 makes it clear that residues left behind can quietly undermine even the most aggressive cleaning regimes. Without a deliberate residue breakdown step—such as a validated rinse—bioburden can persist beneath the surface, driving CFU formation and downstream environmental monitoring failures….

Read More
clean room
Why is What Benchmark Product Does So Important For You and Your Family
December 23, 2025

At Benchmark Products, the work done behind the scenes in clean rooms quietly safeguards lives, ensuring that the drugs and therapies families rely on are manufactured under the highest standards of safety and sterility. When those products are used by real people—parents, children, or even a close relative on dialysis—the mission becomes deeply personal,…

Read More
Suite Ultra-Fiber Wipe
What Makes the Suite Ultra-Fiber Wipe Different From the Rest
December 23, 2025

In controlled environments where contamination is measured in microns and margins for error are razor thin, the Suite Ultra-Fiber Wipe from Benchmark Products stands apart by rethinking what microfiber can do. By engineering fibers that are dramatically smaller than standard polyester microfiber, the wipe delivers measurable gains in residue removal, bio-burden reduction, and endotoxin…

Read More
5-Log Reduction
What Exactly Is a 5-Log Reduction, and Why Does It Matter for Cleanroom Teams
December 23, 2025

In cleanroom environments, contamination control isn’t about vague cleanliness—it’s about measurable reductions, and a 5-log reduction means cutting microbial presence by 99.999%, turning 100,000 bacteria into just one. For cleanroom teams, this level of performance before disinfectants are even applied is critical, because it dramatically lowers bioburden risk and strengthens the effectiveness of every…

Read More