On February 13, the first batch of masks produced by SAIC-GM-Wuling completed mass shipment. According to the introduction on SAIC-GM-Wuling's WeChat account, they are the first automobile company to obtain a medical device business license and pass professional inspections. They already have the relevant qualifications for the research, development, production and operation of masks.
The first batch of masks are general medical protective masks, with the words "Wuling will make whatever the people need" printed on the outer packaging box.
A week ago on February 6, SAIC-GM-Wuling decided to join forces with suppliers to renovate production lines and switch to producing masks. Guangxi Construction Engineering Group is responsible for rebuilding the dust-free workshop and has set up 14 mask production lines, of which 4 are N95 mask production lines and 10 are general medical protective mask production lines. The daily production volume is expected to reach more than 1.7 million.
Not only are SAIC-GM-Wuling renovating production lines, there are also automobile companies that produce related products themselves, such as BYD. BYD staff told Waterdrop Auto APP: "BYD Powerlong 9 is an EMS factory. It has its own factory, has medical device system certification, and has been producing some medical device products for some brands.”
On February 8, BYD Auto also announced that it would assist in the production of masks and disinfectants. Mass production and shipment will begin around February 17. The production capacity of masks will reach 5 million pieces/day by the end of February, and the production capacity of disinfectant will be 50,000 bottles/day.
GAC Group is more flexible in thinking and decided to be self-reliant. On the one hand, it chose to make its own equipment, and on the other hand, it sent technicians to learn from mask manufacturers. According to the plan, GAC plans to cooperate with suppliers and produce 30 to 50 self-made equipment. On February 11, GAC's first mask production equipment began to be installed and debugged. It is expected to complete the production of 12 pieces of equipment by February 22 and 30 pieces by the end of February.
For automobile companies, it is not difficult to produce masks and other protective products. It can even be said to be a piece of cake. Automobiles are the most complex products in industrial production. According to the Six Sigma quality management system, the production of automobiles The regulatory standard is to achieve Six Sigma, which only allows 3.4 errors per one million opportunities, which is basically equivalent to military-level requirements.
The 3C digital products we usually use are only required to achieve Four Sigma, allowing 6210 errors in one million opportunities. To give an inappropriate example, automobile companies producing masks is like a doctoral student taking an elementary school exam.
In terms of complexity, mobile phones are more complicated than masks, and the parts and components of automobiles are much more complex and sophisticated than masks. From a personnel perspective, the automotive industry's strict quality and management training systems have trained a large number of high-quality industrial workers. From the perspective of production environment, the dust-free and anti-static workshops, electronic electrification technology, and safety standards of automobile factories are also much higher than those of other industries.
Facts have proved this to be the case. On February 7, GAC Parts Technology Center sent engineers to Dongguan to study. It would have taken two weeks of training to master the technology and production processes related to mask equipment. GAC Parts Engineers only needed Mastered it in a few hours.
At present, many mask manufacturers in our country are private small, medium and micro enterprises, or even "family workshops" with one factory per household. No matter from which point of view, the production of Wuling, BYD and GAC masks The quality is no problem. If just producing masks is not enough to unleash the capabilities of automobile companies, Guangzhou Automobile Group has sent two batches of 18 technicians to mask production plants starting from February 9 to help them improve efficiency and production capacity in terms of technology, quality, and on-site management. .
Automobile companies also supported aircraft and tanks during special periods. After the Pearl Harbor incident in World War II, U.S. President Roosevelt proposed the theory of a "powerful arsenal of democracy" and announced that the United States would "implant the seeds of arsenal into the world's most advanced manufacturing industry" and asked everyone to show patriotism and dedication. .
Roosevelt set a goal for the United States at that time: an annual production of 6,000 aircraft, doubling that the following year. Immediately after all private car production in the United States was suspended, Ford Motor Company promised to produce an aircraft an hour. In the end, Ford fulfilled its promise and delivered 650 bombers every month. In addition to aircraft, the factory also produced military items, tanks, armored vehicles, etc.
Cadillac’s factory was used to produce the M5 tank, hence the name Cadillac tank (M5 is an improved version of the well-known Sherman tank). Buick joined the research and development of the M18 Hellcat (Hellcat) design.
Water Drops’ Viewpoint:
The epidemic is also a battle. The most important thing to fight is to fight consumption. Consumption requires continuous production support from the industry. my country’s maximum production capacity of masks is 20 million masks per day. , as of February 11, the national mask production capacity utilization rate has reached 94. In addition to the above-mentioned companies, Foxconn's Shenzhen Longhua Park has also introduced a medical mask production line. It is undoubtedly a blessing to now have the support of the automobile industry.
Text/Cui Jianwei
This article comes from the author of Autohome Chejiahao and does not represent the views and positions of Autohome.