- Ford, in collaboration with GE Healthcare, will leverage the
design of Airon Corp.’s FDA-cleared ventilator to produce in
Michigan
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
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.
This press release features multimedia. View
the full release here:
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200330005720/en/
A Model A-E ventilator, left, and a
simple test lung. The 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.
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 Healthcare 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.
About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is a global company based in Dearborn,
Michigan. The company designs, manufactures, markets and services a
full line of Ford cars, trucks, SUVs, electrified vehicles and
Lincoln luxury vehicles, provides financial services through Ford
Motor Credit Company and is pursuing leadership positions in
electrification, autonomous vehicles and mobility solutions,
including self-driving services; and connected services. Ford
employs approximately 190,000 people worldwide. For more
information regarding Ford, its products and Ford Motor Credit
Company, please visit corporate.ford.com.
About GE
GE (NYSE:GE) rises to the challenge of building a world that
works. For more than 125 years, GE has invented the future of
industry, and today the company’s dedicated team, leading
technology, and global reach and capabilities help the world work
more efficiently, reliably, and safely. GE’s people are diverse and
dedicated, operating with the highest level of integrity and focus
to fulfill GE’s mission and deliver for its customers.
www.ge.com
For news releases, related materials and high-resolution photos
and video, visit www.media.ford.com.
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200330005720/en/
Mike Levine Ford Motor Company 313.806.1741
mlevine5@ford.com
Amy Sarosiek GE Healthcare 224.239.6028 amy.sarosiek@ge.com
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