Text/Tian Zhongchao
In China’s fight against the epidemic, domestic vehicle and parts companies have played a significant role. Wuling, BYD, GAC and ZF have all It has successively switched to producing masks and other medical protective materials, which has solved everyone's urgent needs.
Perhaps inspired by the switch of Chinese car companies to produce masks, many foreign car companies have also been ordered to switch to the production of ventilators.
United States: Ford, General Motors, and Tesla have been named
As of yesterday, the number of confirmed cases in the United States has exceeded 80,000, surpassing Italy and China, and ranking first in the world in the number of confirmed cases.
In fact, Trump had already begun to lose his composure before that. After Musk expressed his willingness to produce ventilators for the country, Trump responded quickly on March 22, naming him. Give the green light to Ford, General Motors and Tesla, and urge them to produce ventilators as soon as possible, "Let me see how good you are?"
General Motors said it has currently arranged to supply 95% of the ventilators needed. parts and is seeking to procure the remaining 37 necessary parts. The first batch of parts will be delivered before April 5th, and it is expected to produce about 200,000 ventilators.
Italy: Turning to Ferrari and FCA
In Italy, where the epidemic is most severe, the government requires Siare Engineering, the country’s largest ventilator manufacturer, to increase its monthly production capacity from 160 to ?500? ?
So? Siare? asked Ferrari and? FCA? for help, hoping that they can produce some parts for ventilators. Siare? CEO Gianluca Preziosa pointed out that? The two major industries have Some of the different characteristics are relatively dependent on electronic and gas mechanics. Moreover, automobile companies have strong purchasing power and global supply chains, and can quickly obtain the parts they need.
FCA's spokesman said that a meeting with Siare was held on March 19 and there are currently two options: FCA and Ferrari provide technical support to help Siare produce cars. parts; or outsource all parts production to automakers.
UK: Aerospace companies and Rolls-Royce become the main players
According to the "Guardian" report on the 25th, the British government has requested production drawings from large ventilator manufacturers and has Convened include aerospace companies Meggitt and GKN GKN, automotive companies Rolls-Royce, McLaren Group, Nissan, defense manufacturer Thales and medical device manufacturer Renishaw and other companies in many fields to form a “ventilator emergency national team.”
Meggitt is responsible for the main ventilator, and the 3D printing technology required for parts manufacturing is supported by GKN and Thales Group; McLaren and Rolls-Royce are responsible for the design; Lei Shao Nissan is responsible for providing professional medical and technical support. If all goes well, Nissan will open the factory area and production capacity of the Sunderland plant in northeastern England.
There are only two requirements: 1. It must be based on domestically available parts/raw materials; 2. The design only needs to be usable, and the main purpose is "rapid mass production."
It can be seen that in order to mass-produce ventilators as soon as possible, the UK has decided not to guarantee quality but quantity.
Germany: Volkswagen is exploring 3D printing ventilators
Germany Volkswagen is also investigating the possibility of using 3D printers to produce ventilator accessories. Volkswagen stated in a statement that the group has more than ?125 An industrial 3D printer has some technical reserves in 3D printing and is willing to assist ventilator manufacturers to produce related parts and other life-saving equipment through 3D printing.
At present, an internal team has been formed to convert medical ventilators, and is testing relevant materials and contacting the supply chain.
However, the reality is not optimistic. German experts also said: It is unrealistic for car companies to switch to ventilator production.
Take Tesla as an example. Musk once believed that Tesla was the most promising company. A car company capable of producing ventilators, because Tesla has advanced air-conditioning heat pump technology, which is one of the essential technologies for the production of ventilators; Tesla's HEPA air-conditioning filter element may meet the filtration standards of ventilators with slight improvements ; And the life support system of SpaceX spacecraft can provide the technical basis for ventilators.
But the reality is that Tesla currently has no way to mass-produce ventilators immediately. After being named by Trump, Musk had to turn to China and purchased them through the Tesla China team on March 25. 1,255 FDA-certified ventilators were shipped to Los Angeles for emergency treatment.
And judging from Musk’s tweet on March 27, Tesla may still not be able to switch to ventilator production in a short time, so “the company will provide ResMed, Philips and Medtronic starting tonight.” Ventilators produced by other manufacturers”
To put it bluntly, we still rely on procurement.
This is probably the fastest time Musk has been slapped in the face. Of course, he cannot be blamed. After all, car companies switching to ventilator production is a worldwide problem. Niklas Kuczaty, head of medical technology of the German Machinery Manufacturing Association, also said: "It is unrealistic for car companies to produce medical devices as complex as ventilators in just a few weeks or months."
So what are the difficulties for car companies to switch to ventilator production?
But after careful consideration, there are many doubts about this matter
1. Time. Car companies will switch to mask production lines very quickly. They may be able to produce products in a month, but switching to ventilators will be difficult. That’s not the case anymore. It’s not only about meeting the dust-free workshop requirements, but also about meeting the relevant standards for medical devices.
Professor Caitlin Wawat, who specializes in supply chain at the University of Notre Dame, said, "The speed of the converted factory depends on how similar the new products to be produced in the product line are to the existing products."?
The opinion of many foreign experts is that it may take 18 months for car companies to switch to ventilator production, and it will take a year even faster. Herd immunity is estimated to have occurred by then.
2. Technology. China’s ventilator production capacity is high and there are many brands, but it is limited to mid- to low-end brands. High-end products still rely on imports. At present, the core technology patents of high-end ventilators are still controlled by a few overseas. In the hands of several groups.
For car companies, the extent to which ventilator manufacturers are willing to share their design drawings and other resources is directly related to the car company's ability to switch production. But obviously this kind of job-related thing cannot be easily announced to the outside world.
Previously, there was an incident in Italy where engineers used 3D printing to manufacture breathing valves to solve urgent needs of hospitals, but in the end they were sued for infringement by the manufacturer. Even if the lawsuit is eventually dropped, the original manufacturer "still cannot provide design documents due to medical regulations."
3. Supply chain. Unlike masks, one supplier may be able to meet all the raw materials for masks. But ventilators are precision instruments that involve hundreds or thousands of parts, and the supply chain for these parts is scattered around the world, especially in China.
So even if, like the UK, technical information is obtained directly from ventilator manufacturers, under the epidemic, the global supply chain is broken, and no one can produce large quantities of ventilators in a short time due to lack of raw materials.
4. Professionals, the operating standards of automobile and ventilator production lines are different. Medtronic, a well-known medical manufacturer, stated that ventilator manufacturing is a complex process that requires a skilled and professional workforce and a strict supervision system to ensure that products meet standards.
However, under the current epidemic situation, foreign vehicle factories have suspended production one after another, and ordinary employees cannot be summoned, let alone professional production workers?
In short, for car companies, it may be easy to build millions of cars, but it is still difficult to mass-produce ventilators across borders.
Of course, in the global anti-epidemic action, our determination is unanimous, so we can only hope that ventilator manufacturers and car companies can reach a common understanding on issues of interests and public welfare. Be able to fulfill your own responsibilities and responsibilities.
This article comes from the author of Autohome Chejiahao and does not represent the views and positions of Autohome.