Life-saving machine – global run on Swiss ventilators

The Grisons manufacturer Hamilton Medical is overrun, as are its competitors worldwide. Now people from outside the industry want to co-produce. But specialists fear for the quality of the devices.

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There is hardly any device in demand more than the ventilator to which patients suffering from coronavirus are connected in the hospitals. The heads of the four largest manufacturers are running hot.

Stefan Dräger, who heads the German medical technology manufacturer Dräger, frankly provided information in the German media about whom he had been listening to over the past few days: Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands and “countless ministers from all possible countries” . And of course the German government, which asked him to produce 10,000 additional ventilators by the end of the year. In autumn Dräger wanted to cut jobs due to the lull in the business.

«It is clear: Many governments are looking for ventilators on the world market. It is foreseeable that there will be bottlenecks. »

Jens Hallek, head of Hamilton Medical

The Swiss competitor Hamilton Medical with its Graubünden locations in Bonaduz and location in Donat / Ems is much more discreet. Company director Jens Hallek said that one does not want to talk to the public about customer inquiries. “But it is clear: Many governments are looking for ventilators on the world market,” he adds.

Hallek also received a call from the Swiss government: the federal government bought 900 ventilators. The first 50 units were delivered two weeks ago, some of which were flown to Ticino by helicopter. This week, 300 more devices will go to the federal government.

Hamilton Medical is looking for workers

This is a huge challenge for the industry that has been niche until now. Hamilton normally produces 220 machines a week. In the meantime, the capacity has been increased by 50 percent. Production is to be doubled by the end of April. Hamilton employs 500 people. Now new employees would be hired, explains Hallek.

The Swedish manufacturer Getinge, which has so far covered a quarter of the world’s demand for ventilators, plans to launch 16,000 devices this year, 60 percent more than in the previous year.

Finally, the fourth manufacturer is located in Italy, which is particularly badly affected by the corona virus. The Siare company has so far produced around 160 devices per month. Now the output is to be tripled – with the support of the Italian army.

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Last year the industry had the capacity to produce 40,000 devices worldwide, said a representative from Getinge. Now the German government alone has ordered 10,000 units; the governor of New York is demanding 30,000 units from the US government for its state alone.

In the industry, people are racking their brains at what the enormous capacity expansions mean for material supplies. “It is foreseeable that there will be bottlenecks,” feared Jens Hallek of Hamilton. The ventilators are high-tech machines, around 1500 parts are required. According to industry representatives, the material comes from around a hundred suppliers worldwide.

“You can’t have a baby in a month by pregnant nine women.”

Stefan Dräger, head of the medical technology manufacturer Dräger

This has consequences: According to Stefan Dräger, production can only be started up to a limited extent for this very reason. He is currently receiving many offers to support the supply chain. But, as the boss turns it in an unusual picture: “You cannot have a baby in a month by pregnant nine women. It is a mission impossible, »he said in the« Financial Times ». At the same time, he warned: “These supply chains must under no circumstances be interrupted. If that happens, the whole world has a problem. »

Now people from outside the industry are pushing into business. There is the Italian start-up Isinnova, which is at home in 3-D printing and has just converted a diving mask that is common in the sports trade into an emergency mask for respirators. A doctor gave the tip. At renowned US universities, students, researchers, and doctors have designed other cheap ventilator variants. Physicists from the Philipps University of Marburg have expanded a long-known device for the treatment of sleep apnea, the short-term respiratory arrest during sleep.

Everyone is involved, from car companies to universities

General Motors’ efforts to enter the ventilator business with a US medical device manufacturer are of a different caliber. European car companies such as VW, whose production has largely been shut down, also want to use their 3-D printers to manufacture components and complex shapes. The British vacuum cleaner manufacturer Dyson, according to its own statements, designed a ventilator from scratch within ten days with a consultancy specializing in medical questions. Now 10,000 of them are to be produced.

Experts are skeptical. The manufacture of medical devices is heavily regulated, every production step must be documented and then certified, and every finished device must be tested. Because: If a device suddenly has a problem, it could mean the death of the patient.

And auto companies that want to start production first have to build a new supply chain. With suppliers, on the other hand, who might also have to build capacity first, and who are in countries with export controls and where the workforce may have to stay at home because of the pandemic. It all takes a lot of time.

Finally, the last hurdle: When 3D printing components at VW or wherever, the medical technology companies would have to release their data. And there are obviously high inhibitions. After all, no company wants to provide potential competitors with knowledge. Jens Hallek from Hamilton makes it clear: “Outsourcing the production of our devices to third parties is not an issue for the time being.”

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