Ford said it had joined with companies including 3M and GE Healthcare to lend its manufacturing and engineering expertise to quickly expand production of urgently needed medical equipment and supplies for healthcare workers, first responders and patients fighting coronavirus.
General Motors said earlier it was collaborating with Ventec Life Systems to increase production of respiratory care products to support the growing fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. Ventec would use GM's logistics, purchasing and manufacturing expertise to build more of the critically important ventilators.
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Ford said it also plans to assemble at least 100,000 face shields per week and leverage its in-house 3D printing capability to produce components for use in personal protective equipment.
"This is such a critical time for America and the world. It is a time for action and cooperation. By coming together across multiple industries, we can make a real difference for people in need and for those on the front lines of this crisis," said executive chairman Bill Ford.
"We feel a deep obligation to step up and contribute in times of need, just as we always have through the 117-year history of our company."
Powered Air-Purifying Respirators
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By GlobalDataFord is working with 3M to increase the manufacturing capacity of their powered air-purifying respirator (PAPR) designs and working jointly to develop a new design leveraging parts from both companies to meet the surge demand for first responders and health care workers. This new respirator could be produced in a Ford facility by UAW workers.
The teams have been resourcefully locating off-the-shelf parts like fans from the F-150 truck's cooled seats for airflow, 3M HEPA air filters to filter airborne contaminants such as droplets that carry virus particles and portable tool battery packs to power these respirators for up to eight hours.
Ford is looking at how it might produce these new-generation PAPRs in one of its Michigan manufacturing facilities, helping 3M boost production potentially tenfold.
"Working with 3M and GE, we have empowered our teams of engineers and designers to be scrappy and creative to quickly help scale up production of this vital equipment," said Jim Hackett, Ford's president and CEO.
Ventilators
Ford and GE Healthcare are working together to expand production of a simplified version of GE Healthcare's existing ventilator design to support patients with respiratory failure or difficulty breathing caused by COVID-19. These ventilators could be produced at a Ford manufacturing site in addition to a GE location.
Respirators and Face Shields
Ford's US design team also is quickly creating and starting to test transparent full face shields for medical workers and first responders. The face shields fully block the face and eyes from accidental contact with liquids and when paired with N95 respirators can be a more effective way to limit potential exposure to coronavirus than N95 respirators alone.
The first 1,000 face shields will be tested this week at Detroit Mercy, Henry Ford Health Systems and Detroit Medical Center Sinai-Grace Hospitals.
Roughly 75,000 of these shields are expected to be finished this week and more than 100,000 per week will be produced at Ford subsidiary Troy Design and Manufacturing's facilities in Plymouth, Michigan.
Ford is leveraging its Advanced Manufacturing Center in Redford and in house 3D printing capabilities to manufacture components and subassemblies for use in personal protective equipment.
UK
Ford also is evaluating a separate effort not involving GE Healthcare with the UK government to produce additional ventilators.
China
Ford of China joint venture partner Jiangling Motors also has donated 10 specially equipped Transit ambulance vans to hospitals in Wuhan where the coronavirus outbreak began. Ford is also reacquiring 165,000 N95 respirators from China that were originally sent over earlier this year to help combat coronavirus.
Ford has also kicked off a working team to help hospitals locate and secure urgently needed surgical and N95 respirators. Ford has so far committed sending Henry Ford Health Systems 40,000 surgical masks while it locates additional supplies.
