Businesses Pivot to Meet Global Demands

Standing up to the challenge

Businesses pivot to meet global demands

South Dakota School of Mines & Technology

School may no longer be in session, but some students, faculty and staff are still hard at work across campus. Members of the South Dakota Mines community have set aside their own projects and are now working to aid the COVID-19 response. This includes research and development into the manufacture, reuse and sterilization of personal protective equipment, such as face masks. Teams of researchers are also working on the manufacture of medical equipment and medical supplies such as hand sanitizer. Others are working on a computer model to help predict the number of COVID-19 cases that might occur in any given community. All of these projects are addressing needs identified by collaborators at Monument Health and other statewide healthcare facilities.

“Many of the challenges posed by COVID-19 are immense. Some of the hurdles our community and nation are facing seem insurmountable. I commend our staff and faculty for the long hours of work they are putting in, alongside so many members of the local community, in the attempt to tackle these challenges. Though the solutions we need may take time, I’ve never been prouder to be a Hardrocker,” says Mines President Jim Rankin.

Best Gen Modular

Best Gen Modular is a manufacturer of commerce modular structures. In late March the organization unveiled a fully-finished modular hospital design to help providers meet critical care needs. The design offers customizable and scalable structures including negative pressure HVAC system and FRP panels for easy cleaning.

B&T Manufacturing

B&T Manufacturing was able to create a design and make it into a physical structure in less than a week. What was this structure you ask? An urgent care facility to be shipped to Wisconsin to create more room for patients during the pandemic. The group is now able to help the medical community and produce these structures in approximately four days’ time.

Badlands Distillery

The owners retooled their distillery from bourbon whiskey and spirits to producing hand sanitizer. In addition to shipping to commercial stores statewide, shipments have also been donated to local nursing homes, banks and to local government offices to help anyone in need of hand sanitizer.

CAW Industries

CAW IndustriesCAW usually produces a water additive catalyst that stimulates biological functions. With a donation of ethanol from Redfield Energy they have been able to produce about 2,000 bottles of hand sanitizer to sell. CAW will be making an extra thousand bottles to donate to Rapid City organizations including first responders.