The New Normal

2020. A year of adjustments in the face of a global pandemic.
item America has faced the situation with a problem-solving mentality, taking the versatility of our products and innovating new ways to protect our customers and solve their problems.

The Start

Beginning in 2020, item Experts and partners gathered from across the country in Salt Lake City, Utah, for a week of sharing knowledge and creating new ways to work with clientele. Sharing new ways to use item products in new, exciting, and ingenious ways, every team member and partner returned from Utah to their office with a plethora of ideas to apply to clients looking for answers.

In March, item America participated in MODEX 2020 in Atlanta Georgia – this would be the last physical, in-person trade show the team attended, as shortly thereafter the COVID-19 pandemic led to cancellations, closures, and remote work. item clients in the pharmaceutical, educational, and financial sectors had no choice but to adapt – that’s where item came in.

Early in the year, item gained viral popularity in the online engineering community with the release and publicity of a project done for Audi in Germany. A video illustrating the compatibility of item solutions with Automated Guided Vehicle systems demonstrated cutting-edge intralogistics by item in Audi’s production of the A8 model at their Neckarsulm facility.

Creating A Strategy

Using the ingenuity and versatility of item product lines, containment solutions and protective solutions became a major focus.

Tabletop and free-standing shields were developed to protect our customers’ employees while they were unable to stop production. Hand sanitation stations provided an opportunity to promote cleanliness in areas that aren’t as close to bathrooms. Cleanrooms for hospitals created much-needed patient treatment areas.

As industry events, including trade shows, tackled the pandemic many turned to digital alternatives. October 2020 saw item America participate in two noteworthy shows that transitioned to a digital platform: The Assembly Show and Toronto AME. Both provided an opportunity to discuss item solutions with interested attendees one-on-one via video conferencing tools.

item Mexico led the way with another appearance at Industrial Transformation Mexico, a Hannover Messe Event. Marketing Coordinator Aremy Rosales presented the Advancing Women Engineers program to an audience of students, promoting the interests of young women eager to pursue a career in STEM and engineering.

As shows went digital, so too did item with our innovation strategies. The launch of the item Academy opened an opportunity for followers of item to increase their knowledge and become more familiar with item products. Free to access and use from any internet-accessible browser, the Academy puts the expertise of item at users’ fingertips. Courses like “Lean Production: A practical introduction to the principles” bring the philosophy, explanation, and improvement recommendations to the user.

Forward to the Future

How will item continue our innovation in 2021?
One thing is for certain: you can join item by following along on our blog, social media, and the item Academy.