Exploring the Impact of ISAIC on a MI-Based Tech Company: Warmilu x ISAIC
Warmilu is an electronic warming tech company that makes products that create instant warmth in resource-scarce hospitals, with primary applications in healthcare. They have deployed their products in 23 countries, with 85 hospital systems and partners like Doctors Without Borders currently using their warming packs. Warmilu's co-founder and CEO, Grace, is passionate about reducing infant death from hypothermia, which impacts over one million infants every year. Her own experience with being born premature fueled her determination to solve this global problem.
In 2019, MEDC's David Newhouse and Lisa Katz from Davidson Foundation heard about Warmilu's challenges in getting teams trained in industrial sewing and connected them to Jen, the CEO of ISAIC. Warmilu was struggling to find and retain quality talent in sewing, and in-house sewing teams were not as consistent as they needed to be. The partnership with ISAIC helped Warmilu digitize all of its patterns, reducing the bottleneck of cutting the fabric.
The automatic cut machine was utilized for their project, and the team saw a considerable improvement in cutting and sewing quality and speed. Previously, it would take the team 15-20 hours to trace and cut fabric for 20 blankets, and one hour to sew. After partnering with ISAIC, it took only two minutes to trace and cut and 40 minutes to sew, with cleaner edges and more consistent pieces. From a volume standpoint, ISAIC helped Warmilu to significantly expand their product offerings to create a greater impact globally.
Warmilu's partnership with ISAIC has been a game-changer for the company, allowing them to focus their time and energy on sewing the blankets and improving the quality of their products. Grace advises others looking to work with ISAIC to approach the partnership as a collaboration, be open-minded, and accept advice when offered. Budgeting time and funding for projects is also critical, and having all the necessary information about fabric types and directionality is essential.
Grace explains, ISAIC has had a significant impact on the industry and other manufacturers by providing training and access to equipment and technologies that can improve productivity, quality, and efficiency. ISAIC and guidance from Lionel Vargas Cruz, the Director of Manufacturing and Innovation, can help Warmilu and manufacturers like them solve problems and find solutions, making manufacturing more accessible and sustainable for everyone. The partnership with Warmilu demonstrates how collaboration and innovation can lead to remarkable improvements in products and processes.