An employee works on an oxygenator production line at a company in Shenyang, Liaoning province. [Photo/Xinhua]Chinese medical device companies are gearing up capacity for novel coronavirus-related medical supplies like oxygenators, pulse oximeters and ventilators amid surging demand after the country optimized COVID-19 prevention and control measures.Authorities concerned have also stepped up efforts to remove constraints undermining the efficiency of related industrial and supply chains, for instance, a shortage of some raw materials.Micomme Medical, a manufacturer of high-end medical products for respiratory disease treatment in Changsha, Hunan province, said its output of respiratory equipment like ventilators has hit up to 500 units per day, while that for disposable single-use products sometimes stands at some 2,000 pieces daily."Since early December, our staff has been sleeping in the factory and working round-the-clock to ensure optimal production output," said Wang Na, an executive of the company.The company's noninvasive ventilators and high-flow respiratory therapy equipment are included in China's general treatment guidelines for COVID-19 patients.Amid the recent demand spike for relevant products triggered by the contagion, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology — the nation's top industry regulator — has communicated with several major enterprises in relevant areas to research problems and challenges that hinder the expansion of related product production amid efforts to strengthen coordination and increase supplies.As of the end of December, daily pulse oximeter capacity in China had risen to more than 250,000 units, the ministry said.It also said it will continue to motivate enterprises to increase supplies of key anti-epidemic equipment and materials.Local governments have also taken action to help ease burdens of enterprises and increase supplies.On Jan 3, Ji Jing, deputy mayor of Suzhou, Jiangsu province, inspected oxygen generator and compression nebulizer manufacturer Carer Medical Technology, and urged joint efforts to help enterprises solve challenges in recruitment, raw materials and cash flow.Market analysts said there is huge growth space in China for oxygenator producers, as Chinese customers are increasingly interested in healthy living and related products.In developed countries, around 20 percent of households keep at least one oxygenator on hand, while the figure in China is only 1 percent, according to the Journal of Appliance Science and Technology, a publication affiliated with the China Household Electric Appliance Research Institute.Contec Medical Systems Co Ltd, a high-tech company focusing on the research, manufacture and distribution of medical devices, said it has adjusted its production lines and hired more workers to boost daily pulse oximeter capacity to 150,000 units.Contec's oximeter products alone generated sales revenue of 154 million yuan (.89 million) during the first half of 2022, about 50 percent of the company's total top line during the period.Jiangsu Yuwell Group, the world's largest oxygenator producer, said it has significantly increased its oxygenator output to meet surging demand from medical institutions and households since late November.In 2021, its combined oxygenator and ventilator sales stood at 2.62 billion yuan, accounting for around 40 percent of its total revenue.The company has also been donating oxygenators to 832 counties that have shrugged off poverty in recent years starting this week. It plans to donate oxygenators to all 11,532 townships in county-level regions. Here is shan dong 編輯： 宋基金 閱讀量：552
An employee works on the auto parts production line of a carmaker in Yantai, Shandong province. TANG KE/FOR CHINA DAILYAccording to the provincial government work report, Shandong will take solid steps to build an advanced manufacturing powerhouse, replace old growth drivers with new ones, and make greater efforts to build a modern industrial system.The high-quality development of the manufacturing industry is a key link in building a modern industrial system, according to industry experts, adding that in addition to keeping the proportion of the manufacturing industry basically stable, it is more important to speed up the move to the middle and high ends of the value chain, and upgrade industrial organization.In 2022, Shandong significantly reduced its low-end, low-quality and inefficient production capacity.According to Zhang Haibo, director of the Shandong Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology, technological transformation investment accounted for more than half the total of industrial investment in the province in 2022, and the output value of the high-tech industry accounted for about 48.3 percent of the industrial output value.In 2023, Shandong will implement the upgrading action to ensure the annual technological upgrading investment growth of about 6 percent, Zhang said.Industry and information technology is the most active innovative technological sector and the most in need of innovation. Zhang said that the provincial industry and information technology department will focus on the integration of talent, education, industry and innovation to accelerate the cultivation of high-level innovative platforms, foster innovative enterprises, and tackle key core technologies to boost industrial development. Here is shan dong 編輯： 宋基金 閱讀量：320
