Not the usual result of a Fuel Cell System Manufacturing (FCSM) partnership but these are extraordinary times: Honda and General Motors (GM) in the US are producing nearly 12,000 gallons of hand sanitiser.
The sanitiser will be used by both companies at their facilities throughout the region and Honda also is donating 3,750 bottles to health care facilities in Ohio and Michigan.
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The sanitiser is made at a Brownstown, Michigan facility where FCSM has been working on the development of fuel cell fuel stacks for hydrogen powered cars.
Using an apparatus designed to manufacture the electrodes used in the fuel cells, the team developed a process to repurpose the equipment to produce a hand sanitiser that would allow employees and health care professionals to work more safely.
Honda will donate nearly 75% of its allocation, packaging the product in nine ounce bottles for health care facilities.
Honda has made the first such donation of 1,250 bottles each to ProMedica Toledo Hospital in Toledo, Ohio, Memorial Health in Marysville, Ohio, and the DMC Children's Hospital of Michigan in Detroit, Michigan.
"It is inspiring to see how the automotive industry continues to find new and innovative ways to help society during this crisis," said Cathy McEvilly, senior vice president & general counsel of Honda North America.
Packaging Corporation of America donated the packaging needed to ship the product, and FCSM worked with other companies to handle the bottling.
Honda will provide 1,500 gallons of the product for use in its manufacturing plants, as part of the effort to provide a clean and safe environment for its workers.
