Purpose

COVID-19 has shaken views of what is normal and what is possible, raising questions about conventional norms, ways of working and our understanding of agility. This paper aims to respond to calls for empirical research of supply chain capacities in times of crisis and offer a unique perspective on agile procurement and supply chain management from a case study of the Ventilator Challenge.

Design/methodology/approach

A descriptive case study was undertaken, adopting an inductive approach. Interviews were conducted with the major stakeholders tasked with the design, sourcing and assembly of ventilators.

Findings

Findings are delivered across four key areas: context; procurement and supply chain management; technology and culture; and environment. Key challenges and enablers are discussed, highlighting the critical roles of trust, empowerment and enabling technologies in the construction of an entirely new ventilator supply chain, from scratch, in five weeks.

Originality/value

This paper delivers contributions for both academic research and practice. The case study offers rich new insights relating to procurement in times of crisis, contributing to efforts to advance beyond outdated approaches for resilience in literature. Practical contributions arise in highlighting the significance of adapted sourcing and recruitment, technology, collaboration, people and power of purpose in enabling agility and achieving the impossible.

中文翻译：

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目标的力量——来自呼吸机挑战的敏捷性经验教训

目的

COVID-19 动摇了对什么是正常的和什么是可能的看法，引发了对传统规范、工作方式和我们对敏捷性的理解的质疑。本文旨在响应对危机时期供应链能力进行实证研究的呼吁，并从呼吸机挑战的案例研究中为敏捷采购和供应链管理提供独特的视角。

设计/方法/方法

进行了描述性案例研究，采用了归纳方法。与负责呼吸机设计、采购和组装的主要利益相关者进行了访谈。

发现

调查结果涵盖四个关键领域：背景；采购和供应链管理；科技与文化；和环境。讨论了关键挑战和推动因素，强调了信任、授权和支持技术在五周内从头开始构建全新呼吸机供应链中的关键作用。

原创性/价值

本文为学术研究和实践做出了贡献。该案例研究提供了有关危机时期采购的丰富新见解，有助于努力超越文献中过时的弹性方法。在强调适应性采购和招聘、技术、协作、人员和目标力量在实现敏捷性和实现不可能方面的重要性方面产生了实际贡献。