HEEDING THE GOVT’S CALL, COS ENTER PARTNERSHIPS TO PRODUCE VENTILATORS #BOUNCEBACKINDIA
Car Makers Take New Turn to Give Fresh Breath of Life
New Delhi:
More than half a dozen automakers, including Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai Motor India, Ashok Leyland and MG Motor India, have forged technological alliances and set up capacity for manufacturing 60,000 ventilators in the past three months to aid the government in its fight against Covid-19.
Chennai-based Ashok Leyland is not only helping ventilator makers Kriti Kare and Phoenix Medical Systems scale up operations, but has also developed inhouse a firstmile advanced Automatic Respiratory Assist Device (ARAD) in line with global standards and specifications, after discussions with clinical experts. The majority of components for the device are sourced locally, the company said, in line with Atmanirbhar Bharat.
The company is currently in talks with a “few interested ventilator manufacturers as well for technology transfer” for the ARAD.
Ashok Leyland told ET it was approached by the central and Tamil Nadu governments to lend its expertise to ventilator makers to help improve supply chain and production capacity.
“ The company provided support based on ventilator manufacturer’s need, in areas of supply chain, sourcing, domestic and international logistics, manufacturing planning, line quality and some consultation on engineering aspects as well,” the company said.
As of date, Phoenix has supplied 100 ventilators and is manufacturing another 900 at its Visakhapatnam facility for HLL Lifecare. Kriti Kare India is also set to fulfil an order for 70 ventilators and indicated an additional 400 units in its pipeline. At present, Ashok Leyland has the capacity to manufacture 40 ARADs per day, which can be doubled within six weeks.
Maruti Suzuki, too, has formed an association with AgVa Healthcare to step up sourcing and production of ventilators as per orders placed by HLL. While AgVa is responsible for technology and performance, MSIL is leveraging its supplier base to procure components and use its experience and knowhow to upgrade systems for production and quality control in higher volumes. The duo set up capacity for up to 10,000 ventilators per month, data collated by industry body SIAM showed.
Meanwhile, Hyundai (along with Air Liquide Medical Systems), JBM, MG Motor India (along with Max Ventilator) are supplying to Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana and Gujarat governments, respectively. While JBM is supplying 1,000 ventilators, MG has supplied 48 ventilators to Haryana Medical Services Corporation and to Covid-19 hospitals in Halol, Gujarat.
MG and Max tripled ventilator capacity to 100 units per month at the latter’s manufacturing plant within a month of finalising collaboration on April 29. MG is assisting in enhancing production by addressing specific areas of supply chain, IT system and manufacturing.
“Production capacity can be enhanced up to 1,000 ventilators per month, depending on demand, especially from government hospitals,” said the company.
Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai, Mahindra & Mahindra did not respond queries from ET.
Renault-Nissan Technology and Business Centre India also entered into an arrangement with Trivitron to help source parts, ramp up production and testing for 10,000 ventilators. Skoda Auto Volkswagen India has procured and distributed 15 ventilators to hospitals in Pune, Mumbai and Aurangabad.
In March, the Centre requested leading automakers to explore possibilities of manufacturing ventilators. While demand has been lower than initially estimated, industry insiders said infrastructure is now ready to meet requirements, if and when it arises.
This story is part of a series of articles in association with Facebook. Facebook has no editorial role in this story.