Panasonic Corporation (OTC: PCRFY) is looking to restart production at Tesla Inc.’s (NASDAQ: TSLA) New York manufacturing plant on Wednesday, the Verge reported Tuesday.
What Happened
The Japanese electronics giant will spend the first two days performing equipment checks, and standard manufacturing will start Friday, Panasonic North America Solar Energy Division President Mark Shima said in an internal email accessed by the Verge.
Shima told the employees that the company has “completed preparations under close collaboration with Tesla, such as preparation of masks, sanitizers and wipes, set new protocol for entrance, new rules in cafeteria and production floor, new seat assignment in the office area in order to keep 6′ to the next person.”
It isn’t immediately clear if Tesla is also restarting production at the solar panel manufacturing facility.
Why It Matters
A majority of manufacturing at the New York gigafactory has…
Range of measures introduced to ensure a safe travel environment and give extra peace of mind.
Masks on board, hand sanitising stations and enhanced aircraft cleaning among the improvements.
More flexibility added to bookings so people can plan with confidence.
Qantas and Jetstar will roll out a series of wellbeing improvements to give peace-of-mind in preparation for domestic travel restrictions easing.
The ‘Fly Well’ program brings together a number of temporary measures already in use by the Qantas Group, including on repatriation flights from virus hot-spots, and represents a combination of best-practice medical advice and feedback from customers.
Pre-flight
Rolling out from 12 June, the key measures at each point of the journey will be:
Information sent to all customers before they fly, so they know what to expect.
Contactless check-in (via online/app) and self-serve bag drop strongly encouraged, including use of Q Bag Tags.
Hand sanitising stations at departure gates.
Temporary changes to Qantas Lounges, including increased physical distancing, hand sanitising stations, enhanced disinfection of surfaces and adjustments to food and drink service.
Working with airports on other safeguards in the terminal, including regular disinfection of security screening points and installing hygiene screens at airline customer service desks, wherever practical.
On board
Masks provided to all passengers on each flight – while not mandatory from a safety point of view, they are recommended to be worn in the interests of everyone’s peace-of-mind.
Enhanced cleaning of aircraft with a disinfectant effective against Coronaviruses, with a focus on high contact areas – seats, seatbelts, overhead lockers, air vents and toilets.
Sanitising wipes given to all passengers to wipe down seat belts, trays and armrests themselves, if preferred.
Simplified service and catering to minimise touchpoints for crew and passengers.
Passengers asked to limit movement around cabin, once seated.
Sequenced boarding and disembarkation to minimise crowding.
In addition, the air conditioning systems of all Qantas and Jetstar aircraft are already fitted with hospital-grade HEPA filters, which remove 99.9% of all particles including viruses. Air inside the cabin is refreshed on average every five minutes during flight.
All airline employees are required to follow strict personal hygiene protocols, for the benefit of themselves and others.
All passengers are encouraged to download the Australian Government’s COVIDSafe app as part of improving the ability of health authorities to contain the spread of Coronavirus. In-line with public health advice, anyone with cold and flu like symptoms should stay at home.
LONDON (Reuters) – Irish airline Aer Lingus said it was reviewing its social distancing procedures after a flight on Monday was packed with passengers.
European flights have all but come to a standstill during the coronavirus pandemic with only a few services operating for essential travel such as people going to work or being repatriated, or for cargo.
While there is no visibility on when travel restrictions will ease, airlines are considering how to safely restart services and give passengers confidence to fly.
Aer Lingus, owned by IAG <IAG.L>, said it would consider how it operates after its Belfast to London Heathrow flight on Monday had “unexpectedly high loads” and that due to the level of the demand for the route, it could need to make changes.
“Aer Lingus is reviewing its processes and procedures applicable to the operation of this service,” an Aer Lingus spokeswoman said, adding that safety was its top priority.
Some airlines have discussed leaving middle seats empty on flights to enable social distancing, while other airlines such as Germany’s Lufthansa <LHA.DE> and Hungary’s low cost airline Wizz Air <WIZZ.L> have made it compulsory for passengers to wear face masks on flights.
(Reporting by Sarah Young and Ian Graham; Editing by Kirsten Donovan)
FILE PHOTO: The Aer Lingus EI-DER Airbus A320 makes its final approach for landing at Toulouse-Blagnac airport
Emirates is set to operate limited passenger services to Frankfurt (02, 04, 06, 09, 11, 13 May), London Heathrow (03, 05, 07, 10, 12, 14 May), Manila (3, 6, 8, 10, 13, 15, 16 May), Sao Paulo (3 May), and Shanghai (2 May). The one-way special flights will facilitate travel for residents and visitors wishing to return home.
Those who wish to travel to Shanghai must contact the embassy or consulate of the People’s Republic of China in the UAE. For all other flights, passengers can book directly on emirates.com or via their travel agent.
Only citizens of the destination countries, and those who meet the entry requirements of the destination will be allowed to board. Customers will be required to follow all health and safety measures required by the UAE authorities and the country of destination.
Similar to other repatriation flights that Emirates has operated thus far, for health and safety reasons, the airline will offer a modified inflight service that reduces contact, and the risk of infection. Magazines and print reading material will not be available. Meals on-board will be served in hygienic prepacked meal boxes, offering customers sandwiches, beverages, snacks, and desserts. A selection of hot snacks will also be served on long-haul flights.
Emirates’ Lounge and Chauffeur Drive services will be temporarily unavailable during this period and in-flight Wi-Fi service is available for purchase only. On board Emirates’ flights, seats are pre-allocated where possible with vacant seats placed between individual passengers or family groups in observance of physical distancing protocols. More information is available on emirates.com.
Cabin baggage will not be accepted on these flights. Carry-on items allowed in the cabin will be limited to laptop, handbag, briefcase or baby items. All other items have to be checked in, and Emirates will add the cabin baggage allowance to customers’ check-in baggage allowance.
Passengers are required to apply social distancing guidelines during their journey and wear their own masks when at the airport and on board the aircraft. Travellers should arrive at Dubai International airport Terminal 3 for check-in, three hours before departure. Emirates’ check-in counters will only process passengers holding confirmed bookings to the above destinations.
All Emirates aircraft will go through enhanced cleaning and disinfection processes in Dubai, after each journey.
Boeing [NYSE: BA] completed its first COVID-19 transport mission, using a 737-700 aircraft from its corporate fleet to bring personal protective equipment (PPE) from China to the United States. Working in partnership with FIRST® Robotics Founder Dean Kamen, the company transported 540,000 medical-grade face masks that will be delivered to healthcare professionals battling COVID-19 in New Hampshire.
Kamen, who has a longstanding relationship with Boeing through FIRST Robotics, is also a founder of DEKA Research and Development Corporation. He worked with DEKA to secure the face masks from manufacturers in China and turned to Boeing to facilitate their transport. DEKA is the importer of record for the delivery and provided the masks to New Hampshire for distribution to healthcare professionals in the state.
“Another life-saving delivery of PPE has arrived in New Hampshire,” said Governor Chris Sununu. “Thanks to Dean Kamen for facilitating this deal, and to Boeing for donating the cost of this mission transport. The state will deliver these masks to the greatest areas of need across New Hampshire so those on the frontline have the necessary resources to fight COVID-19.”
“Boeing has been a long-time partner of FIRST Robotics and I’m proud that I can again partner with the Boeing team to meet the needs of our frontline healthcare professionals fighting COVID-19,” said Kamen. “Now more than ever, help from companies like Boeing is critical so we can continue to make sure protective equipment gets to the people who need it most.”
Boeing continues to support local communities and the heroic healthcare professionals working tirelessly to stop the spread of COVID-19. Additional airlift transport missions with the Boeing Dreamlifter and ecoDemonstrator are planned in the future. Boeing is coordinating closely with U.S. government officials on how to best assist areas with the greatest need.
“I want to personally thank Governor Sununu, the entire New Hampshire congressional delegation and Dean Kamen for their leadership in helping secure and distribute this much-needed personal protective equipment for our frontline healthcare workers and first responders here in New Hampshire,” said Dave Calhoun, Boeing president and CEO. “We are honored to have conducted today’s airlift mission and we look forward to providing continued support in the fight against this pandemic.”
A Boeing-owned aircraft loads 540,000 medical-grade masks in China destined to New Hampshire. (Boeing photo)
During the scheduled two weeks of suspended operations at the Boeing [NYSE: BA] Philadelphia facility in Ridley Township, the company has been working to restart production with enhanced safety measures. Boeing will resume operations in our production facilities and other areas deemed essential on Monday, April 20. The number one priority is and will continue to be protecting the health and safety of our employees, their families and all of our stakeholders.
Since suspending operations on April 3, Boeing Philadelphia has taken a number of steps:
Enhanced cleaning of the entire facility and implementing improved procedures. We’ve posted signage throughout the facility to help keep enhanced hygiene top-of-mind. Hand sanitization stations have been added at entry points to the site.
Physical distancing practices reinforced. Shift times will be staggered. Virtual meetings will continue, where possible, to reduce face-to-face interactions. Work areas have been spaced farther apart with visual markers displayed to encourage physical distancing. Cafeteria areas will be adjusted to allow for more physical distancing.
Personal mask use. Consistent with recent direction from the state government, employees are required to wear masks or other face coverings in the workplace. Masks will be made available onsite for employees who need one.
Temperature screening will be required for all employees daily before coming to work. Screening stations with no-touch thermal scanners will be set up to accommodate workers who need to check their temperature onsite. Employees who are not required to support operations in our production facilities, and who are able to telecommute and work virtually, will continue to do so.
Boeing Philadelphia site leadership will continue to monitor conditions and new information related to COVID-19, including the latest federal and state health guidelines, so we can continuously implement new safeguards and procedures.
Airbus continues to purchase and supply millions of face masks from China, the large majority of which will be donated to governments of the Airbus home countries, namely France, Germany, Spain and the UK.
An Airbus flight test crew has just completed its latest mission with an A350-1000 test aircraft. This is the third of such missions between Europe and China. The aircraft returned to France with a cargo of 4 million face masks on Sunday 5 April.
The A350-1000 left Toulouse, France, on Friday 3 April, reaching the Airbus site in Tianjin, China on 4 April and returning to Hamburg the same day.
Since mid-March, the previous two missions were performed by an A330-800 and an A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transport (MRTT). Airbus also deployed an A400M and its Beluga fleet to transport shipments of masks between its European sites, in France, Germany, the UK and Spain.
Airbus will continue to support the fight against the Coronavirus pandemic wherever possible.
“I would like to pay tribute to all the Airbus teams, globally, supporting the fight against COVID-19. They’re living our values in assisting those who are saving lives every day”, said Guillaume Faury, Airbus CEO. “
Airbus is focused on the health and safety of its employees and supporting its customers and the industry eco-system with business continuity. At the same time Airbus is contributing to many vital public and private services and working with partners who rely on aircraft, helicopters, space and security solutions to carry out life-saving missions in support of the global pandemic.
Airbus is deploying its employees, their expertise and know-how and leveraging technology in this fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, for example in designing and manufacturing ventilators and 3D printed visors which are critical resources for hospitals.
The Company is partnering with other organisations in unprecedented ways to achieve this goal as fast as possible.
Production and development of new solutions for hospitals
Alstom’s 3D printing hub in Barcelona is coordinating initiatives being implemented at a Group level to contribute to the fight against the COVID 19 global pandemic. Since last week, engineers and developers based in Santa Perpetua site (Barcelona) have been coordinating and implementing different initiatives to produce pieces, supply consumables and design new solutions.
Alstom’s hub is working in coordination with the 3Dcovid19.org network to manufacture visors for face shields and ventilators valves, that are being delivered to different hospitals.
“The aim is to help the healthcare community by manufacturing parts that meet appropriate quality and safety standards,” says Jaume Altesa, responsible for Alstom’s 3D printing hub at Santa Perpètua. “3D printing has gained prominence due to its particular usefulness for creating equipment to protect against COVID-19, as it can be used to manufacture materials currently suffering severe shortages such as face masks, mechanical respirators and even door openers, among others”, he adds.
The CAD design experts at the Santa Perpetua facilities are also innovating in new solutions and developments. They are currently working, for example, on portable personal protectors for door handles and the use of anti-bacterial materials in the masks.
Launched in 2016, Alstom 3D printing hub in Barcelona is one of the components of Smart Operations, Alstom’s ‘Industry of the Future’ programme. Its ambition is to produce 3D-printed parts quickly and at a competitive price for new trains, to meet the customers’ requests for parts, and to facilitate some manufacturing and maintenance operations. At Alstom, 3D printing is used for four applications: tools for our factories, prototypes to validate a design, moulds produced in half the time of classic production methods and series parts with around 70 references in plastic and metal.
Airbus A400M transports masks to Spain in support of COVID-19 crisis relief efforts
An Airbus A400M airlifter has performed an air-bridge between Toulouse and Madrid in order to deliver critically-needed mask supplies to the Spanish health system.
The aircraft, known as MSN56 and operated by an Airbus crew, took off on 23rd March 2020 from Airbus’ headquarters in Toulouse at 18.07 local time (CET) landing at the Getafe Air Base (Madrid) at 19.05 to off-load and deliver the masks to the Spanish Ministry of Defence.
The cargo is part of the approximately 2 million masks transported over the weekend by a test Airbus A330-800 aircraft from Tianjin, China, to Europe.
This air-bridge will enable the delivery of a significant supply of masks to the Spanish public health network in support of current COVID-19 crisis efforts. This comes on top of donations by Airbus in recent days to provide thousands of masks to hospitals and public services around Europe. The Company will continue to support with additional flights planned to take place in the coming days in coordination with national authorities.
