FORD TO PRODUCE 50,000 VENTILATORS IN
MICHIGAN IN NEXT 100 DAYS; PARTNERING WITH GE HEALTHCARE WILL HELP
CORONAVIRUS PATIENTS
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Ford, in collaboration with GE Healthcare,
will leverage the design of Airon Corp.’s FDA-cleared ventilator to
produce in Michigan
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With the full weight of the UAW behind the
venture and the full power of Ford and GE Healthcare, production of the
GE/Airon Model A-E ventilator is targeted to start the week of April 20 at
Ford’s Rawsonville (Mich.) Components Plant
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Ford expects to produce 50,000 of the
ventilators within the next 100 days, with the ability to produce 30,000 a
month thereafter as needed
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The simplified ventilator design – licensed
by GE Healthcare from Florida-based Airon Corp. – is responsive to the
needs of most COVID-19 patients, and operates on air pressure without the
need for electricity
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This unique, go-fast initiative comes in
addition to the previously announced program by Ford and GE Healthcare to
increase production capacity of existing GE Healthcare ventilators
DEARBORN, Mich., March 30, 2020 – Ford
Motor Company, in collaboration with GE Healthcare, announced today it
will begin producing in Michigan a third-party ventilator with the goal to
produce 50,000 of the vitally needed units within 100 days and up to
30,000 a month thereafter as needed.
Ford will provide its manufacturing capabilities to quickly scale
production, and GE Healthcare will provide its clinical expertise and will
license the current ventilator design from Airon Corp. – a small,
privately held company specializing in high-tech pneumatic life support
products. GE Healthcare brought the Airon Corp. design to Ford’s attention
as part of the companies’ efforts to scale production of ventilators
quickly to help clinicians treat COVID-19 patients.
The GE/Airon Model A-E ventilator uses a design that operates on air
pressure without the need for electricity, addressing the needs of most
COVID-19 patients. Its production can be quickly scaled to help meet
growing demand in the U.S.
“The Ford and GE Healthcare teams, working creatively and tirelessly, have
found a way to produce this vitally needed ventilator quickly and in
meaningful numbers,” said Jim Hackett, Ford’s president and CEO. “By
producing this ventilator in Michigan, in strong partnership with the UAW,
we can help health care workers save lives, and that’s our No. 1
priority.”
According to White House Defense Production Act Coordinator Peter Navarro,
“the Ford/GE Healthcare team is moving in ‘Trump time’ to speed urgently
needed ventilators to the front lines of the Trump Administration’s
full-scale war against the coronavirus. Just as Ford in the last century
moved its manufacturing might seamlessly from auto to tank production
during World War II, the Ford team is working with GE Healthcare to use
its awesome engineering and manufacturing capabilities to voluntarily help
this nation solve one of its most pressing problems. We salute that effort
and look forward to the first ventilators rolling off the Michigan
assembly line in record time – and we’ll be there to salute that
milestone.”
Ford will initially send a team to work with Airon to boost production in
Florida, and by the week of April 20, will start production at Ford’s
Rawsonville Components Plant in Ypsilanti, Mich., quickly ramping up to
reach full production to help meet surging demand.
Ford expects to produce 1,500 by the end of April, 12,000 by the end of
May and 50,000 by July 4 – helping the U.S. government meet its goal of
producing 100,000 ventilators in 100 days.
Ford’s Rawsonville plant will produce the ventilators nearly around the
clock, with 500 paid volunteer UAW-represented employees working on three
shifts. Airon currently produces three Airon pNeuton Model A ventilators
per day in Melbourne, Fla. At full production, Ford plans to make 7,200
Airon-licensed Model A-E ventilators per week.
“From the days of Rosie the Riveter, UAW members have stepped up during
difficult times in this nation’s history for the good of us all,” said UAW
International President Rory Gamble. “Today’s announcement by Ford that
UAW employees will make ventilators at Rawsonville is in that tradition.
We are working very closely with Ford to make sure that all CDC guidelines
are followed and that we are exercising an abundance of caution inside the
plant. Ford and our UAW Ford members should be commended for stepping up
in these very uncertain times.”
The Airon-licensed Model A-E ventilator is the second Ford-GE Healthcare
ventilator collaboration. Last week, Ford and GE Healthcare announced a
separate effort to produce a simplified ventilator design from GE
Healthcare. The combined ventilator supply will help address the
increasing surge demand for ventilators around the U.S in the fight
against COVID-19, each well suited to meet time, production volume and
patient care requirements.
“We applaud Ford for its efforts to lend its manufacturing capabilities to
help quickly scale the Airon-licensed Model A-E ventilator and arm
clinicians in the fight against COVID-19,” said GE Healthcare President
and CEO Kieran Murphy. “Our deep understanding of the health care industry
with Ford’s supply chain and production expertise will help meet the
unprecedented demand for medical equipment. We continue to be encouraged
by how quickly companies are coming together in innovative ways to address
this collective challenge.”
GE Heathcare and Ford consulted with medical experts in determining the
Airon-licensed
Model A-E ventilator is well suited for COVID-19 patient care. The design
is expected to meet the needs of most COVID-19 patients with respiratory
failure or difficulty breathing. The ventilator is designed for quick
setup, making it easy for healthcare workers to use – and can be deployed
in an emergency room setting, during special procedures or in an intensive
care unit, wherever the patient may be located.
Ford, along with the companies it is supporting, will provide additional
updates as these special projects progress.
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