Warehouse Transformed to Manufacture Ventilators

We are making ventilator sub-assemblies for the National Health Service (NHS) in the UK after transforming an empty warehouse into a manufacturing facility in record time.

Employees worked ceaselessly for three weeks to get the high-tech production line up and running – a feat that would usually take a full year. The facility is part of the VentilatorChallengeUK Consortium – a collaboration between leading tech and engineering companies to deliver 15,000 much-needed Penlon Prima ES02 ventilators that the NHS will use for critically ill COVID-19 patients.

Ford of Britain chairman Graham Hoare.

“It took many late nights and a lot of hard work, but the ingenuity and commitment of our people has been just remarkable, and it shows how a crisis can bring out the best in us. The way they have sacrificed time with family and also been so willing to learn something new to help build these life-saving devices is full testimony to their desire to deliver, and it makes me very proud to be part of this team.”

Project Apollo
We are also helping to reduce the spread of COVID-19 with Project Apollo, our global effort to produce personal protection equipment, assist with local and national initiatives, and increase the availability of ventilators and respirators.

Our Research and Innovation Center in Aachen, Germany, recently assisted with the development of a new powered air-purifying respirator (PAPR), being produced in the US.

For healthcare professionals, the PAPR includes a hood and face shield, while a battery operated ventilator and a high-efficiency filter system provides a supply of 99.97 per cent filtered air for up to eight hours. The engineers who worked on our Interior Air Advanced Filtration System provided expertise in the filter design and testing to develop the clinical grade filter used in the PAPR.

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