Affected by the epidemic, masks are in short supply and have become the most important thing for people at the moment. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology stated that although China is a major mask producer, accounting for 50% of the world's output, and its maximum production capacity can reach more than 20 million pieces per day, it will not stock up in large quantities during non-special periods, so N95 masks will not be stored in large quantities. At present, everyone wears masks, and the consumption is very high. In addition, some companies have not resumed production, so there is a shortage of masks.
In order to cope with the shortage of resources, several Chinese car companies such as SAIC-GM-Wuling and BYD have recently taken the initiative to switch to the production of masks to support the epidemic areas, demonstrating the sense of responsibility of major country car companies. On February 10, 2020, AskBob Auto interviewed insiders from SAIC-GM-Wuling and BYD respectively, focusing on the issues that everyone is concerned about: mask production qualifications, current progress, and whether they will be sold publicly in the future.
“It only took us less than five days from proposing the idea to entering the specific implementation stage.” An insider from SAIC-GM-Wuling told AskBob Auto.
This time, SAIC-GM-Wuling actively coordinated the resources of all parties and jointly produced masks with the upstream supplier Guangxi Defu Group by transforming the production line. SAIC-GM-Wuling was responsible for production management, project management, equipment support, and quality. Provide personnel and technical support in aspects such as control and packaging.
Deford has been producing NVH sound insulation cotton and other polymer materials and their parts. The masks are made of non-woven materials, and their raw materials are mainly polypropylene, which is the same as the raw material of sound insulation cotton in some Wuling models. Same.
As for the qualification issues that everyone is concerned about, Telford Group has established a new medical device company specifically for this purpose. It has now completed the business license of the medical device company and has quickly implemented it with the support of the government's "green channel" Apply for a medical device production license.
“BYD’s switch to mask production is not to sharpen its skills in the face of battle, but to gain experience.” An insider from BYD, another independent brand, told AskBob Auto. BYD's ninth business unit located in Baolong Industrial Park, Shenzhen, is responsible for switching to the production of masks this time. It has medical device system certification and has been producing some medical device products for brand agents.
In terms of production and access qualifications for medical supplies, BYD is currently actively preparing for approval and certification, and the government has also opened a "green channel" for scarce supplies.
BYD said that the masks produced will be produced in strict accordance with national standards. BYD has a professional equipment research and development and technical team, and has long-term cooperation and stable upstream raw material resources. From raw materials to production technology preparation, BYD has There are great advantages.
Since neither company has modified its production lines in the car-making workshops, it will not affect vehicle manufacturing. Currently, SAIC-GM-Wuling will go to work on February 10 and officially resume production on February 15. BYD resumed operations at some of its factories on February 10.
In fact, on February 8, the first batch of 200,000 masks produced by SAIC-GM-Wuling suppliers has successfully rolled off the production line. However, at this stage, it mainly produces civilian masks suitable for use in general places. Not a real medical mask.
As for real medical masks, masks for professional medical use will be mass-produced after the dust-free workshop is completed at the end of February. The dust-free workshop put into operation at the end of February will have a total of 12 mask production lines, including N95 and general medical protective mask production lines, and the daily output is expected to reach 1.7 million.
In terms of financial support, the China Development Bank provided a loan of 50 million. The existing workshop has 92 production employees. In order to meet production capacity needs, in addition to the support staff of SAIC-GM-Wuling, there will also be Staff will be replenished through social recruitment, and *** plans to add 85 people, all of whom will be in place before February 7.
Compared with SAIC-GM-Wuling, BYD is moving faster. The masks and disinfectants produced by BYD are expected to be mass-produced and shipped around February 17, and the mask production capacity will reach 5 million by the end of February. Only/day, the production capacity of disinfectant is 50,000 bottles/day.
According to national requirements, masks are usually produced and placed in a sterile and dust-free environment for 14 days after production. If BYD is mass-produced and shipped on the 17th, that is to say, BYD should be in The production of masks started on February 3.
According to BYD, drawings are produced in 3 days, equipment is produced in 7 days, and products are produced in 10 days. Planning should start earlier, which shows BYD's sense of responsibility.
The masks produced by SAIC-GM-Wuling will be uniformly distributed by the Guangxi District Government to support medical institutions in carrying out epidemic prevention work and protect the health and safety of citizens. In addition, relying on the convenience of building factories overseas, SAIC-GM-Wuling also purchased and shipped back 20,000 medical protective masks from Indonesia and India to support the front line of prevention and control. For now, it will not be sold externally.
The first batch of urgently needed supplies produced by BYD will be donated to specific groups, such as bus, taxi, online ride-hailing drivers and volunteers, airport and flight attendants, and other groups. In the future, it will be supplied at an affordable price based on the situation. At the same time, BYD's Brazilian branch also sent N95 masks and other medical supplies worth 1 million yuan from Brazil to China.
The latest news on February 12 is that GAC also plans to switch to mask production. At present, the prototype of mask samples has been offline, and the first mask equipment has been installed and debugged. It plans to make 30-50 pieces of equipment by the end of this month. Installation of equipment.
In addition to SAIC-GM-Wuling and BYD, many independent brands, including Chery, also use business relationships in overseas markets to transport overseas medical supplies to China and donate them to epidemic areas. There are also a number of companies such as Beiqi Foton, SAIC Maxus, Jiangling Ford, Fujian Benz, Brilliance Jinbei, Chery River, Yutong and other companies that are rushing to produce negative pressure ambulances.
When the country is in a difficult period, Chinese companies stand up and lend a helping hand, which reflects the unity of Chinese automobile people. At present, the cumulative donation amount of more than 70 domestic automobile manufacturers and parts companies has exceeded 1 billion yuan. Although the shutdown of the factory has affected corporate profits, everyone's love has not been affected. I believe that with everyone's joint efforts, we will soon be able to defeat the disease.
The demand from China’s auto market will also be released intensively in the second half of the year. In this regard, car companies have also expressed an optimistic and positive attitude.
SAIC-GM-Wuling said that in the short term, a significant reduction in terminal orders will directly affect automobile companies' predictions of the market. However, my country's automobile industry system is relatively mature and has a certain ability to resist risks. It just needs time to make systematic adjustments. At the same time, it is also foreseeable that the demand for private car travel will be stronger after the epidemic eases. This is another impact of the epidemic on the entire automobile industry, which tests the collaborative response capabilities of the entire industry chain.
Author: Qin Chao
(The pictures in the article are from the interviewed companies)
This article is from the author of Autohome Chejiahao and does not represent Autohome point of view.