dyson (vacuum cleaners) making new ventilators

[rampartc]

looks like they are needed in the uk and elsewhere, and nothing on the cost, but compare to general motors "hundreds of millions" to retool.

https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/26/tech/dyson-ventilators-coronavirus/index.html

[Sherman A1]

1. Dyson seems like a decent company

And in this case they are on the ball.

[OhioChick]

2. I agree....

I wish that more were on the ball like they are.

[OnDoutside]

4. I have a Dyson, but James Dyson is a Brexit supporting dick.

[progressoid]

8. yep. n/t

[Celerity]

16. Wealthy Brexiteers like James Dyson are jumping ship. Why might that be?

Dyson, Jacob Rees-Mogg, Nigel Lawson – the leave elite appears to want Brexit for everyone else but themselves

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/jan/23/james-dyson-brexiteer-elite-brexit-rees-mogg

Let’s give James Dyson the benefit of the doubt. Let’s take at face value the assurances issued by his multibillion pound company – whose products involve the generation of hot air – as to why it is relocating its headquarters from Wiltshire to Singapore. Apparently, it has “nothing to do with Brexit”. What’s more, it’s barely a move at all, since it will see only two people, both top executives, actually moving to Singapore. Dyson will continue to employ 4,000 people in the UK, many of them in research and development, and the relocation is really just about wanting to keep a closer eye on the firm’s investments in Asia. That it chose to do that in Singapore, where companies pay a mere 17% in tax – rather than, say, India or South Korea – is surely pure coincidence.

Let’s accept all that and agree that the Dyson decision is merely symbolic. What’s it symbolic of? First, it’s worth remembering the special place in Britain’s mythology that the company acquired early in its life. Before Dyson, so the story went, we were terrific at inventing bright ideas but rubbish at turning those ideas into profitable businesses. Brits would have the lightbulb moment, but when it came to manufacturing the actual bulbs, that work – and profit – would be shipped far away.

Then along came James Dyson, hailed by successive governments, who proved it didn’t have to be that way. A British idea produced a British business. Well, that story has now come full circle. With its headquarters in Singapore, Dyson will no longer be a British firm. Indeed, the CEO, Jim Rowan, has asked that from now on it be referred to as a “global technology company”.

Second, and for all its protestations to the contrary, Dyson’s decision is inevitably rolled in with all the others that suggest UK companies, and those based here, are now guarding themselves against Brexit, especially a Brexit of the no-deal, crash-out variety. How else are we to interpret Dyson’s admission that it’s moving to Singapore to be “future-proofed”? What future exactly does it wish to be proofed against?

snip

[IcyPeas]

15. I see what you did there....

I think.

[flibbitygiblets]

3. Don't they also make those hand dryers that aerosolize germs?

Maybe switching to making ventilators is a win-win in this case.

[IronLionZion]

5. Yeah, their dryers definitely spread coronavirus

so ventilators are much better

[Throck]

6. UK .gov only ordered 10K?

A drop in the bucket.

[rampartc]

7. bojo just tested +

lets see if they begin to take this more seriously

[flibbitygiblets]

13. WHAT? OMG! Damn, step away for 5 minutes and look what happens. /nt

[Shermann]

9. Do we really need new ventilator designs?

I can't comprehend why corporate America isn't militarized around mass-producing existing, proven, familiar, FDA-certified designs. Ventilators aren't simple, self-explanatory commodities.

I guess this is what happens when the Fed leaves it up to the private sector to sort out amongst themselves.

[Throck]

12. Working with existing tooling.

Improvise, adapt, overcome.

[BumRushDaShow]

10. YES

I posted this earlier this morning in a LBN thread - https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1014&pid=2457383

The better strategy is to deploy 3-D printers to make the parts and then get an assembly process going.

There is no way that some car factory can go from assembly of a "car" to assembly of a piece of medical equipment that requires very tight specs.

GE had pretty much moved into medical equipment and would be one who could do it. And small appliance manufacturers might - but we had pretty much stopped making small appliances in the U.S. and import them from South Korea or China.

HOWEVER - one whole class of small appliances still made here (to a degree) are consumer vacuum cleaners. Companies like Lux (originally Electrolux), Oreck, ShopVac, and even Maytag (which includes a whole pile of brands like Hoover) make them. These companies have plants in the U.S. that make vacuum cleaners. They basically make/assemble hoses and connectors, as well as install motors that create a vacuum and/or manage other types of air handling, and I would think their manufacturing/assembly processes might be more easily adapted to make a ventilator.

[CatMor]

11. Wonder what one would cost from Dyson ..

They are advertising their hair dryer/styler that costs 500.00. I find it ridiculous just to dry your hair.

[crickets]

14. Good news! K&R