We’re Producing Ventilator Components to Help The Fight Against COVID-19
In March of 2020, the world faced a completely new challenge in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Suffice to say, Emtek was subject to these changes as many companies in manufacturing were. But with new challenges come new opportunities.
Approached by a large-scale automotive manufacturer
We were approached by a large-scale automotive manufacturer with a problem. They were tasked with mass-producing components for ventilator units; however, a key component of this unit is generally cast and then machine finished. For them to get the casting completed properly these components would be delayed by multiple months. As we’re all aware, in a time of crisis like this every second counts. This caused the automotive manufacturer to find a new approach to this issue.
They contacted Emtek wondering how quickly and accurately we could create a component that is close enough to the casting that they could then machine it to suit the requirements for the ventilator units. Emtek was asked to produce samples with tight tolerances accurate to what they required prior to finish machining. Samples were sent out and approved and a quality control process was put into place to maintain the accuracy of these components.
We’re in production!
The samples were approved and qualified, and a forecast of 200,000 units are now in production at our facility. It is understood that this is not going to be a non-stop product produced by Emtek. Ultimately, casting these components is still the best option at scale. However, with production via laser cutting, we were able to buy the customer time until their casting production line is completely set up and ready to be produced en-masse.
Speed, accuracy, and reliability
As all businesses were met with great challenges at this time, our lasers offered speed, accuracy, and reliability that could not be matched by any other manufacturing process on such short notice. This allowed us to meet the challenge of the pandemic head-on and help with a worldwide problem while simultaneously using our strengths to help our customer meet an extremely critical demand both from a business standpoint and a global standpoint.
We have been humbled and are grateful to be considered for producing a key component for COVID-19 relief worldwide.