Ford helping GE make ventilators, 3M produce respirators

Ford Motor Co. is throwing its design and production prowess behind two other manufacturers’ efforts to build more ventilators and respirators for health care workers and first responders.

The automaker will work with 3M Co. to accelerate production of the respirators and have United Auto Workers members assemble more than 100,000 plastic face shields a week, according to a statement Tuesday. Ford also will help General Electric Co.’s health care unit boost output of ventilators hospitals desperately need for coronavirus patients.

“We’re just going as fast as we can,” Bill Ford, the automaker’s executive chairman, said on NBC.

“Nobody’s talked about the financial implications of this because this is a national emergency and we’ll sort all that out later.”

The collaboration, which Ford dubbed “Project Apollo” after the Apollo 13 spacecraft rescue mission, will help GE and 3M scale their existing efforts to provide critical products to hospitals being taxed by the coronavirus outbreak. With shortages of ventilators, respirators and other essential equipment hampering efforts to fight the pandemic, U.S. President Donald Trump has challenged automakers to get involved, but Bill Ford said the company started the collaborations with 3M and GE before the White House asked American companies to help produce medical supplies.

AP 2014 As part of its effort to help during the COVID-19 outbreak, Ford will have United Auto Workers members assemble more than 100,000 plastic face shields a week, according to a statement Tuesday.