Ersa supports medical technology suppliers

Wertheim, 16.04.2020

Ventilation capacities are currently being built up in Germany, Europe and worldwide and the number of intensive care beds is being increased. Within a few weeks, ventilators have become a scarce commodity, with demand clearly exceeding available supply. The electronic control units required to build the ventilators are often produced on selective soldering machines from system supplier Ersa. In recent weeks, Ersa GmbH received numerous machine enquiries from existing customers, which were processed with the utmost urgency and implemented within a few weeks. Among other things, special shifts on Saturdays were scheduled for this. “Doubling or tripling capacities on the customer side is not a simple calculation example – it is a matter of well-rehearsed processes in electronics production, which must be checked in detail in each case. But when it comes to saving lives, we naturally do everything possible to support them,” says Ersa´s General Sales Director Rainer Krauss.

A VERSAFLOW 3/45 was taken directly from the Ersa Application and Demo Center for a German business partner. The bestseller in the field of selective soldering has been installed well over 1,000 times worldwide. In most cases, however, it is not the standard basic machine that goes into operation, but a customer-specific adaptation – no problem, since Ersa relies on the modular design of its technologies. This is also the case here, in order to meet the customer´s requirement to be able to set up exactly with the production process already running. Several conversions were carried out in the area of heating and top heating, and shortly before Easter the machine was ready for shipment after extensive testing. For an assembly at the customer´s site in the next few days, the switch cabinets were dismantled in order to be able to install the soldering system. From Ersa´s side, the installation is accompanied by an experienced service technician and process engineer, and production is scheduled to start next week.

There were also other short-term projects, all of which are related to the VERSAFLOW selective soldering system. For example from the UK, where it took just 22 days from inquiry to delivery. Another machine will be shipped to Italy at the beginning of next week. Despite special equipment, the machine will be shipped to Italy by special transport after only 17 days. Two large machines, each eight metres long, will be produced within seven weeks for a major customer in the USA. Under normal conditions, these machines require twelve weeks in production. As soon as the two soldering systems are ready, they will be transported to the USA by special air freight. Another inquiry comes from India – here the customs regulations must be clarified in advance, then Ersa will deliver within ten to 15 days. An in-house team of engineers in India is on standby to install the system on site as quickly as possible. “On behalf of the management, I would like to thank all the ‘Ersians’ involved, both at home and abroad, who made it possible to deliver the soldering machines for the vital respirators in record time with their great commitment and extra shifts,” says Steffen Lutz, Head of Value Stream Selective/POWERFLOW. Ersa Managing Director Ralph Knecht adds: “We hope to make a significant contribution to the fight against the corona pandemic and will continue to do so as long as necessary.”