Air Liquide, Groupe PSA, Schneider Electric, Valeo Rise to the Challenge of Producing 10,000 Air Liquide Medical Systems Resp...
March 31 2020 - 8:48AM
Dow Jones News
Regulatory News:
Faced with the compelling need for more respirators on its
national territory, the French government has asked, on March 22, a
group of French industrial companies led by Air Liquide (Paris:AI)
to study the possibility of increasing the production of
respirators so as to provide 10,000 respirators in 50 days, between
the beginning of April and mid-May. In response, Air Liquide,
Groupe PSA, Schneider Electric and Valeo have set up a Task Force
composed of about 30 purchasing and industrialization experts in
order to define an action plan to increase the production of Air
Liquide Medical Systems respirators, which are already referenced
by a great number of hospitals in France and abroad. To meet this
industrial challenge, the exceptional contribution of 100 partner
companies will also be sought so as to provide the 300 essential
components that are necessary for the fabrication of these medical
systems.
As a reminder, Air Liquide has already started the process of
tripling its production capacities after the French Ministry of
Health had confirmed mid-March a first order of 1,000 respirators
to Air Liquide Medical Systems, a dedicated subsidiary of the Air
Liquide Group. These intensive care respirators are already being
produced by the teams located on the site in Antony, France, and
two thirds of that order will be delivered to health facilities by
the end of April.
Given the need to sharply increase the number of respirators in
the context of the worsening Covid-19 situation and in order to
fulfill the French government's request, formulated by Agnès
Pannier-Runacher, Minister of State, attached to the Minister of
Economy and Finance, to supply a total of 10,000 respirators in 50
days, Air Liquide is coordinating a working group bringing together
Groupe PSA, Schneider Electric and Valeo. This has resulted in a
proposal to the Government on March 27 to supply two models of Air
Liquide Medical Systems respirators, which will be delivered in six
weeks.
This action leads to an exceptional mobilization and coordinated
approach of the 4 major industrial Groups in order to secure the
necessary components, the reorganisation of the production
workshops and the involvement of the additional resources needed to
assemble the elements that make up these respirators.
1/ Securing the components - Close to 100 suppliers will provide
the 300 components that make up these respirators. The purchasing
experts of Air Liquide Medical Systems are working in pairs with
the dedicated experts of the other partners in each field
(mechanics and electronics) so as to secure the supply all along
the implementation of the project.
2/ Reorganisation of the production workshops - The production
rates of certain respirators will be multiplied by up to 70 thanks
to the implementation of three additional lines, with three teams
working six days a week.
A pre-assembly of the mechanical part of the respirators will be
executed on the site of Groupe PSA in Poissy, France. The last
phase of the assembly, the control, the quality deliverance will be
achieved on the Antony site, by the teams of Air Liquide Medical
Systems.
3/ Involvement of additional resources - To complete the work
carried out by Air Liquide teams, this intensive production program
will also require the mobilization of 240 additional operators, out
of which 185 in Antony and 55 operators from Groupe PSA based in
Poissy.
As part of its commitment to solidarity alongside the healthcare
professionals and the authorities, Air Liquide has committed to
providing these respirators at cost price and without passing on
the exceptional costs induced by the implementation of this
unprecedented industrial program.
More than one hundred respirators per week will be delivered
until mid-April, and then more than 1,000 per week.
The contribution of other companies is also under study and
awaiting confirmation depending on the complementary needs that
might be identified during project implementation.
A world leader in gases, technologies and services for Industry
and Health, Air Liquide is present in 80 countries with
approximately 67,000 employees and serves more than 3.7 million
customers and patients. Oxygen, nitrogen and hydrogen are essential
small molecules for life, matter and energy. They embody Air
Liquide's scientific territory and have been at the core of the
company's activities since its creation in 1902.
Air Liquide's ambition is to be a leader in its industry,
deliver long term performance and contribute to sustainability. The
company's customer-centric transformation strategy aims at
profitable, regular and responsible growth over the long term. It
relies on operational excellence, selective investments, open
innovation and a network organization implemented by the Group
worldwide. Through the commitment and inventiveness of its people,
Air Liquide leverages energy and environment transition, changes in
healthcare and digitization, and delivers greater value to all its
stakeholders.
Air Liquide's revenue amounted to 22 billion euros in 2019 and
its solutions that protect life and the environment represented
more than 40% of sales. Air Liquide is listed on the Euronext Paris
stock exchange (compartment A) and belongs to the CAC 40, EURO
STOXX 50 and FTSE4Good indexes.
www.airliquide.com
Follow us on Twitter @airliquidegroup
View source version on businesswire.com:
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200331005443/en/
CONTACT: Corporate Communications
media@airliquide.com
Investor Relations
IRTeam@airliquide.com
SOURCE: Air Liquide
Copyright Business Wire 2020
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
March 31, 2020 08:33 ET (12:33 GMT)
Air Liquide (EU:AI)
Historical Stock Chart
From Aug 2024 to Sep 2024
Air Liquide (EU:AI)
Historical Stock Chart
From Sep 2023 to Sep 2024