Coronavirus or the proper name Covid 19 has certainly affected the world. It will affect people buying cars, manufacturing plants and the supply chain. However some manufacturers are doing things to help despite this.
General Motors and Formula 1
General Motors and some Formula 1 teams have committed resources to make ventilators for severe sufferers of the Coronavirus. David Brown reports that others are getting on board with more products.
While General Motors has been harassed about how quickly they can get production of ventilators, they will also convert their closed Warren plant to mass-produce surgical masks, an employee-led initiative in response to the coronavirus outbreak.
Production will ramp-up to make 50,000 masks per day within two weeks. It hopes eventually to make 100,000 masks per day based on material availability.
Ford aims to partner with GE Healthcare to expand production of GE’s ventilators and will also make face shields for first responders to use with N95 respirator masks.
Toyota will help some companies increase production of ventilators and respirators, it will mass-produce 3D-printed face shields, and also hopes to make filters for face masks.
Nissan begins respirator production in Barcelona
Hospital de Sant Pau, the engineering company QEV Technologies, along with Nissan and the technology centre Eurecat have developed the Q-Vent respirator, to be used in hospitals throughout the world.
The accessible, flexible and reliable design meets international specifications, meaning it can be supplied to developing countries in the fight against COVID-19.
The Q-Vent has already been authorised by the Spanish Agency for Medicines and Health Products (AEMPS) and has been tested in the facilities of the Research Institute of the Hospital de Sant Pau – IIB Sant Pau (Barcelona) with excellent results. The first 20 units will be donated to the local health authority CatSalut for use in ICUs and ongoing clinical study to optimize the equipment.
“Since the beginning of the epidemic, we assumed the challenge of developing a low-cost portable system that could reach all corners of the world, especially those emerging countries where the COVID-19 was going to cause a great damage and where the majority of the patients were not going to have access to respirators. And thanks to everyone’s effort and desire, this has been possible”, explains Miguel Valldecabres, CEO at QEV Technologies.
“From Sant Pau we support this initiative to fight against COVID-19. We believe it is necessary to help emerging countries that have lower economic capacities than we have in Europe and that’s why we support the QEV Technologies project to make this respirator useful in ICUs anywhere in the world”, confirms Dr. José M. Guerra, scientific coordinator of the project, doctor of the Arrhythmia Unit of the Hospital de Sant Pau and Coordinator of the Research Group in Clinical and Translational Cardiology, of the Research Institute of this centre.
Manufacturing the Q-Vent will begin this week at Nissan Barcelona Plant’s Powertrain Plant, with a capacity of 180 units per day, depending on orders.
Eurecat has been in charge of advising on the design of components and the production of some of them, as well as managing the process for the inclusion of hospitals in the clinical study.
Audi provides five million euros in corona crisis
In the corona crisis, Audi is supporting medical and social institutions in its home regions and providing humanitarian aid at the national and international level. The company is providing five million euros in emergency aid for this purpose. The Board of Management of AUDI AG and the Works Councils at the Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm sites have now launched this package.
GM to convert Warren facility to mass-produce surgical masks
Detroit — General Motors Co. announced plans Friday to convert its closed Warren plant to mass-produce surgical masks, an employee-led initiative in response to the coronavirus outbreak.
The necessary machinery to produce the Level 1 surgical masks was delivered Friday to the Warren plant on Mound Road, officials said.
GM anticipates production will begin Monday and will ramp-up to make 50,000 masks per day within two weeks. It hopes eventually to make 100,000 masks per day based on material availability, officials said.
“The employee-led initiative was created, planned and approved in about 48 hours and involves GM’s traditional supply base as well as new partnerships specific to the medical device industry,” GM said in an online statement.
GM will work with governments and local suppliers to distribute the masks to health care professionals.
The announcement came Friday, when President Donald Trump on Friday signed a presidential memorandum to require GM to make ventilators for the federal government despite the Detroit automaker saying it already was moving closer to producing thousands of the devices in Kokomo, Indiana.
The company has partnered with Bothell, Washington-based Ventec Life Systems and its suppliers to help boost the production of critical care ventilators that help COVID-19 patients in severe cases breathe. Ventilators built at Kokomo Operations could be shipped as early as next month, and GM said it’s donating its resources at cost.
srahal@detroitnews.com
More automotive efforts
GENERAL MOTORS
General Motors Co said it will partner with Washington-based Ventec Life Systems to make ventilators at GM’s Kokomo, Indiana, electrical components plant as soon as April, at the rate of 10,000 a month, up to 200,000 units. GM also will make surgical masks at its Warren, Michigan, facility, starting in early April and ramping up to 50,000 masks a day, with the ability to double that.
FORD MOTOR
Ford Motor Co said it would partner with GE Healthcare to expand production of GE’s ventilators, while developing a simplified design that Ford could build at one of its plants. Ford also said it will work with 3M Co to increase production of 3M’s respirators, while also developing a simpler model to be built in a Ford plant. The automaker said it may make face shields for first responders to use with N95 respirator masks at an undisclosed Michigan plant, at a rate of up to 100,000 a week.
TOYOTA MOTOR
Toyota Motor Corp said it is finalizing deals with at least two companies to help increase production of ventilators and respirators. It expects to begin mass-producing 3D-printed face shields next week, and is seeking partners to make filters for face masks.
North American International Auto Show
The North American International Auto Show said that it will cancel its Detroit show because of the coronavirus pandemic and the centre where it is held will likely be repurposed into a hospital.
The Detroit Auto Show, as it is more commonly known, is one of the largest auto shows in North America. It was scheduled to be held in June.
Prior to this year, the auto show was traditionally held in January.
“Although we are disappointed, there is nothing more important to us than the health, safety and well-being of the citizens of Detroit and Michigan, and we will do what we can to support our community’s fight against the coronavirus outbreak,” said NAIAS Executive Director Rod Alberts in a statement released late on Saturday.
