And on Tuesday, GM said it expects to deliver its first 20,000 face masks next week.
“GM launched a rapid-response project to produce masks at scale on Friday, March 20,” that automaker said. “Seven days later, the team had produced their first sample on the new production line.”
By next week, GM expects to deliver its first 20,000 masks to frontline workers, the company said.
“Our team began looking at ways we could quickly utilize our talents and resources to help in the shared fight against COVID-19,” said Peter Thom, GM vice president, global manufacturing engineering. “Working around the clock, our team rallied with incredible passion and focus to come up with a plan to produce masks that will help protect the women and men on the front lines of this crisis.”
Ford Motor Co. on Monday announced a partnership with General Electric Healthcare that will begin producing 50,000 ventilators within 100 days and up to 30,000 a month thereafter.
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Ford said it will quickly scale production, and GE Healthcare will provide its clinical expertise to license an existing ventilator design from a third company, Airon Corp. – a small, privately held business specializing in high-tech pneumatic life support products.
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.,” Ford said in a release Monday.
Ford will make the ventilators in Michigan after initially sending a team to work with Airon to boost production in Florida.
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.
Honda also said it will donate $1 million to food banks and meal programs across the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Honda said further it would use its 3-D printers to make visors for protective face shields that will be used by medical providers. “And we continue investigating the ability to meet critical manufacturing needs related to medical equipment, including partnering with other companies,” the company said Monday.
The automaker is also offering payment extensions and deferrals, as well as late fee waivers for existing Honda and Acura finance customers impacted by the pandemic, and a 90-day deferred payment to qualified customers for new vehicle sales financed by Honda and Acura Financial Services.
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