As the saying goes, "When one party is in trouble, all parties will support it." In 2020, a sudden COVID-19 epidemic disrupted our lives. As the epidemic continues to worsen, all sectors of society have donated money and materials to the affected areas. So far, more than 70 automobile companies have participated in donations, with a cumulative value of more than 1 billion yuan. But under such circumstances, medical supplies such as negative pressure ambulances and masks needed in the epidemic area are still in short supply.
In addition to the general public, medical workers fighting on the front line have a huge demand for masks. Since New Year’s Eve, masks across the country have basically been sold out, and masks in hospitals across the country have been sold out. Supplies of protective clothing are gradually drying up. Among the masks that are constantly being donated to epidemic areas, there are very few that can actually meet the needs of medical personnel.
During this special period when it is not recommended to go out, the factory’s resumption of work has been delayed, so it is better to make use of the vacant factory buildings and assembly lines. On February 6, Baojun Motors, a subsidiary of SAIC-GM-Wuling, took the lead in saying that it would work with suppliers to convert production lines to produce masks. Then, on February 8, SAIC-GM-Wuling jointly produced the first batch of 200,000 masks with suppliers. Only the masks have successfully rolled off the production line and will be mainly used for civilian purposes.
In just a few days, the renovated mask production line of Wuling Motors rolled off the production line, and Wuling brand masks, which are not for sale for the time being, were officially born. In addition, it is expected that by the end of February, SAIC-GM-Wuling will build a 2,000-square-meter dust-free production workshop and 14 mask production lines, including 4 N95 mask production lines and 10 general medical protective mask production lines. Production volume will exceed 1.7 million units.
As early as February 5, some media found through Tianyancha search that Shanwei BYD Industrial Co., Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of BYD Industry, had changed its business scope and added the research and development, production and sales of disinfectant products. .
As the current epidemic prevention and control enters a critical period and faced with a severe shortage of medical protective supplies, BYD officially announced on February 8 that it would invest in the production of masks and other medical supplies. Through the deployment of resources, BYD began to design and manufacture protective material production equipment, and assisted in the production of masks and disinfectants to meet the current urgent demand for protective materials.
According to the plan, BYD Central Research Institute is responsible for the production of disinfectant, and Electronics Business Group Nine is responsible for the production of masks. The production of masks is arranged in the Shenzhen Baolong factory. In terms of production efficiency, BYD expects its mask production capacity to reach 5 million pieces/day by the end of February, and its disinfectant production capacity to be 50,000 bottles/day. The first batch of masks and disinfectants are expected to be shipped around February 17, and the entire production will be maintained until the epidemic is alleviated and eliminated.
In addition to Wuling and BYD, Guangzhou Automobile Group, a state-owned enterprise, will also join in the production of medical supplies. Guangzhou Automobile Group stated that this work will be carried out by the Guangzhou Automobile Group Parts Division and will not affect the main business of vehicle manufacturing.
As of now, GAC Group is actively investigating to understand the manufacturing, assembly and debugging technology of mask production equipment, and studying the technical feasibility of a new mask production line. In addition, it has also sent a number of employees to local mask production plants for inspection. Learn to master the molding, welding, mechanical, electrical and other related technologies and production processes of protective mask production equipment as soon as possible. Although GAC Group has not yet started the production of medical supplies, GAC Group is also well prepared to contribute to the prevention and control of the epidemic.
In addition to the above three car companies, Shaanxi Automobile has also recently taken the initiative to undertake the production of goggles required by the province as anti-epidemic materials. Although Shaanxi Automobile has not resumed work, it completed all the preparations required for the production of goggles in just 2 days and successfully assembled goggle samples. It is expected that Shaanxi Automobile's goggle assembly production capacity can reach more than 3,000 pieces per day.
On February 6, during this critical period of the nation’s fight against the COVID-19 epidemic, the news that SAIC-GM-Wuling switched to producing masks aroused the attention of the majority of netizens. Although we cannot use gains and losses to comment on Wuling Motors’ switch to production. The act of wearing a mask does not prevent us from applauding companies for their role in times of crisis.
The operation of these car companies to "switch masks" to fight the new crown epidemic also allows people to see that when the country and users need it, car companies can not only take on the responsibility of the automotive industry itself In addition to responsibilities, we should not just simply donate money to solve the problem, but should actively participate in the treatment and prevention and control work to provide more important help to the society.
In fact, this is not the first time that the automobile industry has crossed borders. As early as World War II, American automobile manufacturers collectively switched to the production of military weapons. In December 1941, after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, the United States was unprecedentedly united. At that time, all factories were preparing for war. For the automobile industry, which has long been familiar with large-scale assembly line operations, it was immediately used in the production of tanks.
Not only car companies have invested in the production of medical supplies. On the afternoon of February 6, Sinopec issued an article seeking mask production cooperation. With the help of netizens, the partner was found within three hours. As of noon on February 7, Sinopec has completed 11 mask production lines with its partners and entered the equipment installation stage. According to preliminary estimates, around February 10, Sinopec's mask production will reach 130,000 pieces per day. By the end of February, this output number will increase to 600,000. In March, the production capacity is estimated to reach more than 1 million pieces per day.
With the end of the Spring Festival holiday, most companies have resumed work, and the production capacity of medical supplies will be greatly increased. Thanks to the efforts of aid manufacturers, the shortage of medical supplies such as masks should be improved in a short time. I believe that with the joint efforts of all walks of life, we can win this epidemic battle as soon as possible!
This article comes from the author of Autohome Chejiahao and does not represent the views and positions of Autohome.