Selection of Alternate Potential Material for Cost Reduction in PPE Manufacturing: A Value Engineering Approach

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a rapid increase in manufacturing and consumption of PPE kits. PPE kits are very important to avoid transmission of various viruses (like COVID-19, Ebola virus, etc.) in treatment centers as well as in other activities like cleaning, waste management, and burials
during outbreaks of such magnitudes. The most important factor that make a PPE effective are how well it can stop the virus from affecting the person wearing them. This is usually attributed to the material that is used in the manufacturing of PPE. Thus, it becomes important that manufacturers choose the right kind of material out of the various available, based on their quality, performance, longevity, and price. When looking to make the best and most valuable choice, it is always plausible to go for the choice that has best possible quality and performs its function in an optimum way but at the same time has a lower cost of production and thereby a lower retail price.