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Ed Rybicki Receives 2021 CIO Award

June 14, 2021

Ed Rybicki, Vyaire Medical's Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer, has been recognized as one of the top information technology executives in the greater Chicago area. The Chicago CIO of the Year® ORBIE® Awards is the premier technology executive recognition program in the region, honoring CIOs who have demonstrated excellence in technology leadership. Rybicki won in the Enterprise category, which is for companies with between $1 billon and $5 billion in revenue. He and the six other winners were selected from a field of about 150 nominated executives from the Chicago-Milwaukee area. "While it's a CIO award, it's absolutely an IT team award," Rybicki said. "I just happen to be the guy at the top of the org chart." Rybicki joined Vyaire Medical in 2018 and one of his first tasks was to assemble that award-winning team. "We completely reorganized the entire department," he said. "We brought in a lot of people and put them in roles where they could really drive value throughout the company." With his team in place, Rybicki set out to implement greater simplicity, stability, and security in Vyaire Medical's global information technology systems and applications. For example, he sponsored streamlining the company's data aggregation and analysis process and implemented a new Amazon platform. The system pulls in data from across the company — manufacturing, sales, financial, customer service, supply chain — to provide a much clearer performance picture. "The system aggregates this data, cleans it up, and displays it in consumable dashboards," Rybicki said. In addition to giving executives 24/7 access to information, the system soon will enable predictive analysis to better inform decisions. Another initiative, called Project Foundation, consolidated all of Vyaire Medical's servers, located in 14 data centers around the world, onto Amazon's cloud-based platform. "That has given us much better stability and much better scalability," Rybicki said. And in this day and age, security has to be a top priority for any IT team, as the recent hack of the Colonial Pipeline network proved. Rybicki said the company saw a three-fold increase in the number of hacking attempts last year during the COVID-19 pandemic. None were successful. "We put a lot of different technologies in place to protect the company," he said. He added these security efforts not only help prevent hacking efforts, but also block hundreds of thousands of spam emails each month. While each of these initiatives represents a significant accomplishment unto themselves, Rybicki said he is most proud of the fact that the projects, and others, were undertaken during a time of tremendous growth and transformation for Vyaire Medical. And he's not done yet. Among the things Rybicki is working on going forward is reducing the redundancy in the company's more than 300 business applications and software packages. "We are still tackling complexity. That has been an overarching strategic initiative for us," he said. "You can't have a fluid, efficient organization if you have complexity."

Vyaire Medical Donates to Combat COVID-19 in India

May 20, 2021

Vyaire Medical is stepping up its response to the COVID-19 outbreak through current and planned donations of respiratory equipment to the healthcare community in India, bringing desperately needed aid to the country that has been ravaged by the virus. The pace at which the coronavirus is spreading through the country's population of 1.4 billion people has created a humanitarian crisis. The latest estimates indicate as many as 350,000 infections are occurring each day. Hospitals have been overwhelmed with patients and oxygen and other medicines are in short supply. "In our role as the world’s only medical device company focused exclusively on breathing, it is incumbent upon us to do what we can to help alleviate this pain and suffering," said Gaurav Agarwal, CEO of Vyaire Medical. "To that end, we are supporting our Vyaire team members and working with customers, distributors, and non-profits to provide knowledge, services, and equipment to healthcare organizations in the region." To date, the company's commitment comprises: Five Vela™ ventilators and two CPAP/BIPAP and oxygen concentrators to the Delhi E.N.T. Hospital, 100 bellavista™ ventilators onsite for distribution in Delhi NCR, and 500 oxygen concentrators planned for distribution throughout India. "I am incredibly proud of Vyaire and our entire team. My colleagues have stepped up in numerous ways in response to an epidemic that makes its own rules," Agarwal said. "While vaccinations are helping tame the outbreak, we know COVID-19 can strike again in any country, region, or city. Now is the time to show the world that we truly embrace our mission to empower the global respiratory community to enrich patients’ quality of breathing – not only during crises like this, but throughout their lives." Agarwal also noted the company is offering clinical expertise and training to local care teams to respond to emergency ventilation situations and to help monitor NIV needs. The donations by Vyaire Medical provide much-needed assistance to India's healthcare providers who are besieged by the current outbreak. “I would like to express our sincere gratitude for the help Vyaire Medical provided us to manage the current COVID crisis we are facing. It is an enormous humanitarian gesture” said Dr. Arvid C. Kacker, Joint Director and Medical Superintendent of the Delhi ENT Hospital and Research Centre. “The donation from Vyaire Medical has greatly increased our ability to offer access and treatment to patients who require assisted ventilation," Dr. Kacker added. "It also allows us to increase our outreach program using both the donated CPAP/BIPAP and oxygen concentrators. We are now able to reach patients who would not have earlier access to hospital facilities. Over the past 2 weeks we have witnessed a record in both the number of COVID-19 cases and ORL and Head & Neck morbidity. This gesture will help all strata of Indian society in these grave times.”

Vyaire Medical’s Response To The Current COVID-19 Crisis in India

May 7, 2021

As we continue to hear news of the devastating impact COVID-19 is having on the nation of India, we must balance our grief and sympathy with action to help make a difference. Each and every member of our Vyaire family in India, and those of us with friends and family there, has been personally impacted by the tragic toll the pandemic is taking in that part of the world. The pace at which the coronavirus is spreading in this country of 1.4 billion is nothing short of a humanitarian catastrophe. The latest estimates indicate as many as 350,000 infections are occurring per day, and that is likely an under-estimate. Hospitals are overwhelmed, oxygen and other medicine is in short supply and many of sick and their loved ones are being left to fend for themselves. In our role as the world’s premier provider of breathing technology, it is incumbent upon us to do what we can to help alleviate this pain and suffering. To that end, we are supporting our Vyaire team members and working with customers, distributors and non-profits to provide knowledge, services and equipment to health care organizations in the region. Specifically, in New Delhi, a city of 20 million where infections are creating a severe crisis for area hospitals, Vyaire is donating or providing at cost a variety of ventilation and oxygen equipment to treat COVID-19 patients requiring oxygen support. In addition, we are offering clinical expertise and training to local care teams to respond to emergency ventilatory situations and to help monitor NIV needs.  We will continue to rally teams around the world to provide more support in our effort to help alleviate this humanitarian crisis.   We are incredibly proud of our entire Vyaire team, who has stepped up in numerous ways in response to an epidemic that makes its own rules. While vaccinations are helping tame the outbreak, we know COVID-19 can strike again in any country, region or city. There has never been a more important time for us to embrace our mission to empower the global respiratory community to enrich patients’ quality of breathing – not only during crises like this, but throughout their lives. 

Perspectives From a Vyaire Engineer in Recognition of STEM Day

November 8, 2020

At Vyaire Medical, product development and innovation are dependent on the skillful teams that leverage science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) to do their jobs each day. STEM is critical to the work we do to enhance the quality of breathing through every stage of life. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of STEM as Vyaire continues to develop and provide solutions for patients’ complex and changing needs. In honor of STEM Day, we interviewed Vyaire’s own Colleen O’Grady, Senior Principal Mechanical Engineer, who supports process automation and development, to discuss her journey and career in STEM.   During this interview, we learn more about Colleen's own experience in engineering and her current work, as well as advice for others interested in STEM. An Interview with Colleen O’Grady What is your specific area of STEM? My degree is in mechanical engineering; however, my focus for much of my career has been in manufacturing automation. How long have you been with Vyaire? I have been with Vyaire for two-and-a-half years. Currently, I am a senior principal mechanical engineer in support of process automation and development Can you describe what you do in your role and how it supports Vyaire’s work to support patients? I work across a variety of projects that includes new product development and various other initiatives that focus on the specification and procurement of capital equipment, which is the machinery utilized in the manufacturing process. My role supports Vyaire through the review of products for manufacturability and determining the most cost-effective means of production. When did you first become interested in engineering and was there a moment you knew you were going to be an engineer? I grew up tinkering with all kinds of things like Lego® sets. My favorites were my airport monorail system and my cargo ship. I also liked building small relay control systems out of old flashlights. I spent considerable time with my father in our family’s industrial laundry business, where large autonomous washing and drying systems that could produce more than 3,000 pounds of linen every hour. I was about twelve when I learned how to wire an AC drive for the first time. I think I always knew that I wanted to do something like what I do now, but in 8th grade, I knew that I wanted to be a mechanical engineer. What are some of the highlights or things that you are most proud of that you've been able to work on as an engineer at Vyaire? I have been involved in many different meaningful projects here at Vyaire, but the most important for me has been the test equipment for our ventilators. I have also worked on three-dimensional RF welding, automated assembly of nebulizer caps, as well as researching applications of sensors for the introduction of predictive maintenance on injection molders. How did your role play a part in the COVID-19 pandemic? Our ventilators became a major priority for much of the world. We were tasked with ramping up the production line very quickly which involved building more than 200 pieces of new test equipment that was originally designed many years ago. A lot of things have changed since then, including the hardware used to control and record data. Updating each test station involved numerous hours of research to ensure that any new component would be equivalent to the originally specified version. I also had to ensure our contracted building partners understood the function and construction of each station. We were able to complete all 200 test stations in just four short months. What advice do you have for anyone considering a career in STEM? Two things I would advise are don’t be afraid of failing and don’t close yourself off. If you do fail, know that it is acceptable, but remember to accept the responsibility for it. Mistakes often lead to discoveries in addition to improvements in the future. I also believe that you should be open to new things as well. If you are presented with a new opportunity to learn then take it. Having more experience makes you more marketable for the future. Go to Vyaire’s LinkedIn to see additional stories of Vyaire team members in STEM.    

Vyaire Medical Celebrates Respiratory Care Week

November 6, 2020

Vyaire Medical recognized Respiratory Therapists and Care Workers during Respiratory Care Week, October 25- 31, 2020. Employees from around the globe shared their stories about the inspiring efforts of colleagues and customers that have gone above and beyond, particularly in response to COVID-19. From administering care to premature infants whose lungs are not fully developed to providing treatment of elderly individuals with lung disease to managing ventilators for patients battling COVID-19, Respiratory Therapists are committed to supporting patient’s breath and wellness. At Vyaire Medical, our Respiratory Therapists support our customers across our entire business. They are dedicated to ensuring our customers have the right tools to provide best-in-class patient care.  Leveraging their training and expertise, they provide a unique perspective that helps us continue putting the needs of our customers first. With their clinical respiratory therapy experience, our Respiratory Therapists understand the needs and demands of our customers. They commit themselves to creating custom solutions for them that improve patient outcomes and create value. Respiratory Therapists play a critical role on a patient’s healthcare team. “Respiratory therapists are the eyes and ears in the ICU, constantly monitoring the progress of cardiopulmonary disease. Their continuous vigilance is what leads to successful patient outcomes,” said Dr. Michael Pedro, vice president and medical director at Vyaire Medical. We want to thank Respiratory Therapists and Care Workers for the work that they do for their patients and their commitment to care. To honor this great work, we have been posting some of our own inspiring stories on our social media channels. View these stories here.

Vyaire CEO Speaks with McKinsey about Company’s COVID-19 Response

November 5, 2020

Vyaire Medical chief executive officer Gaurav Agarwal was recently interviewed by McKinsey about the Vyaire Medical team’s dedicated efforts to ramp up production and meet patient needs in response to COVID-19. Within days of starting in his role at Vyaire, Agarwal was receiving calls from the international team regarding supply issues. COVID-19 cases were increasing in parts of China, and the teams were asking to place orders which were of a greater magnitude than what they would ever expect. Teams in Italy and Spain quickly followed with similar requests. It became clear that COVID-19 was escalating rapidly across the globe, and the company’s response would have to rise to meet the unprecedented demand. “As a respiratory-focused company with one of the largest installed bases of critical-case ventilators in the world, we knew that we played a vital role in the response to COVID-19,” said Agarwal. “We could not afford to be limited in our thinking. This was a moral and ethical calling.” Through a strategic partnership with Spirit AeroSystems in Wichita, Kansas, Vyaire was able to significantly expand production in order to meet the increased demand for ventilators. Vyaire also focused on how to best ensure ventilators were delivered as quickly as possible to the bedside, meeting customers where they were and prioritizing where the need was greatest. “People react to crises differently. Some believe you have to hunker down because there’s enough going on. To me, crises are the perfect time to make change, and even accelerate some of those changes,” said Agarwal. “I came in with a vision to innovate and expand access, and the COVID-19 pandemic hasn’t changed that.” To read Agarwal’s full interview about Vyaire’s response to COVID-19, click here. This article was originally published by McKinsey & Company, www.mckinsey.com. Copyright (c) 2020 All rights reserved.

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