BOTHELL, Wash., March 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Ventec Life
Systems announced today General Motors will build VOCSN critical
care ventilators at GM's Kokomo,
Indiana manufacturing facility with FDA-cleared ventilators
scheduled to ship as soon as next month. This effort is in addition
to Ventec taking aggressive steps to ramp up production at their
manufacturing facility in Bothell,
Washington.
Across all manufacturers, there is a global backorder of
critical care ventilators capable of supporting patients fighting
COVID-19. The companies are adding thousands of units of new
capacity with a significantly expanded supply chain capable of
supporting high volume production. GM is donating its resources at
cost.
GM will also begin manufacturing FDA-cleared Level 1 surgical
masks at its Warren, Michigan
manufacturing facility. Production will begin next week and within
two weeks ramp up to 50,000 masks per day, with the potential to
increase to 100,000 per day.
Critical Care Ventilators
"This unique partnership combines Ventec's respiratory care
expertise with GM's manufacturing might to produce sophisticated
and high-quality critical care ventilators," said Chris Kiple, CEO of Ventec Life Systems. "This
pandemic is unprecedented and so is this response, with incredible support from
GM and their suppliers. Healthcare professionals on the front lines
deserve the best tools to treat patients and precision critical
care ventilators like VOCSN are what is necessary to save
lives."
Ventec and GM are working around the clock to meet the urgent
need for more ventilators. Efforts to set up tooling and
manufacturing capacity at the GM Kokomo facility are already
underway to produce Ventec's critical care ventilator, VOCSN.
Depending on the needs of the federal government, Ventec and GM are
poised to deliver the first ventilators next month and ramp up to a
manufacturing capacity of more than 10,000 critical care
ventilators per month with the infrastructure and capability to
scale further.
"We are proud to stand with other American companies and our
skilled employees to meet the needs of this global pandemic," said
Mary Barra, GM chairman and CEO.
"This partnership has rallied the GM enterprise and our global
supply base to support Ventec, and the teams are working together
with incredible passion and commitment. I am proud of this
partnership as we work together to address urgent and life-saving
needs."
GM will deploy an estimated 1,000 American workers to scale
production of critical care ventilators immediately. Working with
the UAW, GM has brought back employees from GM's Kokomo and Marion facilities.
Since Friday, March 20, Ventec and
GM teams across manufacturing, engineering, purchasing, legal and
others have been tirelessly and seamlessly working together to
create and implement a plan for immediate, scaled production of
critical care ventilators. The Ventec and GM global supply base
developed sourcing plans for the more than 700 individual parts
that are needed to build up to 200,000 VOCSN.
"GM is in the position to help build more ventilators because of
the remarkable performance of GM and Ventec's global supply base,"
added Barra. "Our joint teams have moved mountains to find real
solutions to save lives and fight the pandemic."
The Ventec Life Systems team has a history of patient-centric
design which includes more than 18 care-changing respiratory
devices and more than 40 patents. Ventec's leading product, VOCSN,
is the first and only Multi-Function Ventilator and was FDA cleared
in 2017. VOCSN seamlessly integrates five separate devices
including a critical care ventilator, oxygen concentrator, cough
assist, suction and nebulizer into a single portable device.
VOCSN provides invasive and non-invasive ventilation across a
comprehensive set of modes and settings throughout the care
continuum from the hospital to the home.
GM's Kokomo facility supports
the production of precision electrical components and is
approximately 2.6 million square feet, located on more than 270
acres.
This partnership combines global expertise in manufacturing
quality and a joint commitment to safety to give medical
professionals and patients access to life-saving technology as
rapidly as possible.
Level 1 Surgical Masks
In a separate effort, GM is expanding its support of medical
equipment production by temporarily converting its Warren, Michigan plant to build Level 1
surgical masks. Production will begin next week and within two
weeks ramp up to 50,000 masks per day, with the potential to
increase to 100,000 per day. Daily mask production will be
influenced by the availability of materials to build the masks.
The necessary machinery will be delivered to the Warren plant Friday morning and production of
masks will begin next week.
This employee-led initiative was created, planned and approved
in about 48 hours and involves GM's traditional supply base as well
as new partnerships specific to the medical device industry. GM
will be collaborating with governments and local suppliers to
distribute the masks.
Ventec Life Systems is redefining respiratory care
to improve patient outcomes and reduce caregiver challenges from
the hospital to home. Ventec's leading product, VOCSN, is the first
and only Multi-Function Ventilator that seamlessly integrates five
devices - a critical care Ventilator, 6 L/min equivalent Oxygen
concentrator, touch button Cough assist, hospital grade Suction,
and a high-performance Nebulizer - into one integrated respiratory
system that is lightweight and mobile. VOCSN is fully customizable
to meet patient needs for pediatric and adult patients. Learn more
at VentecLife.com and connect with Ventec on Facebook, LinkedIn,
YouTube, Twitter and Instagram.
General Motors (NYSE: GM) is a global company committed
to delivering safer, better and more sustainable ways for people to
get around. General Motors, its subsidiaries and its joint venture
entities sell vehicles under
the Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, Cadillac, Holden, Baojun and Wuling brands.
More information on the company and its subsidiaries,
including OnStar, a global leader in vehicle safety and
security services, and Maven, its personal mobility brand, can
be found at http://www.gm.com.
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SOURCE General Motors Co.