Ford has partnered with GE Healthcare to produce 50,000 ventilators over the next 100 days, the Ford Motor Company announced on Monday, March 30.
The ventilators will be produced in Michigan.
Ford says after the first 100 days, it expects to produce 30,000 a month.
Ventilators are vital medical equipment that are needed across the country as COVID-19 spreads. The respiratory disease can make people severely ill, requiring them to be on ventilators.
The ventilators that Ford will be producing were licensed by GE Healthcare from Airon Corp. They will respond to the needs of most COVID-19 patients are operate on air pressure without the need for electricity.
“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.”
Ford will sent a team to Airon in Florida to boost production. By the week of April 20, production will start at Ford's plant in Ypsilanti.
General Motors is also working alongside Ventec to produce ventilators.
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