Lessons Learned From Auto Industry’s COVID-19 Response

With spring upon us, and COVID-19 cases thankfully in decline, it’s natural to look forward, to want to leave all the difficulties and challenges of the past two years behind. But that would be a mistake.

While we are fortunate that society currently seems better-positioned to manage COVID-19 –thanks to the dedication of health care workers, first responders and scientists around the world – the automotive industry learned valuable lessons in 2020 when it stepped up to help confront the global pandemic.

Some OEMs and suppliers donated to relief services. Others delivered food and essential goods. Perhaps most notably, many did what they do best: They made things, on a massive scale. Together, they helped produce thousands of units of personal protection equipment (PPE) – tools that were critical to protecting health professionals who put their own lives at risk to save others. We are forever grateful for their courageous efforts, which continue today.   

At Denso, we executed similar activities, but then a customer had a unique and urgent request: Ford needed support developing powered air-purifying respirators for frontline workers.

Inspired, our employees and supply-chain partners leapt into action. And in just 25 days the joint team designed, produced and delivered pivotal parts for the project, contributing to Ford’s production of over 30,000 respirators. While we are thankful for the partnership and resilience of everyone involved, this was no easy feat. Completing it required a reimagining of how our teams worked, pushing us to collaborate with each other and our supply chain in unprecedented ways, and to work at speeds never reached before.

As we barrel toward a mobility future defined by new technology and new ways of doing business, a similar approach will be vital for OEMs and suppliers to succeed.

Three main elements will be crucial: end-to-end supply-chain collaboration, agile development and additive manufacturing.

In Ford’s project, the condensed timeframe required participants to work in lockstep unison across global supply chains, encouraging designers, engineers and manufacturing teams to work cohesively. Bringing everyone to the table at once encouraged on-the-spot decision making and put production plans into motion swiftly – turning processes that can take years into just days and weeks.

That emphasis on close connection between the OEM and its supply base was further boosted by the group’s implementation of agile development. In this, we prioritized flexibility over established procedures, immediate feedback over bureaucracy and incremental progress over inaction, all while meeting customer requirements and focusing on high quality. This not only helped advance the project, but also fostered a culture in which fresh thinking and solutions came first. We had a shared, galvanizing purpose that motivated us to deliver.

The streamlined approach was important, but so too was the use of additive manufacturing, commonly known as 3D printing. The technology, which quickly transforms digital designs into real-world creations, enabled rapid prototyping. Compared to traditional processes that are slower and don’t allow for quick iterations, teams were able to make and improve prototypes at a much faster rate. This process sped up tooling and opened the door to more flexible production performance by creating parallel paths of design, testing and manufacturing line preparations.

Sergio Pujols - Updated 2019

While the stakes aren’t the same, takeaways from PPE projects such as this one show how companies will need to adapt to thrive in our continuously evolving industry – one that’s increasingly reliant on electrification, autonomy and connectivity. Fundamental changes to the products we produce should yield fundamental changes to how we create them.

Many have already done this during the fight against COVID-19. It’s opened our eyes to how the same principles engrained during this time – speed, collaboration and innovation – can help our industry navigate our rapidly changing present and future. We can and should do this, not only to improve mobility for all, but to create a better world.

Sergio Pujols (pictured, above left) is vice-president-Energy Management Engineering for Denso.