Ford, GM and others step up to make medical equipment

General Motors expects to begin production of Level 1 face masks the week of April 6 at a plant in Warren, Mich. Th eplan is to ramp up to 50,000 masks per day in the first two weeks with the potential to increase to 100,000 per day.

General Motors expects to begin production of Level 1 face masks the week of April 6 at a plant in Warren, Mich. Teh plan is to ramp up to 50,000 masks per day in the first two weeks with the potential to increase to 100,000 per day.

General Motors expects to begin production of Level 1 face masks the week of April 6 at a plant in Warren, Mich. The plan is to ramp up to 50,000 masks per day in the first two weeks with the potential to increase to 100,000 per day.

The medical face shields being produced by Ford Motor Co. consist of a plastic shield, foam forehead band, elastic strap and staples. The company is ramping up to make 100,000 face shields a week at its subsidiary, Troy Design and Manufacturing, in Plymouth, Mich.

A Ford employee wears a prototype of a medical face shield as the manufacturer shows how it is bringing its manufacturing and engineering expertise to quickly expand production of urgently needed medical equipment and supplies for health care workers, first responders and patients fighting coronavirus.

Ford plans to produce 50,000 ventilators during the next three months in a partnership with GE Healthcare. The company will make simple versions of a ventilator designed for GE by Airon Corp., to operate on air pressure instead of electricity.