Ford Motors, through its partnership with General Electric and Airon Corp., plans to build 50,000 ventilators in only 100 days, or half the time it would normally take, to quickly help alleviate some of the shortages happening in the fight against coronavirus, Vice President of Enterprise Product Line Management Jim Baumbick said Tuesday.
"Well, there is a very famous statement at Ford and it's 'Go Like Hell,'" Baumbick told Fox News' "America's Newsroom." "We see an incredible need for getting medical devices and personal protection equipment into the hands of patients and first responders that need it the most of help fight this war."
The project has been a "great collaboration" that combines the best sides of the companies involved to prepare to ramp up production, Baumbick.
"We've seen almost a 40 percent increase in the amount of product that we're able to produce from GE's existing lines working collaboratively with them, so, that's getting units out to people right now, today, Baumbick said, adding that Ford plans to work with Airon in Florida for the same results. Once the United Auto Workers come into play, the goal is to make about 60 of the machines an hour.
Their design is for ventilators that use compressed oxygen, not electricity, so they can be used in "makeshift ICUs and convention centers" and other locations where electric service is an issue, said Baumbick.
"The device delivers the basic need that is required to support COVID patients," he added.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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