Brand Partner ContentNot only has the COVID-19 pandemic has served as a trigger for us to redefine how supply chains are optimized at the global level. This has created an intense debate within the academic community, among policy-makers and practitioners. Among the industries affected, healthcare supplies have been dramatically hit by the scarcity of medical products, particularly with personal protective equipment (PPE) understandably facing an explosion in demand.
One of the lessons many have painfully learnt over recent times is business supply chains need to diversify in order to remain secure.
In order to address its heavy reliance on China for supplies and become less vulnerable, Australia is branching out its means for acquiring necessary medical supplies by calling on the help of Houston’s leading medical supply manufacturer. Established to meet the soaring demand for personal protective equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic, Texas Medical Technology, a leading manufacturer of medical supplies and equipment bringing a smart approach to safety protocols, has announced its expansion into the land down under.
Its expansion includes a plan to build a factory by the end of 2022 with the intent of hiring 900 employees from local communities. Conversations are currently ongoing with the states of Victoria and Queensland to determine the final destination.
From Mexico to Houston to Australia
From an idea hatched up on a road trip on the Pacific Coast Highway, right up to becoming a leading player in the medical supply space, Texas Medical Technology is not exactly your typical, run-of-the-mill corporate entity.
Let’s rewind: One thousand dollars and a trip down to Mexico. It sounds a lot like the start of a Thelma and Louise-esque flick, but that’s exactly how COVID-19 started for eccentric Israeli entrepreneur Omri Shafran. It was in Mexico that Omri developed his vision for how he was going to dedicate his entrepreneurial mind to solving pressing issues in hospitals and in public spaces, where healthcare workers were struggling with basic supplies and businesses struggling to keep their spaces safe for customers.
As a company, Texas Medical Technology now has a 144,000-square-foot factory in Houston, Texas that employs 550 workers from 53 countries, including refugees assisted by the YMCA of Greater Houston and the Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. The four entrepreneurs behind Texas Medical Technology also come from diverse backgrounds. Omri Shafran and Dimitri Menin are Israeli, while Jad Shraim is of Palestinian descent, and Sean Ryber from the U.S . Their focus since the beginning has been on working together for the greater good, regardless of origin. Keeping in line with their mission to aid disadvantaged communities across the country, the company also recently initiated joint ventures with The Modoc Nation of Oklahoma.
Fast forward to 2022, and Omri’s in the driver’s seat of a flagship entity in the medical supply equation, delivering what medical facilities ultimately need to fight the good fight. The journey to realize his vision is one of quick pivoting and a real entrepreneurial spirit—the perfect Israeli concoction.
But now with his venture into the southern hemisphere, Texas Medical Technology can continue remediating the headache of PPE and the ills of the supply chain in pastures new, enabling regular Australians to protect themselves more effectively.
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