Wuling masks were the first to go online, and the situation of hard-to-find masks will continue.

The epidemic is still spreading, isolation continues, and there are still gaps in masks. The automobile industry, which best represents "big industry", has begun to "not do its job properly" and began to produce masks.

According to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, China’s mask production capacity is about 20 million pieces per day, and the current production capacity recovery rate is about 60%, and these are mainly ordinary masks, dustproof and anti-haze masks with various protection levels. , the daily production capacity of N95 medical protective masks is only about 600,000. Domestic mask production is still unable to meet the huge demand, and the situation of "a mask is hard to find" remains unchanged.

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Wuling masks: only given as gifts but not sold

“Wuling will make whatever the people need.”? On February 9, with the announcement of SAIC-GM The first batch of masks produced by Wuling's joint suppliers successfully rolled off the production line, with this sentence written on each packaging box. "It only took us three days from the idea to the first batch of masks coming off the production line, which once again set a new 'Wuling speed'."

According to Baojun Automobile, a subsidiary of SAIC-GM-Wuling Automobile Co., Ltd., in Guangxi With the strong support of the district and Liuzhou municipal governments, we have joined forces with the upstream supplier Guangxi Defu Group to produce masks by transforming the production line. According to the project construction plan, the dust-free workshop will be renovated by Guangxi Construction Engineering Group and will be completed and put into use within this month. A total of 14 mask production lines will be set up, including 4 N95 mask production lines and 10 general medical protective mask production lines. , the daily production volume is expected to reach more than 1.7 million units.

Some people may ask, how can I buy Wuling masks?

This may disappoint everyone. Wuling Motors’ official Weibo claimed that Wuling brand masks are only given away and not sold. Wuling Motors will give priority to the 1 million masks that have been produced off the production line and deliver them to the Liuzhou Municipal Government for unified deployment to support the front line of the fight against the epidemic.

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BYD masks: production capacity can reach 1/4 of the country before the epidemic

After SAIC-GM-Wuling, BYD has also joined the camp of "making masks" However, unlike SAIC-GM-Wuling's emergency remodeling of production lines, BYD has directly integrated mask manufacturing into the business scope of its subsidiary (Shantou BYD Industrial Co., Ltd.), making it more capable.

According to BYD, masks and disinfectant are expected to be mass-produced and shipped around February 17. The production capacity of masks can reach 5 million pieces/day by the end of this month, and the production capacity of disinfectant can reach 50,000 bottles/day. until the epidemic is alleviated and eliminated.

BYD's mask production capacity is quite astonishing - with a production capacity of 5 million pieces per day, it has become China's leading mask company, accounting for 1/4 of the country's total mask production capacity before the epidemic.

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GAC Masks: Ready to Go

Zeng Qinghong, Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of GAC Group, personally went to Dongguan mask production equipment manufacturer Kuaiyuda to conduct research , understand the manufacturing, assembly and debugging technology of mask production equipment, study the technical feasibility of a new mask production line, and create a plan for equipment and production lines for processing and producing masks.

According to the latest news, the production of masks will be handled by the Parts Division of GAC Group. The first GAC mask production equipment was delivered to the GAC Parts Technology Center on the 11th for installation and debugging. It is expected that 12 units of self-made equipment will be completed on February 22 and 30 units will be completed by the end of this month. Judging from the actual operation of GAC, the output is expected to be large.

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Why can car companies make masks?

We all know that masks need to pass strict testing before they can be supplied for medical protection. Is it reliable for car companies to switch to mask manufacturing?

Liu Jingzhen, chairman of China National Pharmaceutical Group, said in an interview with CCTV: "In fact, China's mask production speed is only 0.5 seconds per piece. But in order to ensure the safety of masks, a standard process for analyzing and disinfecting , it takes 7 days to half a month. "Currently, cross-border companies, including car companies, are mainly involved in the midstream mask manufacturing process, which needs to meet multiple conditions such as dust-free workshops, equipment, personnel, and raw materials.

In fact, for car companies, dust-free workshops, equipment, and personnel do not pose much of a problem. The strict manufacturing standards of the automotive industry are in a leading position in the manufacturing industry, and the process of producing masks is also far behind. Far less complicated than producing a car. I believe that when many people are faced with choosing masks from different brands, they will trust the masks produced by car companies more.

In addition, the raw materials for producing masks are the same as car sound insulation cotton, which is polypropylene. The polymer material polypropylene is a raw material for non-woven fabrics and can be used to produce masks. It is also one of the raw materials for automobile sound insulation cotton. There are specific standards for non-woven fabrics, and polypropylene with a melt mass flow rate of 33-41g/min can be used in the medical and health field. For automobile sound insulation material manufacturers, raw material preparation and process control are relatively mature, and masks can be produced after modifying the production environment and production process.

Perhaps for car companies, the biggest difficulty in producing masks is obtaining medical qualifications. At present, SAIC-GM-Wuling's mask project has received relevant government permission, supporting the establishment of a "green channel" within a controllable range and completing complete qualification verification, approval and certification. BYD is applying for product qualification certification.

Xu Haidong, assistant secretary-general of the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, said that car companies have the corresponding industrial foundation to switch production. In addition, through joint production with the upstream supply chain, vehicle companies can quickly leverage their advantages to supplement mask production capacity and leverage their own supply chain resource advantages without affecting their own resumption of production.

Written at the end

After more than a century of development, the automotive industry has entered a highly integrated and professional stage, forming an industrial chain structure with upstream and downstream division of labor and collaboration. The vehicle manufacturer is mainly responsible for R&D and production, while many parts are manufactured by suppliers. Behind the cross-border manufacturing of masks by car companies is the "big industry" advantage of the automotive industry. In addition to car companies, companies such as PetroChina, Foxconn, Sinopec, Daddy Baby (a diaper company), and Sangun Underwear have also begun producing masks. As these large companies have begun mass production of masks, I believe that the current situation of "a mask is hard to find" will soon be greatly alleviated.

This article comes from the author of Autohome Chejiahao and does not represent the views and positions of Autohome.