Now and in the years ahead, manufacturers will be asked ‘what was your COVID-19 strategy?’

Now and in the years ahead, manufacturers will be asked ‘what was your COVID-19 strategy?’  True enough, industry leaders will reflect to this pivotal time in their forward trajectory to celebrate team accomplishments which ushered in a faster push towards urgent transitions in manufacturing.

As the Automotive industry continues to increase activity after the pandemic shutdown,  it is fitting to recognize the great efforts of our employees.  We are proud of the work we have done to support the frontlines in the COVID-19 fight through new ad hoc groups formed to take immediate action.  The great cross-company, cross-industry achievements stand testimony to the values of cooperative effort we hold close.

Working remotely and masked while socially distanced, dlhBOWLES employees pivoted to adapt our manufacturing capabilities and answer the need for ventilator and respirator parts supplying General Motors and Ford respectively.

Logo with caption we are results-driven.

In late March and early April, we partnered with General Motors (GM) to supply parts for the Ventec Life Systems VOCSN ventilator. Chairman and CEO Mary Barra shared the GM strategy on what was learned during their COVID-19 response and how the automaker intends to use that ‘ventilator fast’ strategy : Move from asking why to asking what can we do: https://s.gm.com/hmzp2.

During this same time frame, dlhBOWLES also partnered with Ford to produce the 3M Versaflo™ respirator flow indicator tube assembly.  In a moment’s notice Ford took American ingenuity and manufacturing capability and put it to work:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/ford-motor-company/.

Both projects retained many of the same team of individuals responsible for implementing a new workflow.  Shattering paradigms and pushing our limits, dlhBOWLES proved to have the dynamic chameleon-like capability to change amid our industry’s environment.  To our strategic and manufacturing teams, and all who supported us:  Thank you!

References:

Apple. (n.d.). Apple Podcasts Preview. GM’s Mary Barra: “Deep, profound sadness and going ventilator fast.”  Retrieved from https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1507293907?i=1000477842389

Bigelow, P. (April 26, 2020). dlhBowles is finding innovative solutions to a dirty problem. Automotive News.  Retrieved from https://www.autonews.com/shift/dlhbowles-finding-innovative-solutions-dirty-problem

Announcement: dlhBOWLES Part of the Inaugural Class of PACEpilot Honorees

For 26 years and running, the Automotive News  PACE Awards have proclaimed the Automotive Industry’s greatest commercialized game-changing innovations. The accelerated tempo of change has been driving vast innovation in the pilot phase through processes, products and systems that have not yet been brought to market. Development within these areas has given rise to the need for a new program started in 2020 heralding the achievements of eleven honorees.

The new Automotive News PACEpilot program reviews and recognizes innovations from suppliers, including startups, that have reached a working pilot demonstration phase but are not yet commercialized with a contracted sale.  A glimpse into dlhBOWLES’ innovational spirit is provided in Automotive News’ Pete Bigelow’s article featuring Chief Executive Officer John Saxon and Director of Business Development Russell Hester.  In a live ceremony event (9:00 am EDT on Tuesday, April 28,2020), Automotive News will broadcast the full list of winners. Register here.  

Thanks to a special project challenge from dlhBOWLES customer General Motors (GM) and through the joint expertise of fellow industry veteran Rausch and Pausch GmbH (RAPA), we designed our multi-sensor Fluid Control Unit (FCU) technology to reduce the amount of fluid consumption by cleaning the right location at the right time.  The long-term vision for our automotive grade tested and proven Clēr™ camera and sensor cleaning product line is scalability and quick integration with current original equipment manufacturer (OEM) systems.  Market availability of the Clēr™ multi-sensor FCU parallels the timeline of Level 4 and Level 5 vehicles.

As we celebrate the recognition of dlhBOWLES for Automotive News’ esteemed PACEpilot award, we are sincerely grateful to our employees, fellow first tier colleagues, partners, and especially our customers.  Through partnerships with automotive industry veterans and start-ups alike, dlhBOWLES is continually inspired.  Within our 60 years in the automotive industry, we have not seen a more exciting time to be a part of creating innovative solutions on future vehicles. 

References: 

Automotive News. (2020). PACEpilot. Automotive News. Retrieved from https://www.autonews.com/awards/pacepilot 

Bigelow, P. (2020). dlhBowles is finding innovative solutions to a dirty problem. Automotive News. Retrieved from https://www.autonews.com/shift/dlhbowles-finding-innovative-solutions-dirty-problem 

NHTSA. (2020). Automated driving systems. Retrieved from https://www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.dot.gov/files/documents/13069a-ads2.0_090617_v9a_tag.pdf