Over 20,000 Orders for Chinese-Made Ventilators... 24-Hour Full Operation

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Park Sun-mi] Chinese ventilator manufacturers are operating their factories 24/7 to meet the surge in orders caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, but it is still insufficient to satisfy global demand.

On the 31st, the Global Times reported that invasive ventilator manufacturers in China have received over 20,000 orders from overseas so far, with orders continuing to flood in. The companies are running their factories around the clock and have shipped 1,700 invasive ventilators to the global market to date. This amount corresponds to half of the average annual ventilator exports by Chinese companies.

The spread of COVID-19 has caused a worldwide shortage of ventilators. Johns Hopkins University in the United States stated that there are currently about 160,000 ventilators available in the U.S., but in the worst-case scenario, up to 740,000 ventilators may be needed.

According to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China (MIIT), there are about 21 companies producing invasive ventilators in China, of which eight have obtained European quality certification (CE) and are able to export. However, their production capacity accounts for only about 20% of the global total. Although Chinese companies are operating 24/7 to produce ventilators, the unstable supply of parts reveals limitations in production. This is why there are calls for urgent recovery of the collapsed global supply chain to prevent the spread of the epidemic.

About 30-40% of the core components of ventilators made in China, such as chips and sensors, are produced in Switzerland, the Netherlands, Italy, and the United States. Chinese companies face restrictions in procuring parts, such as being unable to purchase sensors from Honeywell in the U.S. Some cities, including Beijing, are responding by reducing the import permit acquisition time for key ventilator components from one week to one day, but with international airline operations also restricted, it remains difficult for companies to receive parts supply.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.