It's easy to dream of all the things we'd change about our apartments, but as renters, we can only do so much. Perhaps you'd like to redo an outdated fireplace, upgrade your kitchen's old floors, or better yet, give your out-of-date shower a fresh new look. It all sounds good in theory, but ultimately, remodels lie in the hands of our landlords until now. Yup, believe it or not, there is a landlord-approved way to improve the aesthetics of our homes, and it's called peel-and-stick floor tile.

Whether it's a bathroom, living room, or kitchen that needs a new look, these tiles are water-resistant and require no grout to be installed. Simply trim them with a utility knife, unstick the back, and place them on your floor or wall. It's really that easy! Think of it as temporary wallpaper, but for floors and backsplashes. The best part is once you're ready to move out, all you have to do is unpeel the tiles and be on your way.

If these peel-and-stick tiles sound like something you'd like to try, check out 30 options we've gathered ahead.

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Peel-and-Stick Floor Tile Is the Decor Trick You Need in Your Life, Especially If You Rent - POPSUGAR Australia

Dublin, April 30, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Wood & Competitive Decking - 10th Edition" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

This study analyzes US demand for decking by product, market, and region. Decks are defined as unroofed, floored areas that are attached to the exterior of a structure. Typically, they are located at the rear of a building. This study encompasses deck boards, which are used to make the floor of the deck, as well as railing systems (consisting of a top rail, spindles, and bottom rail) and other built-in accessories, such as stairs, benches, and planter boxes.

Decking products are broken out by:

The major market segments analyzed are:

The residential building market is further segmented by housing type (single-family, multifamily, and manufactured housing). Commercial structures on which decks are usually installed include bars, restaurants, hotels, casinos, resorts, spas, and other entertainment facilities.

The non-building segment encompasses decks that are not attached to a building. The majority of these decks are located in coastal or other waterfront areas and include boardwalks, docks, marinas, and piers. Non-building decks also include walkways and platforms at national, state, or local parks; amusement parks; water parks; and playgrounds. In many cases, decks in these applications are built through municipal or other government contracts.

Companies Mentioned

Key Topics Covered:

1. Executive Summary

2. Overview

3. Factors Affecting Decking Demand

4. Wood Decking

5. Wood-Plastic Composite Decking

6. Plastic & Other Decking

7. Residential Building Markets

8. Commercial & Nonbuilding Markets

9. Regions

10. Industry Structure

11. Appendix

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/dqwx3j

About ResearchAndMarkets.comResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends.

Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research.

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Wood and Competitive Decking in the United States Market Analysis 2020: Segmented by Product Type and Region - GlobeNewswire

4/29/2020

The city of Woonsocket was last week in the midst of installing a new asphalt parking lot across from the Stadium Theatre. The brick building at right is Terrys Tire and Auto, on Blackstone Street. (Breeze photo by Tom Ward)

WOONSOCKET When the Stadium Theatre eventually reopens to the public, patrons will find improved parking options at the municipal lot across the street.

Last month, the citys Department of Public Works began improvements to the lot directly across from the theater on Monument Square. In addition to excavating and repaving the existing lot, the project involved eliminating islands, restriping and lowering the level of the pavement to make it ADA-compliant.

In the next few weeks, said Director of Public Works Steven DAgostino, a contractor will be installing LED lighting around the perimeter of the lot.

My hope is to have it nearly completed if not totally completed by the time the Stadium opens, he said.

Cathy Levesque, executive director of the Stadium Theatre, said the timing of the project, which started the week the theater closed due to the COVID-19 measures, was has offered hope to staff members.

My office is on the fourth floor of the Conservatory, so I have been watching Steve DAgostino and his team working daily, she said. Observing their progress on this project has kept our spirits up. It is one exceedingly good thing during an incredibly bad time.

DAgostino said the project will cost approximately $250,000 to complete, a significant savings compared with if the city had outsourced the work.

The renovated parking lot is one of several projects the city has taken on while vehicle and pedestrian traffic is slower due to the coronavirus measures. Last week, a playground supplier began installing new playground equipment at Cass Park. The parks newly completed softball field, said DAgostino, was scheduled to open this spring, but didnt have a chance before spring sports were shut down due to COVID-19.

On May 18, North Kingstown-based T. Miozzi is scheduled to begin resurfacing Park Avenue from Hamlet Avenue to Transit Street. Prior to that, National Grid is expected to begin repaving the upper portion of Park Avenue following a gas line replacement last summer, the final step in a project that caused several road detours last year.

This is a great time to do some work, said DAgostino. The traffic has slowed right down. Its a great opportunity.

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Improved parking lot will greet Stadium when it reopens - Valley Breeze

Las Vegas casinos are all starting to make their plans for an eventual re-opening, whenever that may be. As many of the bigger resorts are publishing the safety guidelines they will follow when Governor Steve Sisolak allows gambling to resume, at least one downtown casino is following the lead of Penn National Gaming and hiring a local firm to install sneezeguards.

Las Vegas-based Screaming Images, run by James Swanson, has started developing safety shields to install at table games and slot machines. The clear acrylic shields can be installed in 15 minutes, and would protect the players from each other, and the dealer, from unwanted airborne spray.

Downtown Las Vegas casino the El Cortez has already agreed to a trial run of these shields, allowing Screaming Images to install them in exchange for the free publicity theyll get from it.

James is really one of our best vendors by far. Very reliable and very responsive. He owns the company and yet hes still one of the ones that comes out for a new project, Adam Wiesberg, El Cortez general manager, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. So when he reached out about this new technology, and with everything being such an unknown to us and the industry, any new idea that could potentially work to protect employees and customers were willing to take a look at. So letting him use our tables and slot floor to create, design and develop this new technology, we welcomed it.

Screaming Images isnt a new company. The company has been in operation for 18 years, providing print and design services to resorts, as well as the Las Vegas Raiders, Golden Knights and the Aces.

These new dividers, Swanson noted, are made of clear acrylic and dont fog up. They also dont involve any screws, so they can easily be removed with no damage to the existing property, unlike the Penn guards which appear to be screwed right into the table. Wiesberg and others whove seen the setup have given it positive reviews, and a few hotel properties have already shown an interest in purchasing them for their floor.

Its unclear at this point if the shields would help casinos lessen the need for social distancing; considering they arent bubbles, theres probably still some need to keep players further apart. But if they help players feel safer, and reduce even some transmission of disease, they could be worth the investment.

And lets face it, they arent the most elegant solution one could possibly imagine. But if they help casinos keep their customers safer, and allow the industry to get back in business faster, then they definitely suit a pressing need.

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Las Vegas casino joins the sneezeguard trend - CalvinAyre.com

Miami has become known as a global capital for the visual arts thanks to the artists who make the city home, and aided internationally by the attention of the annual Miami Art Week crowds each December.

Fewer know, however, that Miami-Dade County is also home to one of the largest public art collections in the United States.

The countys Art in Public Places program has placed more than 750 works of art since it was established in 1973, in spots including Miami International Airport, Zoo Miami, the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, libraries, fire and police stations.

That means that despite the COVID-19 pandemic and associated social-distancing prevention measures that have limited the publics ability to see art in person in galleries or museum, many of the pieces in the Art in Public Places collection are in locations still viewable by the public.

Its a major collection, says Amanda Sanfilippo Long, who has served as the programs curator and artist manager since 2016. We have some artworks that are spanning from the greats of the pop art generation, important artists working in South Florida, and also internationally.

We are very artist-focused, she adds. Its about really privileging the artists to the fullest extent to expand their practice, and really being artist-centric, as opposed to sometimes public art agencies being very focused on sort of guessing the needs of the community. This is about artists and their work.

Art in Public Places has had a long time to figure out the best way to marry the many needs of the multiple stakeholders in a public art project, including the artist, the community and real estate developers. The 1973 ordinance that created the program stipulates that any developer building on county-owned land must finance public art projects on that development with 1.5percent of their total project budget.

The first step, Sanfilippo Long says, is a sit-down to look at [a particular] project and talk about the opportunity for public art. Sometimes, projects have components that they designed from the get-go with the idea of incorporating or integrating public art into the fabric of the building not just hanging a painting on a wall, but something thats architecturally scaled. It could be a massive terrazzo floor, or something integrated using landscaping.

One such example: the terrazzo floors by Michele Oka Doner in the North Terminal D of Miami International Airport.

Overseen by a trust that is appointed by the Board of County Commissioners, with guidance from a professional advisory committee, the programs focus remains firmly on ensuring the art will have an effect on both the community and the artist themselves.

The opportunity to work with artists to create things that are not only permanent but are maybe some of the largest or most robust examples of their work in their oeuvre, is fabulous, she says. Its about scale, about these artists being able to push themselves.

The trust also ensures that decisions on a collection of such magnitude and permanence are not taken lightly.

Its an extraordinary program with a real solid focus on supporting artists and excellence and diversity, and thats really important, she says. Who are the decision-makers at the table, and are they reflective of the community? Diversity, equity and inclusion are very important to us, and you can see it in our community members, our trust, and its reflective of the artists that we are engaging.

The following is a selection of pieces throughout Miami-Dade County, with highlights from Sanfilippo Long.

Erwin Redls Volume Miami

Location:PortMiami, Crown of Miami Cruise Terminal A Royal Caribbean Cruise Line, 2299 E. Port Blvd.

Featuring 650 custom light fixtures, this installation on the Royal Caribbean Cruise Terminal is best viewed at night, driving east from downtown Miami to Miami Beach on the Interstate-395 Causeway.

Whats exquisite is that this artwork is actually a gift to the entire city because its visible for anyone driving on 395. Its just this glimmering, shimmering experience and light that are installed throughout the immense architectural volume of the terminal, she says. The lights are on a very specific program, coming in different intervals, so its not only just about whats inside the buildings, but what everyone can see outside as well. There are so many different dynamic ways the collection exists out in the world.

Nekisha Durrett and Hank Willis Thomas I See Myself In You

Location:6103 NW Seventh Ave., Miami

On the Northwest Seventh Avenue facing side of Liberty Citys Sandrell Rivers Theater is a 3-Dimensional metal wall sculpture of a woman gazing outward with reflective glasses, which allows the work to change throughout the day.

Its this beautiful facade of the building that is a beacon, and transforming, she says.

Isamu Noguchis Slide Mantra

Bayfront Park, Biscayne Boulevard at Flagler Street

This interactive piece made of Carrara marble is also a functional slide.

Its a wonderful artwork that you actually get to climb on the back and slide down.

Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggens Dropped Bowl with Scattered Slices and Peels

Location:Stephen P. Clark Government Center, 111 NW First St., Miami

Installed in 1990 on the southwest corner of First Street and Second Avenue, this sculpture is reminiscent of a dropped bowl of fruit.

Its just a joy, she says.

Purvis Youngs Untitled

Location:Northside Metrorail Station, 3150 NW 79th St., Miami

Painted by one of Miamis most celebrated sons, this monumental mural graces the Northside Metrorail Station and emerges as you ride the escalator up to the train platform.

Its an enormous mural by Purvis Young, and most people have never seen it, and its just a gem from 1986, she says. Its a really special thing.

Art at Marlins Park:Carlos Cruz-Diezs Chromatic Induction in a Double Frequency andDaniel Arsham/Snarkitectures A Memorial Bowing

Location:Marlins Park, 501 NW 16th Ave., Miami

The Miami Marlins ballpark is home to several pieces from the public art program.

I definitely recommend walking around the grounds of the Marlins ballpark and just experiencing the collection of artwork there, she says. Carlos Cruz-Diezs incredible integrated walkways are just mesmerizing, they are so much fun to visit. I have to say its one of my favorite pieces in the collection!

And then, of course, dont forget around the other side of the Marlins Ballpark youve got Daniel Arsham/Snarkitecture, with his great big orange letters that look like they tumbled off the side of the former Orange Bowl and just dropped and embedded themselves in the concrete of the steps of the Marlins Park.

ArtburstMiami.comis a nonprofit source of theater, dance, visual arts, music and performing arts news.

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Behold Miami-Dade's Art In Public Places, One Of The Largest Public Collections In U.S. - WLRN

In 2016, Chris Neffendorf installed an exhaust air duct on a Portland office building. Sheet metal products are among those becoming more difficult to procure amid coronavirus-related closures, contractors say. (Sam Tenney/DJC file)

While construction teams carry on during the COVID-19 pandemic, some are beginning to encounter a materials supply chain that has been taxed to the limit especially beyond U.S. borders. Government-imposed economic shutdowns have left manufacturers, distributors and their customers all scrambling to keep shelves stocked and workers equipped.

Lead times on orders are increasing. Material shortages are persisting. Its the new norm, and no one really knows when that will change.

Two weeks ago, (if) you would have asked how is a particular project in Hillsboro going for us I would (have said), Fine; no issues, said Eric Wiesmann, purchasing manager for Rosendin Electrics Hillsboro facility. And three days later, factories are shut down and materials are put off until June. So Id say today its undetermined; next week Im probably going to tell you every one of our projects is going to be impacted.

Many countries have required factories to suspend or severely limit operations. Outputs are slowing, and delivery times are growing and U.S. customers are noticing. Andersen Construction Vice President Brian Knudsen said international shipments of a number of items elevators, doors, flooring, thin brick and others are being delayed.

We have had a thin brick product on a project delayed not only due to the German factory being closed, but also because the broker for the product is from New York and they are closed, he said. So getting the delivery information has been difficult, causing uncertainty.

Meanwhile, for the Halsey 106 mixed-use building in Portland, general contractor LMC Construction is trying to ensure there wont be a shipment problem.

On this one, we have quartz countertops coming from Vietnam, and at this point we havent heard of any issues, project manager Ken Bello said. But what were trying to do is procure and get this stuff on ships as soon as possible so we have them here.

LMC Construction has tried to be proactive, Vice President Kyle Anderson added.

Everything were hearing is be prepared for materials coming from China to take a lot longer, he said. But right now it hasnt hit us because weve tried to get ahead of it and get material on-site and get additional storage.

A similar approach is being taken by Hoffman Construction, according to Vice President Dan Drinkward. The firm has been able to work through supply chain issues so far, he said, but there are concerns about long lead times especially for items coming from overseas.

Locally, even before state emergency measures were being taken, builders were working to mitigate supply chain issues. For the Robert Libke Public Safety Building project in Oregon City, procurement of items like rooftop HVAC units and storefront systems was moved up to accommodate a wider delivery window, P&C Construction project manager Will Somme said.

We have to get out in front of it, he said. Its been minor, but the whole shipping industry is overwhelmed right now.

LMC Construction expects to see more of that, Anderson said.

All we can do with our clients is be as transparent as we can about whats potentially coming up and what were seeing, he said, and then we just react to it on a case-by-case scenario.

While issues vary for each project, Hoffman Construction has adjusted by ordering materials earlier than usual, forgoing factory inspections in distant locations, and working with subcontractors and distributors to try and identify potential problems before they become critical.

Were trying to set up projects up front and avoid sole-source specifications that could lead us into a bottleneck that would put a project in a difficult position, Drinkward said. Were trying to build some flexibility into the supply chain anticipating were going to have impacts and understanding we dont know what we dont know yet.

What is known is that numerous fabrication shops in Clark County, Washington including ones that work with steel have closed. That impact has stretched across the Portland-metro area.

Weve had some subcontractors and suppliers from Washington basically tell us theyre shutting down, Anderson said. Most of our Washington-based subs are still working. The ones weve heard of are the ones with an actual fabrication shop in Washington, where they feel like they have to shut it down.

Much of that burden is being shouldered by distributors, Wiesmann said.

Were going to distributors and asking them to find new light fixtures, panel boards, breakers different brands of those products and were going to multiple distributors, he said. Everybody is working harder, and its this very odd blend of circumstances that leaves people working harder and making less money.

In 2019, electrician Charlie Niemann installed a light fixture at the Wells Fargo Center. Materials distributors have been experiencing shortages of various building materials, including light fixtures. (Josh Kulla/DJC file)

Fortunately for LMC Construction, the material impacts it has experienced so far have not been critical, Anderson said. The closure of a door manufacturer in another state forced project managers for a renovation of the Silvertowne Apartments in Silverton to hunt for alternatives. Meanwhile, a team handling a different project ran into difficulties sourcing bath hardware. Other items that are proving more difficult to procure, Anderson said, include sheet metal products and steel products.

We made the substitution from a different manufacturer for a slight material increase, and thats what were seeing for the most part, he said. But the other thing were starting to see more and more of is suppliers and manufacturers warning us that their lead times are going to be longer.

Andersen Construction has multiple tower projects under way in downtown Portland. Its receiving similar messages, Knudsen said.

We have received notices from most of our trade partners about material delays on all of our projects, he said. Many times they are not specific, only that there will be delays, but the timing is not specific or is given as a range of weeks or months of delay.

Not every contractor in the Portland-metro area is dealing with such uncertainty. Yes, larger materials, and especially ones not standard sizes, seem to be problematic. And of course, many international shipments appear likely to be slower for the foreseeable future. But some firms have yet to face material shortages or delivery delays.

It is definitely an important topic to examine, and seems to be coming up a lot on some of the calls with developers, said Angie Cole, director of marketing for general contractor Lorentz Bruun Construction. We are very fortunate, however, in that we have not experienced any of the challenges you mentioned. We may be a lucky exception.

Ultimately, as the pandemic continues, no one is sure what the long-term effects will be, either on their projects or the wider construction industry. Everyone is responding to the situation at hand.

Nevertheless, Drinkward and others say the industry is already adapting to the new realities including supply chain challenges in a more cooperative fashion than in the past.

Its ever-changing, but weve figured out largely how to do it, he said. And were seeing with the (resumption of construction) now in Washington, with our projects up there, although many of them were considered essential, now theyve got new guidelines and the new normal. Its actually one of the things weve hoped and offered up. As other businesses start up, we have a lot of lessons weve learned on how to do it.

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Proactive approach aiding construction industry - Daily Journal of Commerce

sThe city of Spokane Valley, which has spent the last year addressing the cracking and sinking of the exterior wall of its city hall, has sued the companies who built the building, accusing them of negligence and breaching their contract.

Spokane Valley City Hall, a $14 million project that opened in 2017, was designed to spur economic development in the area and eventually be the heart of a municipal center that includes a new library across the street and an expanded Balfour Park.

According to the lawsuit the city filed Tuesday, the city is seeking damages for the cost to investigate issues, hire consultants and pay attorneys fees. The city is accusing the companies that built and inspected the building of breaching their contracts and warranties and of negligence.

The facility was built by Meridian Construction and included additional work by Architects West, Allwest Testing & Engineering, and Eight31 Consulting, all of which are named in the lawsuit.

Mark DAgostino, president of Meridian Construction, did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday afternoon.

City staff noticed damages to the curved outer wall of City Council chambers soon after moving in, according to the lawsuit.

The city hired a consultant to investigate the damage and found that the soil underneath the foundation for the curved wall hadnt been properly compacted and that the wall was sinking. The rest of the building is under a separate foundation that has not had issues.

A contractor has since installed 10 micro-piles to stabilize the curved wall, and it has stopped sinking.

In addition to the settling beneath the building, a contractor the city hired recently discovered other issues, including improper or missing welding, missing spray-in insulation and materials not installed to manufacturers specifications or installed incorrectly.

According to the lawsuit, those issues have led to the cracking in the walls, an uneven floor and windows that arent sealed.

The city walled off the damaged section of City Council chambers a few weeks before the entire building closed to the public to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

City Council last fall approved spending $400,000 to repair the damage, on the condition it would be reimbursed by the companies that built the facility. When they approved that funding, city staff told them $500,000 was likely a conservative estimate on how much repairs would cost.

The city is not commenting on the lawsuit to allow it to play out fairly in the courts, city spokesman Jeff Kleingartner said.

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Spokane Valley sues companies that built City Hall, accusing them of negligence, breach of contract - The Spokesman-Review

You could say that Patrick McGarry has been preparing for this moment for more than a decade. McGarry, D83, was studying for a masters degree in public health administration in 2007 when a virulent strain of bird flu began making its way across the globe. McGarry decided to write his thesis on how dentists can respond to pandemics.

Responding is exactly what he is doing now. When the COVID-19 crisis shuttered the bustling clinical operations at Tufts School of Dental Medicine to slow the spread of the disease, care for the most urgent cases fell to the schools emergency clinic, where McGarry has been director since 2010. He and the clinic team jumped into action to ensure patients would still have a place to go.

Since even people who are asymptomatic can carry COVID-19, a system for protecting everyone at the clinic had to be devisedand quickly. That meant adding several layers of screening before the dentists could examine a patient, additional personal protective equipment for the dental team, and creating a clean roomin the course of a single weekendfor treating those awaiting test results for the virus.

Because McGarry was already familiar with what a pandemic could entail, the Tufts clinic got a head start on preparations, adjusting its operations even ahead of recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Normally, the dental school has about 13,500 patient visits a monthfor treatments such as root canals, implants, or adjustments on braces. Since March 16, when the general and specialty clinics were put on pause, traffic has declined dramatically overall, but those patients who still need care, need it immediately.

There are dental emergencies that simply cant wait, said McGarry, an assistant professor in the department of comprehensive care. A month in, Tufts dentists have handled more than two hundred emergency cases, both adults and children. The majority were in acute painthe kind of pain that medication wasnt going to help.

Dentistry poses unique risks for COVID-19 transmission to both patients and doctors. The drills, syringes, and other equipment used by dentists produce aerosolsfine particles or liquid droplets suspended in the airthat could potentially harbor the virus for hours at a time. Plus, there is a risk to the dentist or dental assistant if saliva or blood enters a patients airway, where breathing or coughing can then transmit the virus.

And so, the emergency clinic rushed to create an additional layer of infection control. Step one was limiting clinic traffic. Patients were urged to call ahead of time. Before being allowed up to the second-floor clinic, they had their temperature taken, were screened for symptoms, and were given a face mask and hand sanitizer on the first floor.

Any procedure that could safely be delayed was put on hold. Chairs in the waiting room were spaced six feet apart. The operatories underwent deep cleaning, and cleaning crews were equipped with PPE. In one weekend, the school procured and installed two large HEPA filters to create an isolation unit for treating patients who were confirmed or suspected virus cases, and installed another HEPA filter in the waiting room.

One patient who was treated in the isolation room was a woman who developed a toothache shortly before the COVID-19 restrictions started, said Joey Chang, D08, DG12, assistant professor and predoctoral director of the department of oral and maxillofacial surgery, who sees patients at both the emergency clinic and Tufts Medical Center. A week later, she had more pain and some swelling, and she developed a sore throat and a fever, he said. The woman went to a local hospital to be tested for the coronavirus, but the results took over a week to come back.

In the meantime, she went to the dental school clinic, where she was taken to the isolation room, and ultimately had two teeth extracted, Chang said. The procedure itself was straightforward, he said, but the precautions to avoid exposure, including wearing both N95 masks and face shields, were extraordinary. We were able to treat her without any complications and we found out days later that she was COVID negative, Chang said.

Most emergency patients who are being seen right now need extractions, endodontic procedures, or treatments for infection. (Notably, self-quarantine, social distancing, and no scholastic sports has led to a decline in the number of damaged teeth from car crashes, barroom fights, or wayward baseballs.)

For some patients, the emergency clinic has been a lifeline. In one case, a patient of the dental schools oral surgery clinic who had been in Tennessee drove all the way back to Boston for help when no one could see her there.

The emergency clinic also helps lift the strain on the dental schools neighbor, Tufts Medical Center. Ordinarily, toothaches are among the top reasons people show up at emergency departments. One of our missions, in addition to helping our dental patients, is to move non-COVIDpatients out of the ER during the prime of this pandemic, McGarry said.

To manage the flow of patients until the crisis abates, treatment at the dental school has been limited to those who have been patients there during the last two years. Others who suspect they have a dental emergency are advised to call their own dentists.

Faculty and postgraduates from the schools residency programs are providing treatment; some third- and fourth-year predoctoral students have volunteered to screen patients and assist in other ways. Front-desk staff, dental assistants, and members of the team that sterilizes instruments and materials have also been reporting to worklike most essential employees these days, carrying on through a pandemic pushes the edge of their job descriptions.

The staff has been amazing, said Robert Amato, D80, DG83, assistant dean for postgraduate clinical affairs. They have stepped up, they are all self-starters, and they have been a great help through a difficult situation.

Weve been very blessed with our community, McGarry said. Im so proud of all the students, residents, faculty, and staff. And I can generally tell you, the patients we have seen, they have been quite thankful and humbled that we have still been able to provide them service.

Back in 2007, when McGarry was writing his thesis, the avian flu seemed like a likely worst-case scenariofew were thinking of an outbreak on the scale of COVID-19. Yet, here we are. Ive been able to apply a lot of what I studied then to the current situation, he said. Theres always a meaning to what you do in life.

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The Toothaches That Can't Wait - Tufts Now

Ever since reports of shortage of face masks, PPE and ventilators have come out, 3D printing firms or institutes with a machine have come forward to fulfil those requirements with whatever limited resources and manpower they had. Doctors and hospitals are working closely with them to get the products customised as per their requirements. In a telephonic call with Mint, Rajiv Bajaj, Managing Director, Stratasys India and SEA elaborates on the companys involvement in 3D printing initiatives in India, tie-up with a leading Indian university and the advantage of being a global 3D printing firm in Indian 3D printing space.

The way 3D printing community has come forward in India to help doctors and caregivers is incredible. In what way is Stratasys involved with these initiatives?

Beauty of 3D printing is that there is no fixed way of manufacturing. So if there is a problem they can just redesign the product and start printing in the next few hours. Coming to our involvement, currently there are a lot of formal discussions going on about design of ventilator design, face masks and other personal protection equipment. Similarly, there are lot of informal groups that are working in the country to come out with a viable solution. There are over 100 groups on WhatsApp where IIT and NIT students are collaborating on designs for medical equipment. Doctors too are part of these groups and they are helping them by validating these designs. We are part of both formal and informal groups.

For instance, when National Institute of Technology Karnataka, Surathkal reached out to us for assistance with development of some ventilator splitters as their 3D printer wasnt giving them the desired output, we took permission from authorities to open our office and send our industrial printers along with materials. They utilised them to come out with 3D printed components for circuit splitters, floor regulators and PPE. They have installed our printer at George hospital so they can print splitters close to the ventilators.

Stratasys has recently partnered with GNA University, Punjab. Can you elaborate on the nature of this partnership?

GNA University is our existing customer and they are using our 3D printer for a lot of industrial and educational applications. During this time, they wanted to extend the same for face masks and visor design. Stratasys has opened up our designs for visors and face masks, allowing anybody to download the STL and print them. The next step is to enable them to induction mould the same design to increase the volumes to meet the demand they have been facing.

Does being a global company active in various countries during crisis help in dealing with the challenges faced by 3D printing community in India?

We were able to utilise the best practices that we learned in other places like China and Hong Kong. Our company came up with some ready designs for face masks and visors, and we put it out for use by anyone. People across the globe, including India, have downloaded those designs and manufactured them using the 3D printers they have. In addition to all this, we are also working with some top tier automotive companies who have 3D printers for manufacturing automotive components. We are helping them print masks and create prototypes for ventilators. Also, we have special materials which are certified for touch with the human skin.

Did you face any shortage of printing material due to supply chain disruption and lockdown? How did you manage the shortage?

There have been some challenges, but we were able to deal with them through collective efforts. Whatever stocks we had in our offices we have made them available to our customers. Similarly, whatever stocks our partners had were also made available to the customers. We have an install base almost 900 printers in the country. And all our customers we have reached out for machine or parts have been very forthcoming in supporting these efforts for the industry.

There is a huge shortage of medical equipment and the initial supply of 3d printed equipment has been very low. What is potential for scaling up to produce more?

3D printing, by virtue of the way the technology works, is best suited for batch production kind of scenario. When there are requirements of mass production running into lakhs, you have to combine the benefits of 3D printing technology with conventional manufacturing. However, during lockdown regular manufacturing setup will not be available to them. To meet immediate requirements of PPEs and medical equipment, hospitals can install 3D printers on the premises and customise them according to their requirements.

Do you think the current crisis will boost adoption of 3d printing in India?

We dont want to see the pandemic as an opportunity. But looking at the broader understanding of what does one need to quickly ramp up product design development and make changes on the fly as the situation demands, people have started to realised that 3D printing can be of great use as they can work out alternatives in short span of time.

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Beauty of 3D printing is that there is no fixed way of manufacturing - Livemint

Kathy Wells McNeil only had to watch the international news over the winter months to realize she did not want to get caught flatfooted when the fast-spreading COVID-19 virus reached Sudbury.

Two months ago, the owner and CEO of Total Nursing Care placed a call to have a local glass installer attach a large plexiglass screen to the reception counter of her occupational testing clinic on Regent Street.

We got a jumpstart on most people in town because we had all our PPE (personal protective equipment) ordered, sanitizer, masks, gowns and gloves provided to all of our staff. Kind of the last thing we did was put the plexiglass in.

Wells McNeils company provides home health-care services, but also operates an occupational testing facility, performing medicals, drugand alcohol testing, pulmonary tests and electrocardiograms for mining companies and the railways.

With the aim of keeping her staff safe, Wells McNeil, a registered nurse, performed a risk assessment of the most heavily trafficked and high-touch areas of her clinic, including the front desk.

Having that barrier there, our office staff doesnt have to be gloved, gowned and masked all day. They can work in that area and feel comfortable.

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The pandemic crisis has brought out the ingenuity and flexibility of Canadian industry and large and small businesses in pivoting their production and manufacturing capabilities to meet the needs of front-line workers in health care, emergency response, retail and other essential services.

Makers and installers of glass and plastic safety barriers have been particularly busy. Health-care providers are certainly top of mind for Gerry Rainville, president of Cosmos Glassin Sudbury.

Normally at this time of year, before the construction season starts, staff in his nine-employee shop in Sudburys north end would be off on vacation.

Were a seasonal business. From January to March, April, theres really not much to do.

That's all changed since mid-March when the outbreak took hold, non-essential business and activity was locked down, and the calls started coming in for protective screens.

Weve been quite busy, going from the thought of possibly laying people off to almost needing an extra set of hands, said Rainville.

Were pretty much full bore.

Whenever he fields a call from Health Sciences North, thats my priority, said Rainville.

He estimates hes provided 30 to 40 custom-ordered barriers for the hospital, but also for pharmacies, doctors offices, grocery store chains, and various office spaces.

Dating back to the H1N1 influenza outbreak in 2009, Rainville estimates hes built 90 per cent of the protective barriers for the hospitals aluminum-framed nursing stations and reception desks.

But theyve also been heating and molding plexiglass for counters and tabletop screening stations.

Were able to turn them around fairly quickly, said Rainville. Some of the desks have higher raised platforms so everything is custom designed and installed for those ones.

Some customers prefer a basic shield, hanging down from the ceiling on chains, while others want more complex configurations between work stations.

Hes also sold plastic sheets to retailers like Canadian Tire and Costco, which have installed their own protective barriers for cashiers.

For customers, Rainville will sometimes personally go out to do measurements for an installation, or people can give their dimensions over the phone and he'll leave the fabricated product outside for curbside pickup.

While hes experienced no problems sourcing plastic from his southern Ontario supplier, there has been issues ordered the round disc-like speak-throughs.

With only one supplier in Canada, theres a backlog on orders well into May. Rainville rectified that by approaching a local metal fabricator who laser cut about 50 replicas in a couple of days. Thats where Ive been buying them.

Hospital installations are also a big part of Michael Valentis business, Northland Glass & Metal in North Bay.

Before COVID-19 hit, installing glass and plexiglass screens amounted to about five per cent of his business almost nothing, he said.

For North Bay Regional Health Centre, the company has been making and installing protective glass for individual nursing stations and more extensive floor-to-ceiling glass barriers in excess of 15 metres long, as the hospital has been reconfiguring its emergency room space.

Weve been in the hospital every few days putting in different screens and changing pathways for doors so people cant just walk down a hall, said Valenti.

As president of three companies engaged in roofing, siding, and exterior building work, hes managed to keep 90 per cent of his employees busy on essential service sites with a slate of Ontario Provincial Police detachment work and for the Ontario Northland Transportation Commission.

On the glass and metal fabricating side, his 22 employees have been active both in the shop and in the field, cutting and installing plastic screens for themselves and other contractors.

We used to sit on a skid of 25 (sheets of plastic) for two months and were going through 50 sheets a week, he said.

Valenti suspects protective screens could develop into a new business line in the years ahead.

I think its going to change the way people work and the way they operate.

The clients that we work for have been taking the long-term approach. Its not something theyve just thrown up to get by;its some thought-out planning to prepare for now and in the future.

Thats something Wells-McNeil has strongly considered.

The plexiglass is not going anywhere. Its the new norm now, for sure, she said, as part of their in-house health and safety procedures to manage client flow in the office and wearing personal protective equipment for pulmonary tests.

Wells-McNeil views this time as a teaching moment for businesses to be more mindful of infections, diseases and other viruses and being more proactive in preventing their spread.

Im hoping we can get to one day, a year from now, to where we can shake hands again, where the scare is not there anymore. But I do feel that some of these changes are definitely going to be permanent, and I think theyre going to be good changes.

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Busy glass installers providing that extra barrier of safety - Northern Ontario Business