Ford to produce ventilators, respirators with 3M, GE Healthcare in coronavirus fight
Automaker will also assemble plastic face shields
Ford said Tuesday that it will assemble plastic face shields as well as work with 3M and GE Healthcare on respirators and ventilators as more and more Americans test positive for coronavirus.
The announcement comes as hospitals face a shortage of personal protective equipment like masks.
MNUCHIN 'VERY HOPEFUL' US CAN BEAT CORONAVIRUS IN 10-12 WEEKS
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| F | FORD MOTOR CO. | 10.22 | -0.07 | -0.68% |
| MMM | 3M CO. | 127.22 | -1.24 | -0.97% |
| GE | GE AEROSPACE | 171.70 | -0.05 | -0.03% |
President Trump invoked the Defense Production Act last week but said Tuesday that he hasn't used the DPA after companies like Ford and General Motors have come forward.
"The Defense Production Act is in full force, but haven't had to use it because no one has said NO!" Trump wrote on Twitter. "Millions of masks coming as back up to States."
Ford, with the help of the United Auto Workers union, plans to produce roughly 75,000 face shields this week at a subsidiary facility in Plymouth, Michigan, and scale up to 100,000 face shields per week.
In this Sept. 27, 2018, file photo a United Auto Workers assemblymen work on a 2018 Ford F-150 trucks being assembled at the Ford Rouge assembly plant in Dearborn, Mich. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio, File)
"Nobody's talked about the financial implications of this because this is a national emergency, and we'll sort all that out later," Bill Ford, Ford's executive chairman, told "TODAY." "We need to get going. ... We haven't talked to anybody about any kind of reimbursement."
"We're doing it on our own," Ford continued. "Obviously, the White House has put a call out for companies to help. Frankly, we were getting all this in motion before that."