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Experts warn it will take time for local carmakers to producer ventilators
The Industry Ministry is currently in talks with the automotive industry on the possibility of producing ventilators to meet the rising demand for medical equipment for COVID-19 patients in the country
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Health workers check medical devices in in one of the emergency rooms at the athletes village complex, which has been converted into an emergency COVID-19 hospital in Jakarta on March 23.
(Antara/Pool/Hafidz Mubarak A)
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s the government and carmakers engage in talks on the possibility of producing ventilators, an automotive industry expert says it will take time and a long process to turn the idea into reality.
A Jakarta-based automotive expert Bebin Djuana, who is also an executive with a major car producer, said that it would be quite challenging for carmakers to accept the offer from the government to produce such important health equipment.
“It’s actually possible for the automotive industry to produce ventilators, but it would take time and need a lot of help from medical equipment manufacturers and the government,” he told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.
Bebin said the car manufacturers needed the product’s blueprints, raw materials and production line designs before being able to start producing ventilators.
“One of the most pressing issues is that of ventilators, as medical equipment has standards that the automotive industry does not currently meet. The raw materials themselves should be medical-grade so companies cannot just acquire them from their usual markets,” he said.
He added that production lines in the factories might also need to be transformed, and companies might have to procure new equipment to manufacture ventilators.
“The engineers need to determine which equipment is needed to produce the ventilators first, then the production team must identify their equipment availability. I don’t think carmakers could easily start production with their standard production equipment,” he said.
