Bicycle companies stepping up

joosttx · #1 04-01-2020, 07:18 AM

I have noticed several bike companies stepping up and making or donating POE equipment to our health workers.

100% is donating 1000 pairs of sunglasses
Oveja Negra are making masks

Have you heard of anyone else?

fignon's barber · #2 04-01-2020, 03:48 PM

Santini stopped production of all cycling gear. They're switching to medical masks, and selling at cost of production.

idrinkwater · #3 04-01-2020, 03:51 PM

Kitsbow is making masks and shields right now!

C40_guy · #4 04-01-2020, 04:09 PM

Bauer (hockey gear) is making face shields.

Dino Suegiù · #5 04-01-2020, 04:20 PM

Besides Santini previously mentioned above...:
Santini makes face masks
While many companies in the Italian bicycle industry had to close their doors due to governmental measures, jersey maker Santini decided to convert its production line to make protective face masks. Based in Lallio, close to Bergamo in North of Italy, Santini prepared a high quality prototype that is currently being examined by the Politecnico di Milano (Milan Polytechnic) to ensure it obtains all the necessary certifications ahead of starting production in large quantities as soon as possible. “Our prototype is reusable, sterilisable and washable up to 90-95 degrees with the integrity of the fabric being guaranteed for use up to ten times. It is made of dense and very compact polyester fabric,” explains Santini’s Marketing Director Paola Santini. “We expect to produce 10,000 masks per day.”

...3T and many of the other Bergamo-area companies are now producing medical components only, as are Ferrari, etc:
3T switches to medical equipment production (Update 27th March)
Based in Corona-hit Bergamo, Italy, 3T has switched to producing valves for breathing devices. “Until last weekend, we were allowed to keep our factory in Italy open and continue to ship bikes from our warehouse,” posted 3T CEO Rene Wiertz on the company website. “But during the weekend the Italian government announced that for the following weeks all companies had to shut down operations except those producing parts for medical use. All companies were given 3 days to prepare for this total shutdown.”

“Around the same time we figured out that our carbon factory could produce an essential part to turn a Decathlon diving mask into a ventilator mask. This conversion was invented by a doctor from Brescia, and via the Bergamo innovation network a call went out to produce these. And so we started. These ventilators are right now in extremely short supply in Italy, and they save lives, so it’s nice we can still make ourselves useful and literally be a small part of the puzzle. We have also moved a large part of our Italian stock to a second warehouse in Denmark, a country still up and running and much less impacted by the virus.”

I also read that in the UK many bicycle rental companies are offering free use of bicycles to any NHS personnel who request them in order to minimize their having to use crowded trains, Tube, etc. to get to and from work.

These doctors/nurses/staff, across the world, how can we ever thank them enough?

Veloo · #6 04-01-2020, 07:10 PM

I’m curious what’s going on behind the headlines and stories.

It’s great that all these companies (cycling and others) are stepping up to the call for help but taking on a new product introduction is a pretty complicated task involving testing, approvals, first articles, etc.
Supply chain would have to bring in new approved vendors, engineering will have to understand standards and requirements for the medical industry. You’re going from one industry to a totally different one. That’s a massive undertaking.

Add to all that, people now working from home, people getting sick, tending to sick family and covid-19 makes this that much more difficult.

I’m just skimming the surface here. I’d expect there to be a lot of disagreeing and even arguing going on too.

Not trying to poo-poo on the situation, I’m just wondering how you could get devices and even face masks made fast enough and still meet what I’d expect to be a pretty long list of requirements.

colker · #7 04-01-2020, 07:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Veloo

I’m curious what’s going on behind the headlines and stories.

It’s great that all these companies (cycling and others) are stepping up to the call for help but taking on a new product introduction is a pretty complicated task involving testing, approvals, first articles, etc.
Supply chain would have to bring in new approved vendors, engineering will have to understand standards and requirements for the medical industry. You’re going from one industry to a totally different one. That’s a massive undertaking.

Add to all that, people now working from home, people getting sick, tending to sick family and covid-19 makes this that much more difficult.

I’m just skimming the surface here. I’d expect there to be a lot of disagreeing and even arguing going on too.

Not trying to poo-poo on the situation, I’m just wondering how you could get devices and even face masks made fast enough and still meet what I’d expect to be a pretty long list of requirements.

Seems in Italy bureaucracy is slowing down some of it but governement is on it to clear all paths.

Dino Suegiù · #8 04-01-2020, 07:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Veloo

I’m curious what’s going on behind the headlines and stories.

It’s great that all these companies (cycling and others) are stepping up to the call for help but taking on a new product introduction is a pretty complicated task involving testing, approvals, first articles, etc.
Supply chain would have to bring in new approved vendors, engineering will have to understand standards and requirements for the medical industry. You’re going from one industry to a totally different one. That’s a massive undertaking.

Add to all that, people now working from home, people getting sick, tending to sick family and covid-19 makes this that much more difficult.

I’m just skimming the surface here. I’d expect there to be a lot of disagreeing and even arguing going on too.

Not trying to poo-poo on the situation, I’m just wondering how you could get devices and even face masks made fast enough and still meet what I’d expect to be a pretty long list of requirements.

Because it is not really that kind of production. These companies are not really inventing the product, they are moreso adding their production capabilities to existing and approved products.

GM is working with Ventec to build more (not so much new) ventilators; Ford with GE; etc. Additional approvals, if any are required, will obviously be fast-tracked, priority 1.

From just above:
"...Santini prepared a high quality prototype that is currently being examined by the Politecnico di Milano (Milan Polytechnic) to ensure it obtains all the necessary certifications ahead...".

Maybe for instance think of it as repetitive or tract housing, especially in hurricane or earthquake zones. The generic designs exist already, the specifications already exist, and locally permitted project parameters exist. Then, an event happens, and previously uninvolved (maybe even specializing in completely other types of buildings normally) building contractors, with all their expertise, equipment, supply chains, etc., step forward to build many more units at once. They are not re-designing or re-permitting, they are really mainly simply (massively in some cases) scaling up the production of the requested units asap.

Or, companies that are expert in 3-D printing, etc. components, for instance for car parts, dental equipment, whatever. They can easily produce almost anything very quickly with supplied files and materials specifications; what they have is the machines, the printers, in large quantities, as well as the expertise.

tristan · #9 04-02-2020, 05:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Veloo

I’m curious what’s going on behind the headlines and stories.

Additionally... If you're given the option of shutting down your factory and revenue dropping to zero, or changing what you produce and selling it at cost so you're able to pay staff, pay rent, pay utilities, etc what do you choose? Easy decision.

JLQ · #10 04-02-2020, 05:50 AM

Kitsbow was mentioned but I9, Watershed Drybags and Oowee Products are pitching in too. From their site:

Four days ago we put out a message to our community looking for ways we can leverage our manufacturing capabilities to help those directly impacted by COVID-19. The response has been overwhelming. Thanks to your help, we've been able to partner with other local WNC based companies Kitsbow, Watershed Drybags and Oowee Products and are ramping up production with a goal of manufacturing 1,000,000 reusable, protective masks this month.
But we still are looking to do more.
At our disposal are 100+ CNC machines ready and available to assist in machining components for ventilators. Additionally, we're looking for a large clean open space for production (~20k square feet) For any contacts or leads, please continue to share them with us at theeffort@industrynine.com.