Coronavirus Response: UAW, Ford, 3M, and GE Partnering to Make Respirators and Ventilators
Companies and union will create much-needed equipment for medical personnel and patients.
The Ford F-150 is one of the most popular vehicles in America. Now, the fans that normally go to cooling the truck’s seats are going to be used to save lives.
Ford Motor Company joined the United Autoworkers (UAW), 3M, and GE Healthcare on Tuesday to announce that they are partnering to make critically needed respirators and ventilators in response to the coronavirus crisis. Ford also is aiming to produce 100,000 full-face shields a week to help protect medical workers and first responders on the front lines of the crisis.
We’re proud to work with @3M, @GEHealthcare and @UAW to lend our engineering and manufacturing expertise to quickly expand production of urgently needed medical equipment and supplies for healthcare workers, first responders and patients fighting #COVID19. pic.twitter.com/fzMMDjgVmS
— Ford Motor Company (@Ford) March 24, 2020
To get things up-and-running as quickly as possible, the companies are looking at which of their existing off-the-shelf parts can be retrofitted to build the needed medical equipment. Fans from the F-150’s ventilated seats are one of the things that fit the bill, along with 3M HEPA air filters and portable tool battery packs.
“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,” Jim Hackett, Ford’s president and CEO, said in a statement. “We’ve been in regular dialogue with federal, state and local officials to understand the areas of greatest needs.”
Echoed UAW Vice President Gerald Kariem: “UAW Ford members have a history of working together for the good of our Nation. We look forward to collaborating with Ford so that once again UAW members can find ways to improve the health and safety of all Americans during this national emergency.”
Ford and 3M are currently working together to increase the manufacturing capacity of 3M’s battery-powered air-purifying respirator, tweaking it so it can use readily available parts and be made more quickly. The new model is expected to be made in a Ford facility by UAW members, eventually to used by healthcare workers.
“We’re exploring all available opportunities to further expand 3M’s capacity and get healthcare supplies as quickly as possible to where they’re needed most – which includes partnering with other great companies like Ford,” said Mike Roman, 3M chairman of the board and chief executive officer. “It’s crucial that we mobilize all resources to protect lives and defeat this disease.”
Meanwhile, Ford is partnering with GE Healthcare to expand production of a simplified version of GE’s existing ventilator design, which would be produced at both Ford and GE facilities.
“We are encouraged by how quickly companies from across industries have mobilized to help address the growing challenge we collectively face from COVID-19,” said GE Healthcare president and CEO Kieran Murphy. “We are proud to bring our clinical and technical expertise to this collaboration with Ford, working together to serve unprecedented demand for this life-saving technology and support clinicians as they meet patient needs.”
These companies aren’t the only ones mobilizing their factories to help in the coronavirus fight, of course. General Motors also has said that it is looking at making ventilators at its facility in Indiana, for example.
And a coalition of apparel and textile companies announced over the weekend that they are switching their production lines to make critically needed facemasks, with the first batch heading to healthcare workers as soon as this week.